Hello!
This weekend, let’s talk about something you might need — a revamp of your posture.
Here I am, sitting in someone else’s bedroom, taking a selfie to show you my efforts at having better posture. If you know me in real life, you know that I have forward head posture…and finally, this year, I’m doing something about it.
I’ve been working on straightening up for about a month now, and let me tell you guys, it is HARD WORK but IT’S WORKING!!
So many of us struggle with hunching over (phones, computers, slouching) and I did a little research to figure out what helps. I’ve chosen a set of 3 easy exercises to do twice a day (plus weights to strengthen my back) and I’m noticing a big improvement. I’ll share the link with you below.
But first, let’s look at the WHY behind our posture.
Some of it is mechanical, and some of it is … you know … Life. I ignored my poor posture for a long time because it felt too hard to correct and, frankly, I was embarrassed. If I didn’t acknowledge it, it wasn’t there. Have you ever done this?
Anyway, confronting my posture and thinking about it made me remember that I started slouching when I had a couple of rough years in primary school. Over time, it became normal. When I stood tall, I felt like an imposter; when I slouched, I felt safe.
Hmmmm.
In January, I decided it was time to change. We all know that it’s good to let go of fear, stop hiding and stop playing small.
But there’s this:
So true.
No one tells you just how uncomfortable it is to stop being who you were … even when you’re letting go of something negative.
It should be so obvious to drop a bad habit, right?
Just let go of the stuff that’s holding you back! But the bad feels normal and comfortable. (The slouching, the over-drinking, the over-eating, the chocolate for comfort, the glass of wine, the bingeing on Netflix...the complaining, the criticising of other people, the angry outbursts, seeing the negative side of life.)
Here’s a really good question: what parts of ourselves should we let die?
For me, straightening up is a symbol of deciding to be on my own side. It’s about taking up space. My new posture felt so strange at first that I seriously thought people would notice and criticise me for standing tall! How weird is that? But ever so slowly, I’m learning to feel ‘right’ when I hold my head high.
I’m letting myself be seen.
Now, over to you!
I hope you have some time today to take a deep breath, give yourself space, and think about a habit you’re ready to let go of…
Love Catherine x
PS.
The posture video I use is here! (I’ve watched dozens and dozens of videos on forward head thrust, dowager’s hump and forward head posture — this one works for me! You’ll need a wall and 2 minutes, twice a day.)
Exciting book news!! Love Lie Repeat is in Frankie magazine! Take a look at this gorgeousness…