Anti-Anxiety Tool of the Week: Power Poses
Power poses are expansive positions (e.g., hands up in the air in a "V", hands on the hips, feet wide, etc.).
It was Harvard Business School professor Amy Cuddy who did the original research and coined the term, then in 2012 did a TED talk on power poses that went viral. That's Amy in the photo, doing what is now known as the "Wonder Woman pose."
These poses, when held for even very short periods of time (like two minutes), appear to bring about an increased sense of confidence and well-being. And therefore can help reduce anxiety. Here's a condensed (2 minute) version of that talk if you don't have a lot of time. The full talk is 21 minutes (but well worth it). Further research has validated her original claims. Here's a link to her book if you're interested.
when the world is mud-luscious
In celebration of early spring I share a couple of poems and some photos. It is such an ephemeral in-and-out time, feeding us with warmth and promise...and breaking our hearts. A seed unfolding...
The first poem by Luci Shaw (one of my favorites) is just eight words long. The second, by e.e. cummings, captures, for me, both the unbuttoned delight and the wistfulness of early spring.
Planting seeds
inevitably changes
my feelings about rain.
Luci Shaw
in Just-
In Just-
spring when the world is mud-
luscious the little
lame balloonman
whistles far and wee
and eddieandbill come
running from marbles and
piracies and it's
spring
when the world is puddle-wonderful
the queer
old balloonman whistles
far and wee
and bettyandisbel come dancing
from hop-scotch and jump-rope and
it's
spring
and
the
goat-footed
balloonMan whistles
far
and
wee
e.e. cummings
A few early spring photos...
Until next time,
Dawn
Photo credits:
Puddle-jumping, Phil Hearing, unSplash
Amy Cuddy, Brian Smith, Princeton Univ.
Seedlings, Francessco Gallorotti, unSplash
mud-luscious, MomJunction
Fiddleheads, Lawrence Walkin
Cardinal in spring snow, Ray Hennessy, unSplash
Skunk cabbage, Lawrence Walkin
Frost patterns, Dawn Hunt
Daffodils, Dawn Hunt
Violets?, Lawrence Walkin