We all know that our emotions are reflected in our physiology. When you are depressed you slump your shoulders, your breathing becomes shallow, and you usually look toward the ground. When you are excited you stand up tall, breath quickly and smile.
But just as state affects physiology, our physiology affects our state. If you change your physiology, how you feel will change in accordance. Actually, using your physiology is the fastest way to change your state.
Often we get stuck in certain states… perhaps something goes wrong and we get stuck feeling blue, or we get angry and can’t shake it, or we feel anxious for far too long. You can use your physiology to shift out of these states at will.
I was working with a company yesterday to coach one of their sales agents. He’s a vibrant guy with lots of energy and a pleasure to talk to… yet when he gets on the phone to make a sales call, that powerful and confident persona gets put on pause. He’s “business persona” was not nearly as powerful and persuasive as his natural self. This makes a bit of sense – we think that in a business setting we need to be “professional,” yet if being professional means restricting our behaviour and sounding serious and stuffy, it’s not going to get results, especially not in sales.
I could hear that he needed to shift his state when he got on the phone. I asked him to show me his physiology when he got on the call. His was leaning forward with a serious expression on his face. Just taking on the physiology brings on the state.
I then asked him to show me the physiology he normally had when speaking to friends or colleagues. He leaned back and relaxed, opening up his arms and chest. I had him make a call with this new physiology and the change was stunning. Now he was a vibrant and confidence executive on the phone… and all it took was a change in physiology.
You can use your physiology to change your state anytime. If you are feeling down, stand up straight, look upward and breathe deeply. If you are feeling anxious, take on the physiology of calm.
You can actually compare the physiology of two emotional states to notice the differences and make the shift. If there is certain state you would like to access, ask yourself what is the physiology you adopt when in that state . Then shift your posture, breathing and facial expression to match… and notice the change.
