Good humor is the beginning of happiness. And to be entitled to it, we focus on our mind. But what about our body? “Good humor is based on a body-mind balance, we can’t do more!”, exclaims Sophie Trem, creator of “The Good Mood Class” – interactive workshops to fill up with positive energy – and author of a book of the same name, just published by Albin Michel. A work that inspires and which looks back on the five keys to good humor, starting with… Posture. A good posture would be the secret of a positive state of mind, and the good news is that it’s pretty easy to work with. Meeting with Sophie Trem.
Top Health: Among the five keys to a good mood, the first is “posture”. Why did you start there?
Sophie Trem: For me, it made sense to start with this key. Already, because it is accessible. But above all, because good humor, if it goes through the mind, also goes through the physical. When we want to be there “here and now”, our head does not always succeed but our body can. He can anchor! This is why good posture is essential. But that’s not all. When we stand well, that is to say straight and aligned, our body is in motion, our blood and our energy circulate better, which has a positive impact on our mind. So, in the same way that we put our thoughts in motion when we try to exchange our negative thoughts for positive thoughts, we must put our bodies in motion.
On the other hand, behaving well allows you to convey an image of yourself in accordance with the image you want to give. The eyes of others are important to us, let’s not hide it. If we present ourselves to the world in a positive way, the world sends back something positive to us. And then we refer to ourselves. We know we’re straight, we know we’re there, we know we’re capable of moving forward. To look at the ground is to lose the way. Life is difficult and you have to expect to fall, to encounter obstacles. When we work on our posture, we realize that despite the falls, we can get up. Adopting good postures is not doing a circus, it’s teaching your body that it can adapt to any circumstance, and therefore strengthen its self-confidence and by rebounding its self-esteem.
How to act on our posture on a daily basis, when we know that bad habits always come back?
Indeed, it is easy to form bad habits, much easier than to form good ones! For me, it’s all about discipline. Every day, you can check yourself and become aware of your posture to correct yourself, stand straight, raise your head. It’s simple and not complicated. If you take breathing, for example, you can see that deep, slow breathing is a source of relaxation. So globally, people are learning more and more to breathe. It’s the same with posture. You have to say to yourself “OK, I’ll behave better”. Instantly, the spirit will regenerate, relaxation will settle. Because the brain is better oxygenated, because the body is in motion, because tensions fade away.
You talk a lot about “movements”. Are we to understand that beyond good posture, sport is essential?
I speak of movements because a good posture allows, as I said, to circulate the blood and the energies. It’s movement. When we stretch, when you stand up straight and don’t shrivel up in front of your computer screen, the body is activated, the organs are freed, and we come back to life. That’s why it feels good. But the term movement can also be understood literally, yes. Sport is essential. Or just moving. I encourage walking, going out, getting some fresh air. No matter what one does, the essential thing is to change the angle, to “walk one’s body through life”, thus to connect head and body. It’s more prolific than cogitating on a couch! Of course, to work on your posture, and therefore correct it, you can start by consulting a specialist, especially in the case of lower back pain, or even dental pain. How many things we tend to put off. But good posture goes through self-care and good physical shape, so at the same time, you have to eat well, hydrate well, sleep well. This is how, then, we find the right posture, the one that allows us to move forward and get up from any situation!
To find out more (diagrams and exercises in support) : “Good Mood Class, the 5 keys to reactivating your good mood and changing your state of mind”, by Sophie Trem (ed. Albin Michel).
Read also:
- Should you trust your instincts?
- The impostor syndrome or how doubt impacts well-being
- 3 morning rituals to boost your confidence
