Smart Phones, Confidence and Social Anxiety
Is your smart phone robbing you of self confidence?
Here's how you might be sabotaging yourself without realizing it.
What do you do when you are feeling nervous, have nothing to do, or are in public with no one to talk to?
If you’re like most of us -- you get busy with your phone.
Getting involved in this familiar activity might feel comforting but did you know that it might be adversely affecting your feelings of self confidence?
What’s your body position when you’re looking at your phone?
Head bent down, arms drawn inward, shoulders hunched over……
So what?
Take a look at the close relationship between body posture and emotions we talked about last time.
When you are hunched over, drawn inwards, and bent over while checking your phone.....
What’s your body position telling your brain?
Hint – it’s not communicating confidence.
In fact, your body language is making your brain sense that you might be feeling insecure, that you are trying to look small for some reason, you re pulled inwards, protecting yourself, that you are hiding or afraid. (even if you're not)
Discourages anyone else being friendly.
Your body language is also telling anyone else around you that you are busy, pre-occupied - to stay away and not disturb you. (Don't be surprised if no one comes up to chat, say hi or be friendly.)
Try the opposite body language
Now lift your head up, put your shoulders back, stand tall, open your chest. Picture in your mind what a person who is full of self confidence looks like as they stride confidently across a room, or as they stand and observe what’s around them.
Feel the difference?
If you must check your phone to cope with feelings of anxiety, or to avoid feeling awkward --- try to hold and look at your phone in a way that keeps your body open, your head up, body spread out, and large instead of in a way that collapses your body inwards.
Don’t let your body position inadvertently impact your feelings in a negative way.