Change Your Posture, Change Your Mind

I saw this TED talk and thought it would be good to share.   “Social psychologist Amy Cuddy shows how “power posing” — standing in a posture of confidence, even when we don’t feel confident — can affect testosterone and cortisol levels in the brain, and might even have an impact on our chances for success.”  

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are

The idea that your body language influences your state of mind gives us all a tool to be more effective.  Dr. Cuddy tested testosterone and cortisol levels, had participants take a power pose or a more submissive or closed pose for 2 minutes and then checked their hormone levels again.   It worked.   People who had used a power pose had higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol.  This is an interesting idea that can be used by adults and children. 

Think of all of the times in your own day when you could use some help dealing with stress.  Being more calm and confident might lead to better decisions.   Teachers often take a few minutes to have children use movement to recharge during a school day.  A class of children standing like their favorite super hero could help lead to a super day.

Neighborhood Parents Network

The Neighborhood Parents Network http://www.npnparents.org hosted an event for local business people, who are members, on Wednesday, July 9 at Classic Kids http://www.classickidsphotography.com on Armitage.  We learned that NPN will be celebrating its 35th anniversary next year.  Stacey enjoyed conversations with Amy, head of volunteers at NPN as well as with a family lawyer, a director of a soccer program, and an owner of a spa.

NPN is a great resource for families. From the expectant mother to parents of 4 there are groups to join that make the parenting journey easier.   NPN also keeps you in the know about all of the fun things happening in our city.    

In the past few years, Let’s Choose has participated in NPN school fairs and the developmental differences fair.  Thanks to this event, we learned that other events, which are less educationally focused, might still be a good fit for us.  We will keep you posted when these events happen.

Hope you are enjoying summer!