Is Bad Posture Causing Depression?

I never intended on being the nagging mom but hey I'll own it! Especially when I see my kids developing habits that are outright awful to look at.  I hate when I see my kids hunched over constantly looking down at either their Ipad or cell phone with no regard to how they're actually harming their poor backs and necks. Not only does it come across to others who are observing you as a completely defeated look, it's also has negative implications on your spine and your overall well-being. So I looked into how it may be harmful just to prove to my kids that I wasn't the bat shit crazy nit picker that they thought and I found out that there is a correlation between how we feel and our postures and it's becoming increasingly common for people to develop the habit of hunching due to our addiction to mobile devices. In today's society, we're all conscious of how we look in selfies but what about the majority of the time we spend behind our cell phones looking down? We are rarely aware of how this impacts our posture unless you have an anal parent like me who reminds you of those sorts of things.To my surprise this recent phenomena of bad posture is linked to the increase of depression, memory loss and negative thoughts.

If you aren't aware of the association or looking for a way to prove your nagging mommy logic to your kids then you may be inadvertently impacting more than your social presence and really who wants the unnecessary burdens of depression and memory loss when all you intended on doing was checking a news app. I'll admit that I'm guilty of this as well from time to time but I also work behind a computer all day so I tried to take precautionary measures years ago when I developed carpal tunnel. I invested in all the ergonomic devices to assist with my posture because this too is correlated. So lets all take a few moments out of our day to try to improve our posture with these few easy exercises and if you're a crazy parent like me, make sure you pass along the information to a teen in your life.

1.  Use a stability ball. There are countless exercises you can do using a stability ball to help with posture and I've outlined a few above in pictures. These exercises are generally directed at improving your core but when performing core exercise the byproduct is an improved posture and back muscles.  

2. Invest in a lumbar roll. If you work at a desk most of the day it's easy to fall into hunching over a computer keyboard. Investing in a lumbar roll helps with posture. You may also try sitting at the edge of your chair. This prompts us to arch our lower backs/lifting shoulders when sitting on the edge of a chair. While trying to stabilize yourself to keep from falling off the edge, you naturally correct your posture. 

3. Try balancing an imaginary book on your head. We've all seen this reenacted in movies that featured a charm school or modeling but it really does work. Try sitting with an actual book on your head is one of the easiest ways to see quick results. If you aren't interested in looking crazy at work, then an imaginary book works too. 

If you're not into the stability ball there are also these yoga poses which may help improve posture as well.

                Cobra Pose                                                                The Plank