"Depression can be created by sitting slouched in a chair, shoulders hunched, head hanging down. Repeat these words over and over: "There's nothing anybody can do. No one can help me. I'm helpless. I give up." Shake your head, sigh, cry. In general, act depressed and the genuine feeling will follow in time... Feelings follow behavior." ~ David K. Reynolds from Constructive Living

You want to feel depressed? Follow the prescription outlined above.

You want to feel better? Get active! Seriously. If you're feeling funky, make SURE you're exercising. That alone can have significant effects. Of course, when we're feeling the funk, getting up and moving our bodies is one of the last things we want to do. And also one of the most important.

So, the next time you're starting to feel a little off, take a moment to check in on how you're holding yourself. Odds are your breath is compromised from a slouching posture. Your shoulders are rolled over a bit. Your energy, in general, is down kinda like a wilted flower. (We've all mastered that posture at times.) Or, maybe your flat on your back eating bon-bons in bed.

In any case, get up! BREATHE. Stretch yourself out. Shake yourself up. Bounce up and down a bit. SMILE. And get to work. :)

Know that, as Reynolds says, "Behavior wags the tail of feelings...We do, then we feel."