How Low Confidence in Childhood Can Show Up in the Adult Body
Have you ever noticed how your emotional state can show up physically, in your posture, your breath, or even in how you hold yourself in a room? As a Mind Body Chiropractor, one of the most fascinating (and consistent) patterns I’ve seen over the years is how low confidence in childhood can manifest as physical tension, pain and postural changes in adulthood.
When we grow up feeling unsure of ourselves, maybe criticised, compared, or afraid to take up space, the body adapts. Many people with low confidence unconsciously hold in their tummy to appear smaller or “tidier.” Over time, this constant bracing affects how we breathe.
Holding the abdominal muscles in a contracted state prevents diaphragmatic breathing, limiting oxygen flow and keeping the nervous system slightly on edge. It also weakens the core, leading to postural changes, muscle imbalance, and lower back pain over time.
Low confidence often goes hand-in-hand with anxiety or depression, both of which are linked to nervous system dysregulation. When the body is frequently in a fight, flight, or freeze state, muscles tighten, joints stiffen, inflammation increases, and recovery slows down.
This emotional-physical connection can become cyclical. The more stress and negative self-talk we experience, the more the body adopts protective postures, shoulders rounding forward, the chest closing, and breathing becoming shallow. These patterns can trigger or reinforce feelings of insecurity and fear, keeping us stuck in a loop of tension and low self-worth.
To begin breaking this cycle, we need to address both the body and the mind.
Here are some simple, powerful ways to start:
- Postural awareness: Notice where you hold tension or shrink yourself.
- Breathwork and yoga: Encourage deep belly breathing and calm the nervous system.
- Core strengthening: Restore stability and confidence from the inside out.
- Mind Body Chiropractic care: Rebalance the nervous system and release stored tension.
- Therapeutic work: Explore and heal the “inner child” who learned to feel small.
When we begin to heal the emotional patterns beneath our posture, the body naturally starts to open up.
Confidence isn’t something we perform, it’s something we embody.