Editor’s Note: As Finals Week approaches, the Eccles School is doing a five-part series featured in the Newsroom on how to keep up your energy levels. Here is the fourth installment.

A healthy level of energy is vital to performing at your full potential as a student. When we are low on energy, it becomes more difficult to focus, to stay committed to tasks, and to keep our overall cognitive function at its full potential. Without adequate levels of energy, we are unlikely to reach our full potential in the classroom and during our study time.

It is natural to have some variation in the way you feel from day to day, but there are some things you can do to increase your overall levels of energy and mental focus.

Posture

The element of posture is often neglected—that is, until we develop some sort of discomfort in our body that causes us to take a closer look at our posture. But posture, the position in which we hold our body while sitting or standing, can have a significant impact on how we feel.

Improper posture can cause us to tire more quickly; improper posture can make us less efficient with our movements; and improper posture can have an effect on our psyche. For evidence of how posture can affect our psyche, try this simple experiment.

First, look straight ahead, let your head sag down a bit, and frown. It will not take very long for your mood to change and your energy levels to drop. Next, do the opposite. Stand (or sit) confidently tall and smile. You may even want to try looking up at the ceiling and smiling. If you are feeling low on energy a change in posture can make all the difference in how you feel mentally and physically.