It’s easy to get frustrated and feel stressed when everything seems to be going wrong, but can we predispose ourselves to feeling stressed? A professor at Harvard says we can. Amy Cuddy has studied facial expressions, posture, and breathing, and found that the way we carry ourselves affects how we handle situations. Her studies have shown that people who feel more stressed and overwhelmed tend to have a slouched and closed posture. By asking them to open their stance and take deep breaths, she has shown them how to bring a brighter perspective to the situation and ease some of the frustration they are feeling.

Read more: Want to be a better mom? Check your posture, seriously