- Alexis Brink
- Read Time: 14 mins
A child sucks her thumb for self-comfort. An adult touches several fingers to his forehead or leans a cheek into her balled-up fist as a response to cognitive stress. We cross our arms or place our hands on our hips when we seek safety and grounding. None of us are explicitly taught to use these postures as coping mechanisms, yet when the need arises, we fall back on them without conscious effort.