You are more transparent than you realize.

There’s something you do all day, every day, without even realizing it, that shows people how you’re feeling.

You breathe.

Breathing is one of those things your body does constantly without any help from your conscious mind. How many of the 20,000 or so breaths that you took in the past 24 hours were you aware of? Probably not many. And for the most part, that’s fine! If you had to think about all your vital body processes, you wouldn’t have much brainpower left for important things like which show to watch next on Netflix.

The thing is, your breathing tells the people around you a whole lot about your state of mind. If you’re anxious or angry, you breathe shallowly. If you’re paralyzed with fear, you hold your breath. When you’re excited, you take quick, strong breaths. Depression will cause you to hold your breath and release it in a sigh. Relaxed? Your breathing is slow and smooth.

No one will notice these breathing patterns and make conscious assessments about your state of mind. But they will “get a feeling” about you.

If you want to increase your presence, make a good impression, or be seen as a leader, practice breathing deeply and smoothly even when under stress. That simple (but hard!) skill demonstrates confidence and adds to your credibility in any situation.

Change your communication, change your life.

I’m Rachel Beohm, a writer, speaker, and coach. Through nonverbal communication, I empower clients to show up as their biggest, boldest selves.

If you’d like tips on how to do that yourself, sign up here for “21 Days to Build a Better Life.” It’s a FREE 3-week email coaching program that I wrote to help you change your communication and your life.