SPREAD THE HAPPINESS – SMILE

It’s pretty hard to remove the smile from my face right now. Why you ask? As many of you may know I’ve been working on the second book in my children’s series, which is why there have been limited blog posts of late. BUT at last, after more than a year from start to finish, the second book in my As the Crow Flies series for children is close to going to print. With all this smiling going on at my house it reminded me of a blog I did some years ago about the benefits of smiling.

I know it’s sometimes hard to find a smile. In fact you can often forget where you’ve left them but smiles are like tissues, you find them in the strangest places. If you’re anything like me you might smile at the most unusual things and I admit, that people have often thought me a little weird because I laugh and smile so much.

Of course smiling is a precursor to laughing and we all know how good laughing is for you. The next question is, have you ever thought about how smiling affects your life? Several years ago I read how smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin. Together, they make us feel wonderful. At the time I was working at a department store in Toowoomba as well as running our Arabian stud. Yes, I was writing my book Tails Carried High but it was something I didn’t discuss due to the reaction most people gave me. A response often combining a nervous giggle and a look of utter surprise. I smiled at that as well OR did I have the last laugh?

Anyway I decided to do an experiment at work. I began to smile at everyone! What happened? Well their reactions made me laugh, there were frowns, raised eyebrows and lots of head shaking. Quite honestly I think people were very nervous at being smiled at by a stranger. It was obvious they were really uncomfortable. But you know the smiling made me feel good and I tolerated the difficult customers, dare I say, with a smile! I mustn’t forget to add that amongst all the negative responses there were lots of happy returned smiles.

I then found if I was feeling stressed and I pretend-smiled, my mood truly lightened. This probably took about ten minutes for my mood to change. Let me mention here that it’s not easy to pretend smile for ten minutes! Interestingly in time this pretend smiling became an instant reaction and developed into a habit.

“A smile costs nothing but gives much. It enriches those who receive without making poorer those who give. It takes but a moment, but the memory of it sometimes lasts forever. None is so rich or mighty that he cannot get along without it and none is so poor that he cannot be made rich by it. Yet a smile cannot be bought, begged, borrowed, or stolen, for it is something that is of no value to anyone until it is given away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so much as he who has no more to give.” ~Author Unknown

I also realised if you pass someone in the street and they smile at you, it automatically makes you feel better so I agree 100% that smiling actually tricks the body into feeling positive. I now find something to smile about every day, even though we are bombarded by such gloom and doom. I rarely watch the news instead I search for something uplifting and happy. I know what’s going on in the world but I feel it’s imperative to find something to smile about. Even the simplest things make us grin think of all the photographs we love on Facebook and Pinterest.

 

Spend time with something or someone you love and who makes you smile. Hug your horse, dog, cat, family. (worried about the sequence of what to hug there?) Read a book you love. Get out in the fresh air and smile just because you live in Australia. Smile about the rain, smile about the sunshine, just smile, smile , smile, who cares what people think. We all MUST have something to smile about. Me, I smile and say thank you, because I can get out of bed every morning!

Apparently it takes seventeen muscles to smile and forty-three to frown. So, next time when you’re feeling low try a pretend-smile and see if it helps and if you are talking to a negative person, just smile and watch how it changes everything …

Below I’ve listed the –Top 10 Reasons to Smile – by Mark Stibich, PH.D.

From www.about.com

It’s great fun….

1. Smiling Makes Us Attractive

We are drawn to people who smile. There is an attraction factor. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is so good. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away — but a smile draws them in (avoid these smile aging habits to keep your smile looking great).

2. Smiling Changes Our Mood

Next time you are feeling down, try putting on a smile. There’s a good chance you mood will change for the better. Smiling can trick the body into helping you change your mood.

3. Smiling Is Contagious

When someone is smiling they lighten up the room, change the moods of others, and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling Relieves Stress
Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down, and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you’ll be better able to take action.

5. Smiling Boosts Your Immune System

Smiling helps the immune system to work better. When you smile, immune function improves possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling Lowers Your Blood Pressure

When you smile, there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Give it a try if you have a blood pressure monitor at home. Sit for a few minutes, take a reading. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling Releases Endorphins, Natural Pain Killers and Serotonin

Studies have shown that smiling releases endorphins, natural pain killers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good. Smiling is a natural drug.

8. Smiling Lifts the Face and Makes You Look Younger

The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don’t go for a face lift, just try smiling your way through the day — you’ll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling Makes You Seem Successful

Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted, and more likely to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling Helps You Stay Positive

Try this test: Smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It’s hard. When we smile our body is sending the rest of us a message that “Life is Good!” Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.