Less Stressed
Has anyone ever shared with you the power of a smile? This seemingly simple, quick muscle movement has more magic in it than a Disney movie. And it’s just amazing how far-reaching a smile can go. It can cross oceans and withstand the test of time. In fact, if you focus on smiling every day, you can chase your stress away. Because a smile has the power to perform the 5 functions discussed below, you can expect to see your stress levels decrease.
How to be Less Stressed
1) Build Relationships
The simple act of smiling makes you appear more approachable. This encourages others to be comfortable interacting with you. This could be anyone from a stranger you pass on the street to a potential business associate.
Smiling also suggests that you’re empathetic, which draws people to befriend you. This can lead to long-lasting friendships that otherwise may not have happened.
Having people in your life that you can depend on and share life events with is crucial. These relationships serve as a form of release. Without them, your bottled-up emotions can lead to more stress.
2) Release Endorphins
When you smile, your body releases endorphins in your brain. Endorphins are the chemicals responsible for making you feel happier. They also help reduce stress and anxiety and serve as a natural pain reliever.
Because your brain can’t tell the difference between a fake and real smile, you can often trigger the release of endorphins by simply faking it.
3) Raise Your Self Esteem
In addition to increasing your happiness, a smile can give your self-esteem the boost it needs. We all have days where we wish we could curl up into a ball and stay home all day. However, that may not be an option for you. So slap on a smile by doing the things that make you happy or throw on a fake one. After a while, that smile may have you feeling more confident and ready to take on the world. The positive reaction you’ll get from others who have returned your smile will also give you a boost here.
4) Encourage Others
You’ve surely heard how contagious a smile can be. There’s no holding back once someone genuinely smiles at you. And even though a smile can be quick and effortless, there’s a lot that it says. Being greeted with a smile generally means someone is happy to see you. Once you recognize that message, you’ll most likely feel those corners of your mouth inch upwards— it’s automatic.
A smile can also help reduce the friction and stress of a bad situation. If you’re having some sort of controversy, a smile can lead to others smiling and be the first step toward a solution.
5) Build A Positive Environment
Imagine working with someone who frowns all the time, it’s not such a positive experience, right? Now, picture the opposite. A smile will create a much more pleasant environment to work in and promote cooperation. Not only does this improve the attitudes of the people around you, but it promotes positivity within yourself as well. We all want happy and stress-free lives. If you could achieve that or get closer to it by doing one simple thing, why wouldn’t you try it? why you wouldn’t make someone smile?
There’s no reason not to. Because of that and the other million reasons out there, we suggest a smile a day and June 15th is National Smile Power Day
