Smiling can be for some of us a real discipline. We may have to remind ourselves many times during the day to wear a pleasant expression instead of showing anxiety or concern on our face. You may like to try the simple smiling exercise that can be a bit of fun also.
Start your day with a smile. Even if you only smile at yourself in the mirror it will set the tone for a cheerful day ahead. Better still if you can greet others in the home with a sunny “good morning!”
The smiling exercise will take your awareness throughout an entire day, even though you are not expected to maintain a smile throughout! But when you have a choice, smile with your eyes and your lips when you are relating to others. Observe their reactions. They will respond in surprising ways.
This is most evident when you walk down the street and try to make eye contact with those approaching you so that they see you deliberately smile at them as you pass by.
Some will be jolted into looking back to see if they should have recognized you. Others immediately respond without thinking about it and give a ready smile in return.
But some are perplexed as to why you would want to smile at them and this is a sad reflection on a general lack of cheer.
Mothers with infants tend to show some concern in not letting strangers show an interest and demonstrate a degree of mistrust.
Sometimes a woman avoids eye contact with a man and some men are embarrassed to have a woman smile at them. Others react to any spark of interest shown in them.
Try it out. You will find it a rewarding experience and possibly help others to remember to smile more often to lighten the day.
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Sally Janssen’s wonderful book “Mental Fitness: The complete Self-Help Guide”, offers simple and timely solutions.
