The Importance of Smiling & How to Smile Again
Have you been holding back a smile, or are unable to smile? Learn to smile again to feel authentically happy and boost your and others mood.
Are you struggling to find joy in life, unable to smile, and people think you are sad and depressed? Maybe you actually are feeling down, or you’ve just come out of a depressive state and are trying to smile again, but it’s too difficult. We’re going to be discussing the reasons why smiling is so important to your overall well being, and how you can learn to smile again.
Smiling is a natural way we show we are happy. However, the emotion can be quite deceiving since you could be happy without smiling, and you could put on a fake smile to make it seem like you’re happy and everything is fine, when in reality you’re struggling. The act of an authentic smile will release chemicals in our brain that are associated with happiness, and thus we will actually begin to feel happy. Not only does it impact us, but it also has a positive effect on those around us. If someone else is having a bad day, and we smile at them, that could cheer them up more than you could possibly imagine. Or maybe you’re having a bad day and someone gives you a smile that brightens up your day. It’s amazing what a smile can do and the connection you feel to others when you smile.
Depending on the society and culture you were brought up in, it may be frowned upon to smile at strangers. However, this is society dictating what you can and cannot do, but it is not definitive law. Rather, smiling is one of the most freeing experiences we can have, and we’re often not doing it enough. But, why do so many have an aversion to smiling?
There are many reasons we don’t smile, even when we’re happy. Some examples include the obvious of simply not being happy. We have unresolved trauma and are in a depressive state, or have major stress and anxiety in our life that is preventing us from being happy. Some people may have anxiety when others look at them, so they avoid smiling, and even eye contact, to prevent this. Or maybe we have different ideas as to what smiling means, such as that we are attracted to another or are romantically interested in them. While this can be true, in most cases it simply is not.
Smiling is an act of kindness and shows you are happy and want to make others happy. So how can you learn to smile again? First we must differentiate authentic versus artificial smiling. Authentic is when you are truly happy and feel joy. Artificial is when you feel discomfort and are nervous. It is when you smile when talking about depressing matters, or things that bring you sadness, or during inappropriate times. Whereas authentic is because you truly feel joy or want to bring joy to others.
If you find it hard to authentically smile, then working through the issues you have that are leading you to have an artificial one is the first priority. From there, it’s about building up your confidence. Go in front of a mirror and look at yourself. If you’re unable to do it, then you still have more work to do to build up your confidence. But, a good exercise is to smile. Look at your smile in the mirror and see how happy you are, and see how great of a person you are. The more you do this, the more your confidence will rise.
Finding this article helpful?
It’s easy to get caught up in our mind with random thoughts that we forget to smile. When going to work or interacting with someone, it’s important to have a smile on your face to show that you are happy. But, don’t just do it for yourself. Think about the other people you are making an impact on. When you feel happy and radiate positivity, it’s shown in your smile and can raise someone else up from a negative place. The same negative place you were once in when you were unable to smile. So, get out there and smile. It won’t hurt you. It may make you feel uncomfortable initially, but where there is discomfort, there is growth.
Let me know how this works for you. Have a great day!
Additional Info
Smiling is a crucial part of how we interact with others and how we feel about them and ourselves. It’s often overlooked since we don’t consciously think about a smile. However, smiling can play a big part in how we feel and gauging another’s emotions. Isn’t it so much better when we see someone smiling at us, then it is to see a depressing person who’s frowning? Of course, since we can detect the positive or negative energy from the individual and thus it directly affects us. I used to not smile, but now I do. During the time I went from not smiling to smiling I put on an artificial smile when I would feel uncomfortable. It took time to resolve my past trauma to be authentically happy, and thus was finally able to smile.
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