How often do you smile?
How often do you smile? Although smiling can be the last thing we feel like doing sometimes, especially when we’re feeling stressed or in pain, it can actually do us a lot of good at precisely those times when we least feel like it. Simply moving your facial muscles in one direction rather than another activates your body in such a way that your entire emotional state can change almost instantly. All you need to do is be willing to stop taking yourself so seriously and SMILE.
Why don’t you try a little experiment here, right now? First allow yourself to be still for a moment. Then take a deep breath, and then allow the muscles in your face to relax and smile your best smile. Become aware of how you feel, just by smiling. Now frown and feel the change in your body and in your emotional state. Feel the difference? Motivational speaker Les Giblin said, “If you’re not wearing your smile, you’re like a man with a million dollars in the bank and no checkbook.”
Smile as many times as you remember. Did you know that it is the second most contagious facial expression after yawning? It will nullify the negativity and open you up to a much warmer feeling, something akin to benevolent self-acceptance.
You can laugh on purpose.
Some people find this practice a little uncomfortable because they are used to laughing more spontaneously, but their body doesn’t really know the difference. That’s right, it doesn’t know the difference and produces ‘happiness’ chemicals anyway, so why not give it a try? You could even be a little more creative and try it in different forms like lion laugh, mouse laugh, bird laugh, donkey laugh, monkey… if you are brave enough! Women tend to laugh in a more “sung” way, while men tend to grunt or snort. Some great benefits include instant relaxation, which often ensures a good night’s sleep, boosts the immune system, and counteracts stress, depression, and anxiety.
Take a look at this data if you need more proof of the benefits. It has been calculated that children laugh on average about 500 times a day and when we become adults we laugh only 15 times and in hospitals it is reduced to almost zero. How serious can we get? Laughter researcher Dr. William Fry suggests that 100 laughs a day is equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine. What a fun way to get aerobic exercise and tone your muscles! 15 minutes of laughter has the relaxing effect of meditating for 8 hours, 10 minutes of laughter has the relaxing effect of 2 hours of sleep.
Laughing or smiling not only relaxes us and gives us feelings of happiness and joy, but it can even help us gain new knowledge. It becomes much easier to think creatively about a problem than when we focus on feeling helpless, worthless or inadequate, easier to talk about any uncomfortable problem or concern when there is humor in it.
Humor and love, laughter and a big smile are the origin of Clown Therapy, opening you up to innocent fun and laughing at things that go wrong, being the eternal optimist. Compassion, joy, love, and humor are essential to a healthy life. Why do we call a funny person “the LIFE of the party”? Think about it. Laughter brings a happy glow to your face and makes your eyes sparkle. I think that’s what’s so lovely about children when they laugh, they have such wonderful bright eyes. Dr. Thomas Sydenham, a 17th century physician, stated that:
“The arrival of a good clown exerts a more beneficial influence on the health of a people than the arrival of twenty donkeys loaded with drugs.”
Imagine army generals forgoing the “war room” and going instead to a “love and humor” room to brainstorm an end to violence. At the Pentagon, US Army Reserve Col. James Scott runs laugh shows as a way to deal with stress in the families of soldiers serving in war zones abroad. He said. “When you laugh, the brain stops thinking. It’s a proven way to maintain mental balance.” Laughter is widely considered a viable preventative technique for coping with stress.
I believe that fun is just as important as love and both are more important than anger or fear in terms of living a long, healthy and happy life.