SMILE FOR HEALTH AND VIGOR

It is amazing how life is so interwoven.  Everything affects everything else.  We are fascinated and inspired by this phenomenon.  But we should not be surprised. 

Behold the underused and poorly appreciated smile.  Most of our smiling happens spontaneously.  At these times, they seem to materialize effortlessly.

Try smiling right now.  That takes a little effort, doesn’t it?  And it doesn’t feel as natural or comfortable as when the smile puts itself on your face.  If you looked in the mirror during each smile occurrence, the reflexive ones probably appear more natural, too.

Smiling is its own pattern.  It naturally spreads down the tubes that originate as the mouth.  It reaches down the esophagus and extends into the stomach and intestines.  It stretches through the trachea and into the lungs.  Eventually, this happy energy diffuses into the blood and occupies the entire body.  Ultimately, it changes the world around you.

In this way, smiling helps your health.  Consider it an exercise.  It does take effort but does not burn many calories.  In fact, it uses less energy to smile than to frown.

As a habit (or a hobby), it reduces stress hormone levels.  Another collateral production is increased brain dopamine levels.  The result is an improved immune system and increased disease resistance.  The cumulative effect is a happier, more complete, and healthier life.

Smiling reduces anxiety.  The more habitual this exercise is (the more it becomes a pattern), the greater the benefit.  Smiling is relaxing.  If you smile a lot, it becomes an internal barrier to expressing negative emotions. 

It takes conscious work to maintain this visage.  It is a meditative experience.  This helps prevent negative attitudes, like being critical or envious. 

Try to always have a smile on your face when you feel emotionally neutral.  Then, when facing life’s curve balls, you can use this powerful tool to resist being knocked down.  As a preventive effort, it helps allay negativity, fear, and hatred.  This simple remedy will be valuable to overcome and navigate through periods of emotional hardship.

Like any program meant to prevent a problem, it needs to be be established.  You want to condition yourself before confronting a crisis.  Similarly, it is not wise to begin stretching to heal an acute injury.  Do not expect extra Vitamin C to treat a cold if you have not acclimated yourself to taking smaller doses of all the vitamins.

It is not natural to smile all the time.  It is a skill that needs to be learned. 

Begin by concentrating on the way your face feels when you smile.  Check yourself in the mirror.  Try to see your reflection when you have a natural smile.  Then you are certain what it looks like.  Endeavor to feel relaxed.  Make it look genuine and practice the natural appearance.  You don’t want it to look forced, harsh, or grinny.  Whenever you feel it fade, reinstall.  Mindfully apply it whenever you can remember to do so.

If you establish a habit of smiling early in life, you will age with smile lines.  As you age, your face will feel better than if you never did this.  Smiling will always be an easy thing to do.

A smile easily expands into a laugh.

Other people may imagine that you understand some hidden wisdom when they see you smiling.  And you do.  You know that smiling sweetly makes you and those around you feel good.  Smiling can be contagious.

So, smile in the shower.  Every day and every hour.  When you walk and as you talk.  Watching a show or on the go.  While reading and after sleeping.

Not all moments are conducive to smiling.  Like reading Bram Stoker’s “Dracula.”  But it provides a means to manage the inertia that instigates tension.

Another health advantage of smiling involves sleep.  Many people awaken at night and find it difficult to get back to sleep.  A common complaint is: “My mind is just too active.”  The answer is to put a smile on your face and keep it there.  This requires concentration to achieve and maintain.  After a while, you will only be thinking of the way your face feels.  At this point, lose the smile and shift your focus to relaxing each facial muscle.  Soon, you will be back in dreamland.  Hopefully, your new dream won’t wake you up again.

I recommend playing with various smiles.  We all own primary and backup facial expressions.  If you see a friend after an absence, you might want a really joyful visage.  Spontaneous laughter may show another.  Just sitting around, a mild effort without teeth may be more sustainable.  Practice makes perfect.

If you are angry, forcing a smile is difficult.  The little smile may be more possible.  Any smile will help to dissipate anger.  The active emotion of ire is damaging to health.  Being prepared to smile while raging is a challenge.  Like fighting any harmful thing one can do to oneself, it is worth the effort.

Tension and stress are unhealthy.  A smile is another weapon to battle these harmful reactions.  It is never too late to start.