Smiling is one of the easiest, most effective ways to shift your mood. When you smile you release feel good brain chemicals (including serotonin, endorphins and dopamine) that relax your body, reduce stress and send a powerful message: Life is good.
Plus, when you smile you’re more attractive and people treat you differently. It’s a tiny contagious action that generates a chain reaction. Not only will you feel happier and more confident, you’ll be kinder to yourself and others.
Here are some tips to get you smiling:
- Create smile habits: Smile when you wake-up, get in the car or open doors.
- Do at least one fun activity every day that makes you smile inside and out.
- Go outside, look up at the sun, breath deeply and smile.
- Smile at everyone you see and notice how many people smile back.
- Set an alarm on your computer or watch to remind you to smile.
- Surround your self with happy, positive people and think happy thoughts.
Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. ~Thich Nhat Hanh
Known as The Midlife Whisperer™ Dr. Ellen is a Psychologist, Registered Dietitian, Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach, Mindful Self-compassion Teacher, and author.
🙂😊👍🏻
Glad you liked it, Julie.
Amazing! Thanks so much for all your advice about mind and well being.
Very helpful.
🙏🌈🌼
Hi Leanne, you’re very welcome. Glad it helped you. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for sharing this Ellen, it’s so true. I try to smile at other people to make them feel better, but I never thought about the fact that it can make me feel better too, and it really does.
Hi Wendy, you’re very welcome and thanks for sharing your experience. Smiling is such a powerful way to increase wellbeing. As I age I also think about how I can influence how my face ages. When you smile you encourage those lovely laugh lines. Be well and keep smiling.
Thank you for this simple, yet powerful advice. I will smile more often and keep on smiling. Regards.
You’re welcome, Alex. Cheers!
Really need to work on this smile thing. Cos I don’t smile a lot, I take things seriously. Smiling is very hard for me. I will try to smile more these days …Thanks for the advice dr. Ellen
You’re very welcome. Keep smiling.
True talk, happiness comes into my heart whenever i smile
Dear Ellen, I didn’t, realise how serious my face was giving people wrong impression of my mood, when inside I was smiling, it’s like too focused up on to do things . I smiled outwardly and my whole body felt relaxed , amazing and changed how I felt too.
Dear Susan, thanks for sharing. I’m glad you discovered the powerful impact that smiling can have both in terms of how you feel inside and how you appear to others.
I love this, right when I needed it, too 🙂 Thanks!
Glad the post helped you, Jade. Thanks for sharing.
This is a wonderful post, Dr. Ellen. I actually went outside today, took a deep breath and soaked in the sun shine with a smile! It felt so nice to just smile and radiate with the sun!! Simple yet so refreshing. 🙂 Thanks, Dr. Ellen!
You’re very welcome, Megan. Glad it helped you and thanks for sharing.
This made me smile!! 😃
Glad it made you smile, Renee. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for the smile suggestions- just in time for the work week
My pleasure, Theresa. Keep smiling.