Try a little exercise. You won’t break a sweat, in fact you won’t even really have to think about it. It is really, really easy and it's something you can do wherever you are, no matter what you're doing, no matter who you're with. In fact it’s better if it’s with someone. Ready? OK. Take a breath and... smile. That's it. Just smile. It may feel a little silly at first, but you know what? Who cares? Let it feel silly and if it does, so what? Just let that feed your smile. A smile, even if it's just to yourself, can be very powerful. And, it turns out there's a reason why.
There's something called the facial feedback hypothesis and what it says is that facial expressions of emotion can actually encourage that emotion within us. So if we scowl, we might feel very serious or angry, if we frown, we might feel sad and if we smile... Even if you have to force it, the position of the muscles in your face spark the nerve endings to send messages to your brain that say, "happy." Even if you aren't happy your brain gets impulses that say you are. It's a neat little brain trick and it really works. Now it's not going change your life but sure can help change a tough moment.
Imagine starting every morning by just remembering to smile before you do anything else.
