Thursday, January 31, 2008

Smiling: A Simple Way to Feel Good


*Smiling changes your attitude, raises your confidence, and makes you more attractive.*

As we rush through our busy days accomplishing our tasks—work, kids, shopping, cleaning, and eating on the go, we often complain that we don’t feel good. There is a simple, quick, and effective way that you can feel better throughout the day and also be more attractive.

All you have to do is smile more. Smiling changes your attitude, whether you realize it or not. If you have any doubts, next time you feel down, start smiling and thinking positive thoughts and see what happens.

You can’t help but have a better attitude when you smile.

Smiling also raises your confidence. Smiling affects our emotions because of a brain-body connection. It triggers scientifically measurable activity in the left frontal cortex—the area of the brain where happiness is registered. In fact, there is science dedicated to the study of facial expressions and responses called FACS – Facial Action Coding System. Your face has 44 muscles between the skin, cartilage, blood, and bone that you contort, flex, and move. This lets you make over 5000 different types of expressions. That’s a lot of expressions! And each will have a different affect on your feelings and those looking at you.

Admit it, when someone is smiling aren’t you drawn in? Don’t you enjoy that person’s company more? We all do. Smiling is a very important part of connecting and getting to know someone.

As your life-coach, I offer you this push. I want you to smile. Go ahead. “SMILE!” Great! Let’s do it again but this time breathe in through your nose, let it out through your mouth and smile as you let the air out. Doesn’t that feel good? The breathing is very important. Your nostrils are attached to the limbic system. The limbic system controls your emotions, and when you breathe in deep through your nose it has a calming effect on you. So breathe in and smile.

Let’s add a final touch: “positive thinking.” It doesn’t hurt to get excited and say out loud to yourself, “I feel good and I am taking control and finding my opportunities!” Go ahead and do it. Feel that positive energy in your body and the release of tension.

Now that you know how good smiling is for you, make a conscious effort to use this smile exercise a minimum of six times throughout your day. When you smile remember to breathe in through your nose and think positive thoughts. This I guarantee will make a positive impact on your day and in your life.
In fact, the result from this simple exercise will have a huge effect. Here’s a basic fact about energy: it is attracted to energy of a similar frequency. So when you smile not only will you make yourself feel better, you will also attract positive energy into your life.

So smile!

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