Smile Please !!

In the Wellness Program I attended few weeks ago, I gathered several useful pieces of wisdom. Here is one such gem. Enjoy !!

Smile Please !!

We have all heard about “Laughter being the best medicine”. Personally you ask me, when you really need medicine, you are in no position to laugh about it. A better version would be “Laughter is better way to avoid medicine”. But we aren’t talking about laughter here. Sure there are laughter clubs all over India (if not world) but I’m talking about Smile. Surely you know the difference 🙂

During the period in between two sessions of our Wellness Program, I over heard this conversation.

Student : I have this constant headache.
Counselor : That is because you don’t smile. I haven’t seen you smile even once during last three days. What are you worried about ?
Student : I’m not worried about anything, I’m having a good time. But I’m not a kind of person who smiles for no reason
Counselor: Then you should. Seriously. Force yourself to smile. Since you are frowned all the time, you build up this tension. You forehead is always wrinkled. Just smile physically, even if you aren’t feeling like smiling. This will help relieve the tension.

I never go to hear the aftermath, whether the student did take up smiling (I did see her smiling at least couple of times during rest of the program, so I guess it went well)

But this advice stuck with me. Whenever I’m feeling low or angry (and I’m alone) then this advice comes back to me. I have tried this several times since the program, and I must say that it has worked every single time.

It is funny really, that I am really angry, boiling mad at something (or someone) but I’m physically smiling. As soon as I smile (OK, may be not as soon as, but soon enough) my emotional state changes to far better mood.

Till few days ago, I used to think emotional state of happiness brings out smile in people. But now I have realized that a forced smile, also brings up emotional happiness.

Please try this, and let me know if it works for you.

Smile Please !!!

Posted via email from Mandar Vaze’s Posterous