Smiling as a coping mechanism

Let’s do an experiment today 😊:

• Look at something like a picture, a flower or something else and notice how you feel.
• Now put a smile on your face and hold it for about 1 to 5 minutes.
• Notice again how you feel.
  

Did your feelings change, even if only slightly? Did you feel more positivity whilst holding the smile?

The more you smile, the more effective you are at breaking the brain's natural tendency to think negatively. It does not mean to suppress negative feelings and to see the world through rose colored lenses, it means helping your brain to rewire itself for more positivity.

What makes you smile?

Here is a link to a video which impressed me a lot. A man tells his story about the challenges he faced as a very young child to adulthood and how smiling helped him. I hope you will find this video as impressive as I did. Maybe thoughts come up like “ I’m not as strong as he is” but remember he wasn’t that strong from the beginning, he built up his strength and this is something we all can do.

Finding your coping mechanism https://www.ted.com/talks/joseph_lewis_finding_your_coping_mechanism?utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare

When we're dealing with a mental illness, be it depression or anxiety or any other condition, we can find it hard to be enthusiastic about doing anything.

If you have serious, long-term problems and feel depressed, see your doctor or talk to a therapist if you feel they are related to any mental challenges.

7cups has online, certified therapists with a paid option. For more information click on link https://www.7cups.com/online-therapy/?ob=1

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