Smile More

If you're as old as I am, you probably remember Allie McBeal's dance therapy, where she "acted happy" to improve her mood. Well, I've been trying something similar for a while now (ever since I posted an interview about Smiling When You Wake Up). When I'm feeling blue, I make myself smile, and, really, it does seem to help me feel better.

Last week, though, my daughter accidentally head-butted me by jumping up while I was leaning down to pick her up. And then I was unable to smile for about 4 days. My bruised, busted, swollen lower lip wouldn't allow it. A grimace was about all I could muster.

And for those few smile-less days, I was pretty darn blue.

Now, maybe it was because I looked kinda scary and asymmetrical. I actually felt kinda hideous. And you know, with the whole, "look good, feel good" thing I know about myself, I could understand being blue when I wasn't looking my best.

Anyhow, my smile-less few days were not happy.

So, now that my lip has healed (well, almost), I am appreciating my smile-ability! Today, I tried to smile while driving, while talking on the phone, while ordering my burrito at Taco Bell. Yup, I'm living it up with smiling. And it's made for a happy day!


By the way, here's a neat article about how smiling children make for happy marriage partners. Interesting stuff!



What made you smile today?

Smile When You Wake Up

Last year, I had the privilege of having a weekly "girls' night out" with some of my dear friends. It was one of most effective ways of boosting my happiness that I have ever experienced, and now that I have moved, I miss it so much! One of my dear friends that started these "girls' nights" with me is Lauren Earl Carter. Lauren is a consistently sweet and cheerful person who also happens to have the most adorable English accent you've ever heard. (I had a friend crush on her from the moment I met her and was so pleased to become her friend!) Anyway, she's been through some pretty yucky struggles since she moved back to America recently...from regular old homesickness to immigration issues to applying and getting funding for grad school (she's going to be a really exceptional social worker one day!), to figuring out how to juggle a job and school and life as a newlywed. The amazing thing about Lauren to me, though, is that throughout all her hectic schedule and being thousands of miles from her family, she maintains a positive and encouraging spirit. She is one of those people that leaves you feeling energized and happy!

I admit it--I'm jealous! And so I wanted to learn how she does it. So...

Here are a few of her answers to some of my happiness questions:

1. How do you cheer yourself up when you're feeling blue?
Baking cakes and pies - especially baking the things my mother used to make for me as a child - cheer's me up whenever I'm feeling bad! But for a quicker solution, a vanilla chia tea also does the job!

2. What have been the happiest experiences of your life so far?
a. Seeing how proud my dad was of me when I graduated from University.

b. Being married. It's been such a wonderful experience so far, and I love the ways my husband can continually surprise me, and realizing that we still have so much more to learn about each other.

c. Being in graduate school. As hard as it is, training to be in a career that you love is so rewarding and fulfilling each day!



3. What is something small that you do regularly that makes you happier?
When I was growing up, I was told that if I smiled as soon as I woke up in the morning, I would smile for the rest of the day. That's my preventative measure for waking up on the wrong side of the bed!


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So now we know her secret...smiling and vanilla chai tea! I do think that just smiling can lift my spirits. What a good idea to smile first thing each day. I'm going to try it this week. Of course, I'm already on vacation with my family, so I'm not sure how much happier I can get, but it's worth a shot!


What's your favorite comfort food?