Smiling is the most powerful act a man can do. A smile can make you feel happier and bring joy to the people around you. However, in some situations, smiling is the last thing you have to do and in some cases it seems even impossible to succeed. When things go wrong, for example at work, on vacation or with the family, the muscles of the face don't seem to want to cooperate. Smiling is really beneficial, but it's not always easy. Fortunately, it is possible to learn to smile in any situation, read on to find out how.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Practice Smiling
Step 1. Use the mirror
By training your face to smile, it will be more natural for you to do it when you need it. While there are still circumstances in which making a smile is very difficult, you can make things easier by knowing exactly what to do. In this case the mirror can turn out to be your best friend. Take a few minutes each day to observe yourself smiling. You should consider this as an important daily task and take all the time you need to find the right smile for you.
Experiment with different options. Do you like how you look when you keep your mouth open? Or does it seem to you that your smile is more beautiful if your teeth remain hidden? Choose the expression of joy that you like best and that at the same time makes you feel more comfortable. A smile that looks natural is always the best option
Step 2. Exercise
Train your smile just like you do with the rest of your body. This way you can be sure that you like the result. Start by keeping your mouth closed and stretching your lips to the sides of your face. Hold the position for a few moments, then try to widen the smile even more, exposing part of the teeth. Observe yourself for a while, then let the movement involve all the muscles of the face and all the teeth are exposed. Look in the mirror for a few seconds, then repeat the process from the beginning. By doing this exercise regularly, you will be able to effectively strengthen the muscles that contract when you smile.
Having strong facial muscles will help you stay smiling even in difficult situations. For example, if you are at work dealing with a client's complicated requests, it may not be easy to smile for the right time. Having trained facial muscles can really make things easier
Step 3. Photograph yourself smiling
In addition to collaborating with the mirror, you can use the camera to effectively train your smile. Even better, if you have a smartphone, you can use it to take selfies. Try to capture different types of smiles after practicing in front of the mirror. Choose the one you like best and make it your trump card. Review your best photograph before tackling a potentially complicated situation. Seeing your best smile could help you achieve it for real!
Step 4. Create happy circumstances
To train yourself to smile to the best of your ability, it is best to practice by attending joyful environments. Go with friends to a comedy movie or a cabaret show. Go to a pet shop and play with a puppy. It is guaranteed that you will be able to smile easily in any of these situations. Remember that the more you get used to smiling, the easier it will be to appeal to that happy expression in your time of need.
The type of entertainment you are exposed to can also affect your mood and expressions. Avoid sad or violent movies and TV shows if you want to improve your ability to feel and look happy
Step 5. Become more confident
Developing more confidence in your abilities will make it easier for you to smile, even when you are faced with a difficult social situation. When you feel in control of yourself, your face (and your smile) convey positive feelings. There are many tricks that can help you become more confident. First of all, always describe yourself in positive words, never in negative terms. You can also try to focus only on your strengths. For example, maybe you appreciate being able to communicate your feelings clearly? Great, let this thought help you express a genuine smile.
Part 2 of 3: Using the Imagination
Step 1. Refugees elsewhere
When you are faced with a difficult situation, try to imagine that you are somewhere else. The ideal is to have a specific place already in mind that you can "reach" at the right time. Do you love lying on the beach? Or would you rather relax in an isolated refuge in the high mountains? Whatever place makes you smile mentally, try to move there using your imagination.
For example, suppose you ran into your neighbor on your way out the front door. He may be courteous, but you have a hard time smiling and nodding as he tells you for the umpteenth time all the extraordinary feats his pet has accomplished. It might be the perfect time to practice and mentally reach your happy place. You will most likely be able to give a much more spontaneous smile as you imagine you are sipping a cocktail by the pool
Step 2. Recall happy memories
Think back to the most joyful moments you have experienced in your life. For example, you might mentally go back to your wedding day or the day you got a job you've long wanted, or the time you had a lot of fun playing snowballs as a kid. Whatever your happy memories are, relive them in your mind as you would while browsing a photo album. Use this technique while you nervously wait for an important job interview. Thinking back to happy times, you will have less difficulty staying calm and smiling when it's time to meet your potential boss.
Step 3. Put some effort into it
In some negative situations it will not be easy to smile, there is no way to avoid it. In those cases the best thing to do may be to just stay focused and do your best. Focus all your energy on the goal of being able to smile, not only with your mouth but also with your eyes. These are the circumstances in which you can really test the facial muscles that you have strengthened with exercise.
Step 4. Turn on your inner soundtrack
There is a clear connection between music and emotions. There is a good chance there is a song you like that can make you relax and smile. It could be a song you enjoyed dancing wildly to wow the girls at the club, one you heard singing live from your favorite band, or a movie soundtrack that you would never stop watching. The important thing is that he is able to make you smile that goes from ear to ear. Whatever song you choose, "play it" in your mind on occasions when you find it hard to smile. Music is able to ward off bad mood and relieve anxiety.
Step 5. Just do it
Even if you can only forcefully make a smile, at least try to make it last a little longer. The act itself instantly improves mood, so the more you smile the more you'll want to do it. Furthermore, smiling is contagious, so it is likely that people around you will start to get their facial muscles in motion as well. In turn, those smiles will help keep yours alive longer.
Try to smile more often when you are at work or school, and keep track of how many smiles you get in response
Part 3 of 3: Taking Advantage of Smiling
Step 1. Change the mechanics of your brain
Even a simple act like smiling can trigger a conspicuous reaction in the mind. When you smile, your brain releases neuropeptides, small molecules that affect brain communications, and various neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin and endorphins - chemicals that can make you feel happy. A simple smile can literally change your mood for the better and generate positive emotions.
Step 2. Change your appearance
A smile can be your most important accessory. It is certain that both men and women feel particularly attracted to a smiling face. When you wear your most beautiful smile, you look your best. If you walk down the street with a smiling face, you are guaranteed to experience positive reactions. Seeing is believing!
If you often tend to show how you feel on your face, checking that you are smiling may be even more important. People may take a serious or thoughtful expression as anger or disinterest, which can push them away or push them to avoid you
Step 3. Show yourself a winner
The smile can convey several signals. When you smile professionally, you communicate to others that you are competent and confident. A sincere smile can be a significant resource both in the workplace and in interpersonal relationships. For example, women who openly smile in photographs are thought to have more successful careers and marriages.
Step 4. Improve your health
Smiling is a good indicator of a person's degree of happiness, which in turn is directly related to their overall physical health. For example, people who are happy are known to have a healthier heart and regular blood pressure. You have the chance to live longer feeling good, is there a better reason to smile?
Step 5. Smile to look younger
Who doesn't want to show a few years younger than they really have? Fortunately, you don't need to resort to expensive cosmetics or complicated surgery. To look a few (or many) years younger, all you have to do is smile. A joyful expression, compared to a neutral or worse frown, can make it difficult for people to determine your true age when looking at you.
Advice
- When you smile, the people you meet tend to do the same and the more others smile at you, the easier and more spontaneous it becomes to keep doing it. In a short time you will realize that you no longer need to force yourself.
- Sometimes it is necessary to make a little effort to trigger the process that is able to naturally remove negative emotions and replace them with positive ones. A simple smile can go a long way!
- Pay attention to your appearance: take care of your hygiene, keep your hair tidy and wear clean clothes. A nice look will help you have a positive image of yourself and being able to smile will be much easier.
- If you can't smile, watch someone else do it. It is a very useful technique because positivity radiates from one person to another.
