There are smiles of all kinds: happy, happy, sad, ironic, shy, mischievous, sarcastic. But today we celebrate that smile that only a look confirms that it comes from the heart. Today we celebrate that smile that lights up the soul of whoever sees it! This gesture of the lips that expresses what is in your inner Self and that rarely deceives because the eyes don't let it and the brightness that surrounds them doesn't allow it. That piece of light that does not choose race, gender, or religion. However, we are not always able to smile because, there it is, it is the manifest of the soul. And we do it, forced, so many times. But it's good and feels so good, both when we're the ones smiling and when we receive an open smile from someone else.
But how can you smile when sadness overcomes joy? We explain: experts in body expression and its effects on the brain, such as Amy Cuddy, have discovered that smiling, even if we are very sad, will help reduce the downward spiral of sadness. This is because it was realized that the unconscious also understands the body's language (through motor neurons) and accentuates emotions and/or sensations depending on our postures. For example: when we are sad, we tend to close ourselves off, lower our head and arms and arch our spine. These postures further push us further into the so-called downward spiral, downward. You need to win this fight and smile inside and out, doing the opposite, as we suggest in the following tips:
1. If you are walking: lift your head, lift your chin up (as high as possible) and smile, even if forced – walk like this for as long as you can;
2. If you are sitting: lift your head, lift your chin up (as high as possible) and smile, even if you don't feel like it. Place your hands behind your head and place your legs elevated on another chair or desk – stay like this for as long as you can and feel comfortable;
3. Close your eyes for a few minutes. Take a few deep breaths and exhales slowly. Then, imagine that your brain, from the inside, is smiling, as well as your heart, lungs, liver, stomach, etc.! Also, put a smile on your face. Open your eyes slowly. While you are in these body postures, try to remember, similarly, something or someone that makes you happy! Feel this joy in your heart, let it invade you!
Today, in addition to being mandatory to try these little tips, it is mandatory to smile! Do you know why? Because your smile may not be worth much to the world, but it is certainly someone's world. For us, you are a world, and it is the best there could be!
Vanda do Nascimento is a therapist, trainer and Mindfulness instructor at the Escola de Mindfulness Essencial , founded by her in 2016. She began her career as a teacher in 1997, obtaining a degree in Education. On that same date, he also began his studies in Reiki, Meditation and Mindfulness. Later, he embarked on the path of Psychology and delved even deeper into the topic of Mindfulness, in order to continue his fight to control stress and anxiety.
