Smiling sends a Message of Optimism to our Brains

Almost a year since I started this blog of sharing wellbeing moments. 

These last few weeks I have been extremely busy visiting Secondary Schools with my Wellbeing and Happiness Skills series brochures and invitations to partake in a Wellbeing Experience and lunch all free of charge.

It has been a privilege to visit so many amazing schools with fabulous green spaces and sports facilities attached. All with good parking and clearly signposted to the reception where visitors are welcomed with a smile.

Here is a feel good smile from my recent trip to the Austrian Alphs, so beautiful and quiet up there in the mountains.

But smiling even when things go against us can be of great benefit as it informs us that not all is lost, there are solutions. There is research to support that when we manage to smile in spite of adversity our brain perceives it as a message of optimism. Instead of going into stress-mode it goes into create-mode which is what we need to overcome the challenge.

Of course, it may not always be that easy to smile, we might have to change our frame of mind from negative, pessimistic thinking to being open to a more uplifting point of view. That does take an effort, but so rewarding to our physical and emotional wellbeing.