Life can be tough. It is certainly tricky, and we are constantly being given challenges in order to grow as humans. So often when we wake up we are filled with a feeling of dread, or anxiety, or worry. This is normal, and often we drag this feeling through our wakeup routine, over coffee and right into a good part of our day. Do we realise though that by doing this we are blocking the path for better change; our eyes will be veiled from receiving better experience and we are choosing to remain in a state of self-pity?
There is a statement that I loathe: I am not a morning person! It is often said by people in their early adulthood – and stated in a very ‘self-righteous’ way like a warning to others to stay away or else! Why would this declaration be okay, for both the ‘non-morning’ person and those who share their morning space? It’s okay to be quiet in the morning – everyone wakes up at a different pace, but waking up with a declaration of ‘bad-mood’ in the air is selfish, irritating to others and just mis-guided. When I meet someone who has adopted this ridiculous statement, I want to ask them why. I want to ask them if they do not perhaps feel that it would be nice to share space with someone gentler and calmer. Whenever we are greeted in the morning with a smile, instantly the atmosphere is pleasant – so surely all of us should strive for this? It certainly sets the mood for the day correctly.
A genuine feeling of dread or worry in people when waking up, due to circumstances, is acceptable and common – but this can be altered with a simple morning practice that takes so very little effort… most days.
About a year ago I learnt a simple trick that I wish I had known about eons ago. During a course I was taking called ‘Inner Engineering’ with Sadhguru, it was suggested that every morning as soon as you wake up – put a smile on your face – even when you do not want to – especially when you do not want to! So, for almost a year now I have been doing this. The second my brain registers that I am awake – even if my first thought is dread – I paste a large smile on my face and hold it there for about a minute. The magic that happens is real! The thought of dread dissolves within seconds. Your body relaxes. Your mind suddenly finds the abundance of things that you can be grateful for – even for things as simple as having a pillow, and all of this happens in seconds. It is CRAZY!
I am not professing to being filled with overwhelming joy and then leaping out of bed afterwards with a whoop and dance – but the change is incredibly significant in feeling so much better – and as my day unfolds, it is certainly better – even when faced with problems.
Why does this happen? And why should you teach your children to do it from as young as possible?
Your brain does not know if your smile is fake or real! It interprets your smile as genuine, and a chain reaction of physical events begins instantly. Your inner ‘pharmacy’ goes online and your entire body benefits. Taken from various sites on the internet, here is a summary of how this works:
Apparently, the physical act of smiling activates pathways in your brain that influence your emotional state – even by forcing a smile and even if it feels unnatural. The brain sees the muscle activity in your face and assumes its humour or happiness happening. That triggers the release of neuropeptides that improve your neural communication, as well as neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin (the feel-good hormones), which boost your mood. So smiling is a natural anti-depressant if you will, or a natural drug of well-being. The release of these good drugs then improves many other functions in your body.
The act of smiling does the following to your body:
- It improves mood by releasing endorphins – the body’s natural feel-good hormones.
- Endorphins can release some body pain and aches.
- This lowers blood pressure.
- Smiling helps boost the immune system thus improving your resistance to infection.
- Smiling helps decrease stress, even when you do not feel like smiling. (Think back to the times when you have been having a good hard cry and someone manages to make you smile during the spilling tears. You will remember a feeling of sudden release or reprieve, even if only fleeting.)
Clearly the above demonstrates that smiling (genuinely or not) is good at any time of the day or night. But what this write up is about is the moment when you wake up. Of course, we must try laugh and smile as much as possible every day, but can we all add in the quick practice of pasting a smile on our faces the second we are consciously awake? I promise you that this is one of the healthiest things I have ever practiced. It has made life so much better for me. I have found that I am able to cope with life challenges better. I have been able to maintain a feeling of peace every morning of my life since beginning. Might I add here that as I write this the world is still in the grip of the covid19 global pandemic? All of us have had that wake up where we suddenly remember that our world is different and scary – and dread sets in. My mornings before learning this neat little trick, made me feel this, and anxiety would set in instantly – even though I was not in direct danger at that very moment of my morning. This I managed to banish and no longer live with, by practicing this smiling trick. Mornings have become far more pleasant!
So, there we go. Even though I am not endorsed by the teacher who taught me, I am so happy to share this little tool of well-being with you, and I am so grateful to him for giving me this beautiful tool. I have taught my son to do the same and I know that if he gets into this healthy habit, he will benefit from it for the rest of his life.
In conclusion – a smile ignites a powerful chemical reaction in the brain that can make you feel healthier, calmer, and happier – so why not start your day with a smile? I do!