Have you ever noticed how you feel when someone smiles at
you? How do you feel after someone is rude? The face shows a
lot about what type of mood we are in and the person we are.
Research shows that smiling, or reflecting a positive attitude,
has a significant role in our overall health. In general,
people seem to have lost their ability to smile.
The level of stress in our society is increasing at an alarming
rate. We tend to get wrapped up in the rat-race of life, being
pulled through emotional and social demands and work
responsibilities. Times have changed and so have our individual
responsibilities.
Stress evolves when demands and responsibilities are
overwhelming in comparison to our perceived ability to complete
tasks. The body's natural stress response is meant for a
physical response to stress - such as running away from a
snarling tiger. Most of us, however, do not have tigers chasing
us.
Studies show the fight-or-flight response is constantly being
triggered from our daily stressors. The stress response, in a
constant state, can be linked to many illnesses. Stress can be
good or bad. Good stress supports completion of tasks, however
bad stress, when left unchecked, leads to poor performance,
decreased productivity, and relationship breakdown, along with
physical conditions such as headaches, pain, depression, and
anxiety.
Research has also linked stress with heart disease and cancer.
You might say, "that's nice, but my life is stressful and there
is no way to change it!"
We cannot live devoid of stress, but learning to manage stress
is possible. We all have stress, that is a given. How we deal
with it makes the difference.
So back to smiling. We all know that it takes more muscles to
frown than to smile. Take a look in the mirror and frown (go
ahead, no one is watching), now smile. You will see you use
fewer muscles to smile.
So what is the problem? When we feel angry or sad, it is hard
to smile. Research suggests that constant stress response
requires a physical outlet to decrease the risk for
stress-induced illness. Exerting energy through daily exercise
(yes, book it into your busy day) will help. Exercise can be
running, dancing, walking the dog, tennis, or biking. Pick
something that makes you happy and you will find yourself
smiling.
Have you ever smiled and said good morning or afternoon to
strangers on the street? Try it! Look for a response. You will
be surprised how you feel.
Smiling is contagious and decreases stress, which ultimately
benefits your health. Most people will smile back and then you
smile even more. Some will completely ignore you ... now that
is funny. Can you imagine being so miserable not to say "hi" in
response to someone.
We have all been there, so let's make a commitment to change.
We can all make the choice to be happy. Smiling is an easy
decision and it will be less painful than training for a
marathon! So smile, you will notice the difference in how you
feel, and your health will benefit. You may also help someone
else have a healthier day!
Karen Hourtovenko RN(EC), is a health and wellness consultant from Sudbury who writes columns about healthy living for Northern Life.
