If you’ve woken as a grumpster today seeing only doom and gloom in the world, snap yourself out of it.
Easy Relief
On your morning commute today set yourself the challenge of smiling at as many strangers as will make eye contact with you. Lock eyes and smile. Consciously, purposefully, beamily. Smile, smile, smile.
If you’re too locked in your sombre mood on the commute, go out for your lunchtime run and smile at every other jogger you pass. Hey, even wave at them. Go out of your way to connect with strangers and smile.
Infectious Joy
It’s amazingly infectious. People do respond. People do indeed smile back. It’s fascinating to watch the variety of vigour with which people smile back – some such wide grins you think about them for the rest of the day, others tentatively smiling slightly wary that you may be about to affront them somehow.
Every time you smile you release endorphins, those feel good hormones we get kicks from, and whether forced or genuine, your smile will make you feel better, look younger (and a full on laugh will make you live longer). The joy of a warm reflected smile on the face of a stranger will elevate that sense of feeling good even higher.
Feeling Connected Matters
There’s comfort in community and smiling at strangers is an easy way to feel part of this connected universe we’re all floating around in.
Smile and the world smiles with you…
Originally published at www.yourlifehack.com