Mary’s
Minute
“Smile, it’s free therapy.”
~ Douglas Horton
I have mentioned before about my daughter, Zoe, moving to
California to study creative writing. At
23, she is trying to be independent, so she was determined to find a job to
help pay her California rent, while at the same time taking classes and
devoting time to writing.
She considered doing online tutoring, but she decided being
in front of a screen too much would be draining emotionally. Finally, she landed on nannying. She set up her profile on the Care App (Yip –
there’s an app for that!), completed CPR and first aid training, and started
interviewing for a position that was the right fit.
She was excited when she landed a position to care for one small
child three days a week. I worried that
with her coursework and just settling into a new town, it might be exhausting
for her to be “on” with a baby all day, so after her first day on the job I called
to see how she made it.
“How could I not be happy – all I did was laugh and smile
all day!” was her reply when I asked if she was tired after a full day of nannying. The words have stuck with me. If we just can laugh and smile, how can we
not be happy? Sure, it isn’t always that
easy, but the simple act of smiling, provides a physiological change.
There is scientific research that supports the mind body
connection. The physical act of smiling
(even forced) makes us feel happier. In
a University of South Australia study, participants who were “forced” to smile
by holding a pen in their teeth, had a more positive outlook than the control
group. It supports the adage of “fake it until you make it.” Another study found the same results with
people who had Botox with “forced” smiles, being happier. The physical act of smiling tricks our brains
into thinking we are happy.
In addition, research supports the benefits that smiling has
on people around us.
Those of us who work with children have an advantage over
most people because working with children often leads to laughing and smiling,
so we do not even need to fake it to feel the results of smiling.
Working with children can be exhausting, but if we smile,
how can we not be happy?
Smile and have a great week!
Mary
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