The past year has taken a toll on our mental health and wellness. As we juggle living and working from home, less face-time with our loved ones, and all of the other big and small changes that the pandemic has brought into our lives, it can be hard to carve out the time to focus on our mental health and wellness.
But the good news is that you don’t have to make drastic changes in your day-to-day life to start improving your mental health and wellness. There are many small steps you can add into your routine that will make a big difference over time. You could start practicing just 1 minute of mindfulness each morning, practicing yoga aimed at stress relief, or even something as simple as smiling a little more.
We’ll dive into the many benefits of smiling and share a few tips for how you can smile a little more in your life.
The Benefits of Smiling
That giddy feeling of sharing a smile and a laugh with a loved one is just one of the science-backed benefits of smiling. When you’re genuinely happy and smiling, your body releases happy hormones that boost your mood and overall well being. Smiling also has great benefits for your body that include reducing blood pressure, alleviating stress and strengthening the immune system, — which is an especially helpful benefit in our current times.
Tips for Smiling More
It might seem strange to smile for no reason at all, and that’s okay. But there are a few things you can do that can naturally cause a smile to sweep across your face. Spending more time in nature is one of these ways. You can do this by adding in a short walk each day or taking your morning coffee outside.
Another way to smile more in your daily life is to read and/or watch something funny. Take a break from scrolling through Instagram or watching the news and turn on a romantic comedy or sitcom you’ve been wanting to watch.
Bottom Line: Smiling is Great for You
As if you needed a reason to kiss your favorite person this Valentine’s Day, we think the health benefits and the new types of kisses to try out are all the convincing you need. If you need a little inspiration on where to start as you implement new kisses into your technique, Auraglow created this infographic below that dives into 12 science-backed benefits of smiling. So what are you waiting for? Let’s get smiling.
