Wipe any trace of emotion from your face. Have a ‘blank canvas’.
Now gradually and very slowly introduce a smile. Pay attention to all the parts of your face that ‘feel’ it. The lips, cheeks, eyes, hairline – really notice how the sensations change.
Keep going until you have a broad ‘cheesy’ grin! Notice the tensions and tightness of certain areas now…jaw, cheeks, eyes.
Now, gently and slowly, start to relax and come back to your ‘blank’, ‘no-smile’ face.
Invite the questions:
“How do I feel when I’m not smiling?”
“How do I feel when I have slight smile”
It’s a great thing to get curious about how our facial expressions can alter our mood. By inviting a slight smile, you may feel that your mood lifts.
Why not get playful with this practice and repeat it a few times in your day. You can also play ‘Pass The Smile’ and see how many people you can get smiling back at you by simply smiling at them.
Little things, done daily can make a BIG difference to mental health and wellbeing.
I hope you enjoy this practice and share it with people close to you.
Learnful Schools equips and empowers children, teachers and parents with transformational regular mental and emotional and well-being practices. Visit: www.learnful.co.uk/learnful-schools to find out more.
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I’d love to hear from you,
😊 Jo