At Christmas time, we see a lot of people smiling. But, we equally find lots of people frowning, grimacing, crying and more. Christmas, as wonderful as it can be, is a stress time for many people!
This led me to looking at the act of smiling. Did you known that even if you’re not actually happy, activating the muscles associated with smiling can fool your
brain into thinking you are!
Lead researcher Sarah Pressman PhD of the University of Kansas explains, “It’s not just that our brains are happy and make us smile, it can also be the opposite — we feel the smile and become happy.” When the muscles associated with smiling are activated, they send signals to the brain that you are smiling. Thus, endorphins are released into the blood stream and the rest is history!
This week’s task is to make at least one person laugh everyday! It is not your job to make everyone happy. But, making a few people laugh and smile each day will lighten your emotional load by releasing the feel good chemical, endorphin. So, take a moment, smile, laugh and be jolly!
Extra: Developing Mindfulness in the Classroom this month could also save your sanity or order the book, 100 Ideas for Primary Teachers: Mindfulness in the Classroom by Bloomsbury. Why not try some simple strategies that will calm the children and bring the gift of mindfulness into their lives?
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