Saturday, February 27, 2010

i just smile...


I learned in yoga this week that smiling has been scientifically proven to alter moods from bad to good. We have all heard the cliched phrase that a smile takes a second but the memory of it lasts a long time, and now I have nothing but things to prove its truth.

Though the cliche may be more focused on interpersonal relationships, I believe it also works for our inner selves--our souls, if you will.

If a smile has the power to alter states of mind interpersonally than it must do the same on an intrapersonal level. When we smile, we tell our brain that we are happy (no matter the situation we are in or may have to face). Happiness goes a long way amongst others but it also does so within ourselves. We cannot make other people happy if we are not happy with ourselves just like we cannot love another if we do not love ourselves.

Maybe if we all smiled, we wouldn't be so self-demanding.

Maybe if we all smiled, there wouldn't be such a thing as war.

Maybe if we all smiled, love would never die and people would never cheat.

Though I am not perfect, I've always tried to smile and be in the best possible spirits around others no matter my mood. My Zia, may her soul Rest in Peace, once said something along the lines of: "Never let a bad mood drag others along with you. Always smile, no matter the case, when around others because before you know it, you'll feel better and so will the person nextdoor."

Her Golden Rule has always been in the back of my mind.

I may cry, rant, blog, and complain about how I am so unhappy with myself but through that entire time I always forget to smile. If I took a breath and really looked at my place in this world to see how lucky I am maybe I wouldn't have so many reasons to feel sad.

2 comments:

starcakeastrology.blogspot.com said...

I love this post! It takes a lot more guts and bravery to smile than to be mean all the time... i think people sometimes underestimate smilers, like they look at us smiling and think we are either sheltered or ignorant, but in truth we see all the horrible stuff going on and we have been through our share and we have the strength to smile anyway... :D

NabilaHazirah said...

Wow,now,that I think about it,you're absolutely right! I love this post. :)