Sometimes, when we feel hopeless about the word and our part in it, we tend to look at situations with pessimism. There is so much social pressure to be or appear to be happy that we may feel ashamed when we are not. Adding shame to sadness is a pretty toxic cocktail. It is hard enough to deal with sadness, depression, or any type of anxiety without the added societal expectations. You might not be in such a situation therefore, showing kindness and empathy to everyone is salient as we might not know what someone else is battling. We all have our demons. When someone loses their smile, they lose their ability to laugh, truly laugh, without wonder or worry. Usually, one does not notice themselves changing because the change is a gradual and imperceptible one. More often than not, we tend to notice this when we meet up with people we have not seen in a long time. This should be enough reason to observe yourself and your thoughts. Begin to think of what made you feel good and what has changed since then. As you work towards getting your smile back, keep in mind that happiness is not something readymade, but is a feeling that comes from within and is dependent on your actions and worldview. It is important to note that every emotion is connected and comes from somewhere and if we take time to search within ourselves we will get to be more emotionally intelligent.
The actions that could help you get your smile back may include;
- Avoid procrastinating.
Procrastination only makes one feel bad about them self. keeping up your schedule with greater caution and avoiding piling things up, will make you more organized and less overwhelmed. Nobody is built like you, you design yourself, smile.
- Focusing on the results rather than the source of the problem
If things do not go as planned, consciously avoid looking at fixing the blame and focus on fixing the problem. You will feel less stressed and more in control of your situation. It will also make you more approachable. Develop the mind set to look for solutions, and avoid “if only” thinking, since this only keeps you stuck. A loss isn’t a loss it's a lesson, smile.
- Being kinder
Do not have the tendency to show indifference to people you’ve rubbed shoulders with. This will only make you miserable, irrespective of whether they’ve noticed it or not. When you consciously resist the urge to be indifferent to them, you will feel more in control of your emotions. A kind gesture has the power to set the tone for your day. Kindness is not restricted to a physical exchange; even a gentle conversation over the phone or a kind email can make you significantly happier. Good morning or evening friend, smile.
- Spend time with your loved ones
Make time for people who make you feel loved and appreciated. People who see the best in you. Good times never fade away, smile.
- Breaking the negative thought pattern
You feel angry with someone because you associate something negative with him or her. Start consciously associating positive things with them and the negativity will melt away. Of course it will keep on coming back, but the more you counter it with positive thoughts, the less power it will have. So, the next time you are really annoyed with somebody, try remembering a nice thing about him or her. Wave bye to negativity, smile.
- Dressing up
No matter how you feel, it will always feel better when you get up and freshen up. Wearing well-fitted clothes, clothes that you like, will make you look better and, therefore, feel better about yourself almost instantly. Playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends, smile.
- Remembering that everyone is only human, and that includes yourself
Forgiveness contributes greatly to our well-being, fulfilment, and happiness. There is really nobody in the world who hasn’t been hurt or let down by somebody they trusted, or at least wishes they had been treated differently. Everyone, that includes yourself and the people that hurt you, is only standing at one single point in the huge learning curve of life, and our actions spring from what we are exposed to from that particular vantage point. To seriously learn forgiveness as a life skill, spend more time with kids. They are the only people who unerringly practice the art.
- Do not take life too seriously
The inner critic is the most active when we need that voice to be appreciative and loving. Instead of spending more time understanding and appreciating ourselves, we indulge in self-bashing, self-abuse, and harsh judgments about ourselves. It takes mindfulness and awareness to turn that around. Take time to do things that give you more scope for “happy-time,” like seeking the company of children, listening to music, dancing, cooking, reading, cleaning - anything that makes you feel like your best self.
HEALTHCARE 21/09/2021
