“Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” – Karl Barth

Can you believe we're at the end of this positivity challenge?

How has it affected your mindset so far?

Have you noticed a difference, or do you still need to practice some of these ideas a bit more?

One more way to boost your positivity is by smiling more. It’s important to remember that these smiles do need to be genuine to have an effect. How this works is that your smile and other similar happy gestures trigger positive feelings. They bring back positive memories, which then give you a mood boost.

When you smile, your facial movements are interpreted by your brain. This then releases endorphins. The endorphins make you feel happy.

Laughing has the same effect as smiling. For some people, laughing and smiling can work as pain management.

Smiling works by lowering stress, which can help you to feel happier. That’s the goal! Smiling can also boost your immune system.

If you’re struggling to find something to smile about or feel like you’re forcing a smile, it’s okay. You can use other things to bring on a more natural or genuine smile.

For example, reflect on some moments that have brought you joy. You can even look at pictures or videos. If you want to, you can look up inspirational stories or videos online.

You can also try to surround yourself with movies and TV shows that make you feel happy instead of upset. You can look for entertainment that's more positive rather than negative. If you limit how many negative shows or movies you’re watching, you will be exposed to less negativity overall. Stick to the feel-good entertainment so you will actually start to feel good!

Of course, you don’t have to cut the less happy shows out entirely. Just watch how much negativity you’re taking in and try to focus on the happier entertainment.

Your smile will affect more than just you. When others see you smiling, they'll probably smile too. You've heard the saying that smiling is contagious. Even if it's a little cheesy, it's true. Smiling brings people close to you. People want to be around other happy people. You'll be more approachable. Being loved and having people in our lives can help us to feel happier overall too.

See how many times you can make yourself smile today and how it makes you feel. Those around you might start smiling more often, too, because you're smiling so much. And that will likely have a positive influence on you too!

Namaste,

Shelly