How to Make Yourself Smile Even When It's Tough

Make Yourself Smile Even When It's Tough

Sometimes things can get you down and you need a little pick-me-up! It can be hard to get back to your same, cheerful self, but it's not impossible... Let's get started.

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Think of something funny. When you’re tired, depressed, or sad it often helps to think of something funny that happened to you or someone you know. More often than not, if it’s something that is really funny it will instantly cause you to laugh and force a smile on your face.

2. Step 2

   Think about all the things you have to be thankful for and write them down. After you’ve exhausted all your thoughts, stop for a moment and study the list. Realize how blessed you are and how thankful you should be.

3. Step 3

   Think about how much God loves you and how He’ll always be there for you no matter what. Just knowing you’re not alone can lift your spirits. Not to mention, that you’ll find no better best friend than the man upstairs!

4. Step 4

   Look at a picture of someone else smiling or someone smiling on TV and imagine that they are smiling directly at you. As humans we usually mirror the same emotions that we see in front of us so seeing someone else smiling (and even more so pretending that they are smiling at you) can make you smile as well.

5. Step 5

   Have good hygiene so that you have no excuse for not smiling. Brush your teeth, floss, whiten your teeth, get braces, get dentures, whatever you need to do to feel like you have beautiful teeth. You’ll be far more likely to flash your pearly whites if you think that you have a nice smile.

6. Step 6

   If you feel like you don’t have a nice smile then either practice changing it or learn how to embrace it. You should feel comfortable with your appearance and not afraid to show yourself off. If you want to practice changing it then study your smile in the mirror or take pictures of it and then practice how you would like your smile to be. Truthfully though, I’m sure you have a nice smile even if you don’t think it looks good. A true, genuine smile isn’t something that can be thought up in advance and practiced so the easiest route here would be to learn to embrace your flaws and love yourself because you don’t have to feel or look like everyone else.

7. Step 7

   Often the most underutilized and most effective way of getting yourself in a ‘smiling mood’ is to stretch your jaw muscles. Open your mouth really wide and move your cheeks and lips all around until you feel your face muscles start to relax and feel less tight. You’ll notice after you do these stretches that it seems so much easier to crack a smile!