I remember, a couple of years ago, I was sitting among a few friends, we were discussing a topic that was so-not-important as I don’t even remember what it was! Anyway, things got escalated and the discussion heated up. That’s when one of our friends told us to take a deep breath and smile. I observed that smiling seemed so contagious as we all couldn’t help but smile at each other! It certainly made a difference and the ones who were angry a few minutes ago were now feeling a lot more relaxed. That’s when it occurred to me that smiling is quite a handy tool when a burst of anger occurs.
Since that incident, I started observing and experimenting with it a lot more in my day-to-day life. I made a constant effort to smile when I met people when I was out for downtime to unwind, and in general, tried to smile more often. This tried-and-tested experiment led me to see that not only did smiling helped me in feeling pleasant, it also had a positive effect on the ones who were around me.
Perhaps, it made me more approachable and in general, people felt comfortable around me. It meant that once they interacted with me, they wanted to be around me more often than before. This was a significant takeaway.
It also meant that if I was in a position of argument with someone, I could tone it down and ensure anger doesn’t cloud my judgment. People can say harsh words or become rude out of frustration. Smiling helps in keeping the atmosphere laid back and an environment for those around you to express themselves more freely.
While I do like my angry-young man look from time to time as it has its charm too! I cannot deny that a smiling face sends out positive vibes around. It’s so often we hear and read people admitting that when they’re having a rough day, someone smiling at them makes it a lot better.
I believe that all individuals have these traits of jealousy, hatred, anger, and pessimism and also have feelings of love, kindness, compassion and, optimism. How one turns out depends upon which traits one focuses on. Smile more often when around people and you’ll see the magic!
Atray
Know your Author!!