Couple of days ago I wrote about having ‘one of those days’, but ofcourse the most common one is called: Monday. Mostly the mornings ofcourse.
Mine went like this:
Woke up early in the morning (greatest start on monday anyway). When still inside the house it was clouded, but not rainy at all. The moment I stepped outside the house the rain came pooring down like a cow pissing on a flat rock. No cycling for me today, oh no. I have this problem with rain I mentioned once. Me no like (wuss, I know). So I went to a service point to charge my public transport card, which should have been open. Only I forgot that this owner doesn’t care what time he should open, he is always late. In a hurry to still catch my tram I ran down to another service point 10 minutes away (mind you it’s still raining) to discover this one is not open too! This time I decided to go to the tram stop anyway and pay for a single ticket, realizing I missed it. Waiting for the next one a loud noise caught my attention. There was a man grunting like a pig every 10 seconds. Don’t ask me why, it’s still a mystery to me too. When finally the tram arrived I sat down on a chair and thought to myself: ok, now breathe. Those things are already past, let’s be in the present. You’re on your way to work now, don’t let these things get to you. I felt my head calming down when all of a sudden a cold drop of water fell on my head! You got to be kidding me! I thought to myself. I was finally inside, but I was sitting under a leak!
Oh you, Monday..
When I arrived at the stop near work I stepped into the rain and was almost blown away by the wind. This time there were no thoughts running through my head, but this one: smile. So, I smiled. Within seconds I noticed that the tension in my body was getting less. Smiling really helped.
But how’s that?
This post is for Martijn, someone I met yesterday. Someone eager to learn what helps me through rough times, so Martijn, I hope this will help you.
Besides breathing exercises or observing your surrounding like I wrote in ‘One of those days’, smiling is just another thing you can do. It might sound weird, but it’s like acting powerful befor feeling powerful. A smile (not a grin) relaxes the muscles in your face, and your body communicates with your mind. Sometimes it’s needed to act, before you feel that way. It’s not always necessary to feel happy before you can smile. It also works the other way around. Smiling, even mindfully forced can cause you to feel happy.
I’ve already shared this video once, but for those who haven’t seen it, it’s really worth watching:
So when it’s already Monday again or there’s a moment you’re feeling down, try to smile to reinforce a feeling you already know: happiness. It might help you get through it a bit easier, but still allow yourself to feel whatever it is you feel, for surpressing it will lead to a bigger explosion of negative feelings later on. Use it as a tool to make it less intense, so you’re able to think clearly (:
(4:29 if you’d like to forward to the part related to what I just wrote)