Our ‘relaxed state’ facial expression is a scarily public indicator of our inner emotional state. Happy people have happy faces. Sad people have sad faces. Grumpy people have grumpy faces.
When you get older, which kind of face would you rather have? The one that is furrowed with worry lines and frown grooves? Or the one with crow’s feet and laughter lines?
We can choose which face we want to wear.
Duh? How?
By choosing our thoughts more carefully.
The thoughts you think today create the face of your future – in so many ways. And they carve out your experience of life.
But, before I ask you to believe any of that, how about trying an experiment? Would you like to find out for yourself how your facial expressions impact your emotions?
I’m inviting you to try an experiment with me today, to experience the difference your facial expression can make. It only takes a few minutes – and it might just change your life.
- You’ll probably want some privacy for this, so you don’t feel self-conscious. And you might want a mirror, so you can check what you look like. 😉
- Before you start, take a ‘snap shot’ of how you are feeling – how does your body feel? What emotions are you experiencing? What kinds of thoughts are you thinking?
- Now pick your best grumpy face. You know, the one you would choose if you were up for an Oscar-winning performance. Then crank it up a notch. Really ‘do’ your grumpy face.
- Repeat that snapshot. How are you feeling? How does your body feel? What emotions are you experiencing? What kinds of thoughts are you thinking?
- Give yourself a quick shake to let go of that ‘face’.
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Are you wearing your ‘sad face’? Repeat the process with your best ‘sad’ face. The whole puppy-dog eyes. The ultimate sympathy-winning sad face. Crank it up a couple of notches.
- Repeat that snapshot. How are you feeling? How does your body feel? What emotions are you experiencing? What kinds of thoughts are you thinking?
- Give yourself a quick shake to let go of that ‘face’.
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- Finally, pick your best ‘happy face’. It’s the one where the sun is shining from your eyes and the world has no doubt that you’re in a good mood. Really crank up the effect until it’s the “I’ve just won the lottery” level happy face.
- Repeat that snapshot. How are you feeling? How does your body feel? What emotions are you experiencing? What kinds of thoughts are you thinking?
- Give yourself a quick shake to let go of that ‘face’.
What did you learn?
What differences did you notice?
How did your ‘face’ impact your emotions? Your body? Your thoughts?
Most people who do this little experiment discover that there’s a powerful connection between our facial expressions, our physical body, our thoughts and our emotions.
We all know that the best way to ‘feel happy’ is to ‘think happy thoughts’. But it can feel pretty hard to ‘control’ what you’re thinking (though regular meditation and mindfulness practices help).
But the great news is that you can do this the ‘other way round’.
As the experiment showed you, your facial expression, your emotions and your thoughts are inextricably linked. So if you change one, you change the others.
Changing your facial expression will impact your thoughts and your emotions. So how about choosing with care? Within 60 seconds of ‘wearing a different face’, your body’s chemical reactions that control your emotions get to work and shift the formula, helping you to feel different.
And my favourite facial expression?
A smile. One that starts at the eyes and then fills the room. They’re contagious and they can change the world.
So I’m curious: which facial expressions would you like to choose today?
What did you discover from these little experiments?
And how might this impact your choices? I’d love to hear from you, via the comments box. 🙂
If you enjoyed this technique, then you’ll love the 7 day Gratitude Kick Start online course. People tell me that even in just 7 days, it can change your life. Want to discover how for yourself?
Namaste,
