Affirmation: “I let my inner smile
enliven my being and enhance my health.”
Happiness bubbles up from within. But what do you do when you don’t feel it? You know that you want to. You might even know it’s within you. How do you uncover it? Sometimes you have to dig it out from underneath dusty baggage like memories, thoughts, emotions, hormonal fluctuations, life situations, world events, and circumstances beyond your control. Life keeps happening. It always will, and it won’t stop. It will be the dynamic, poignant ride it has always been. But what can change is you—how you deal with life, how you choose to live, and how you choose to be. It comes down to your state of being, where we source happiness from.
The external world can inspire your happiness, and it is a great place to start. Happy experiences are the best way to source the feeling of happiness. Here are a few to try:
• Call an upbeat friend.
• Watch a positive, nonsnarky comedy.
• Get outside and breathe deeply.
• Walk in nature.
• Snuggle with a pet or a friend’s pet.
• Work out (endorphins!).
• Cook something delicious.
• Smell some flowers.
Ultimately, happiness is an inside job. Start with the experiences above to remind you of the feeling. Next, smile. You may have heard of the “inner smile.” It is a term used in Buddhism meaning a Zen-like sense of contentment. Try the following exercise to help you find your inner smile.
Exercise: Inner Smile
Start by doing something to inspire a happy feeling. Remember the flavor of that feeling when you were experiencing it. In this moment really be deeply present to the feeling of happiness.
Next, lie down or sit very comfortably. Close your eyes. Feel your breath moving in and out of your body. Let each breath be long and gentle.
As you exhale, blow the air out by pursing your lips like you have a straw in your mouth. Get into a rhythm with long inhalations and even longer straw-breath exhalations.
When you get comfortable with that, bring up the feeling you felt, the happiness. Be present to it and conjure its flavor. Smile gently. Feel your inner smile.
State, “I want to find where happiness lives in my body.” Let your attention flow there and feel the happiness. Now, inhale into the spot. When you exhale, feel the energy flowing through your body. It is ever flowing, bubbling from a source inside of you. Use your breath to propel it to circulate through your body. Visualize this in concert with your breath.
Now, picture it billowing out around you, filling the space around you and eventually the room. Keep doing this for as long as it feels good. When you are ready to wind it down, say, “I am forever infused with happiness from the source within me.” Then, let your breathing relax and go back to normal. Take your time getting up and returning to your day. Notice how you feel throughout your body. Do you sense that inner smile?
I have a secret. My inner smile is shining.
#joyfulliving101