Feeling down? Use The Power Of A Smile And Self-Care To Find Success Today

Life doesn’t always happen the way we want it to. You might be feeling sick, stressed, have something heavy on your mind, or maybe you have no idea why you are feeling down. It happens! And when we aren’t feeling our best, we might be tempted to head out of the house looking exactly the way we feel. While skipping your normal morning routines and wearing something dreary may seem like a good idea because life lost its flavor today, I fully encourage you to do the opposite! Look your best even when you are feeling down to restart your day!

Here’s why:

Going to work or school looking like you’ve had a rough day might result in more discouraging comments from people around you. I don’t know many people that are delighted when they hear their coworker say “You look tired…” or “Oh, what happened?” just from looking at you. It probably wasn’t a very thoughtful thing of them to say in the first place, but you and I both know that the comments will likely happen regardless. Oppositely, if you woke up on the right side of the bed this morning, you might have come into work feeling like a million bucks with great hair and your favorite outfit, got plenty of compliments, and left feeling fantastic. People really do notice and you can use kind words from others to help turn your day around if life didn’t deliver an ideal day for you.

We all know that feeling happy isn’t as simple as looking happy, it comes from inside of us. The tips in this article aren’t to make you feel like you are pretending to be happy by slapping on some makeup and a fake smile, they are to encourage other people to contribute to your day-positively! Those positive interactions really do have an impact on our mood, so why not make use of them? Give people a reason to make you feel good and reap the rewards!

The first step is looking your best with self-care! Whatever your reason for feeling down, focus on self-care before you leave your house.

Skincare: You would be surprised how much more refreshed you will feel after washing your face and doing your usual skincare routine. It only takes a couple minutes and helps wake you up a bit too.
Makeup: If you wear makeup on your good days, you definitely need it today. Remember, some days looking your best is the first step and feeling your best is doesn’t happen until afterward.
Outfit: Wear clothing that, as Marie Kondo is famous for saying, “sparks joy” for you! Even little things that people can’t see like your favorite underwear, can tip the scales just a little further toward a better day.
Hair: Putting effort into your hair is not only going to make you feel less deflated when you do your last mirror check before leaving home, but you would be amazed how put together you look simply by making sure your hair is done.

Lastly, take plenty of small, positive actions during your day!

Did you know that people are likely to mirror your actions? If you are frowning at everyone all day, you can expect them to return the favor. If you are kind to someone or flash a smile, they are more likely to smile back. It’s called “Mirroring”, and you can use it to your advantage! I’m certainly not saying that you have to walk around smiling like a maniac and holding the door for every stranger you see, but if you are having a bad day you can really benefit from helping others. It’s as easy as a kind word or gesture like a smile. Not only is it rewarding and makes you feel a little better, but it might lift their day up a bit too!

Taking your day back will help you focus on your goals and fight for success instead of simply trying to get through the day. The potential is there, so take the steps you need and let success come to you!