In such uncertain times, many of us may be finding it hard to smile at all at the moment!

We have been distracted by a plethora of problems since the pandemic, and grinning at ourselves might feel trite, silly, futile, or a waste of time. But it isn’t; it’s actually a way to give us hope and strength, and set our mood up healthily for the day ahead.

Plus, we all know that smiles are contagious, yet we’ll never know the full extent of how much our heartfelt smiles can lift others too.

In short, all of us are hurting at the moment, and most of us are fearful of the future.

When I look at people, I can see their emotions etched on their faces. To me, when we engage through a simple, genuine smile, we are saying “I feel the same way as you, but we’ll get through this”. It helps to comfort others and gives them a reminder that we are all experiencing similar worries.

In a world where our communications have been compromised by masking our mouths, we can smile with our eyes instead. When we think compassionately about how other people are suffering, and we offer them a smile, our warmth shines through our eyes.

Last week I did just this and smiled at an elderly lady in the supermarket. She gave me cat twinkles back, approached me and said: “Thank you for noticing me, dear. I’ve not spoken to anyone in a week!” We subsequently engaged in conversation, and I was able to help lift down a box of cereal for her!

Smiling will not fix our problems, yet it can bring instant warmth and empathy to others; and we humans need one another, more so now than ever before.