The Power of a Smile

It’s hard to keep a bright outlook with all of the uncertainty in the world. The cases of Covid-19 continue to rise and society as we know it is temporarily shutting down. Everyday life has become very challenging with social distancing, self isolation and general anxiety. It is very important to stay realistic and informed about Covid-19 but it is also important to stay positive. It might sound insignificant, but simple acts like smiling and positive talk can do wonders for lifting your mood. Smiling and positive talk helped me deal with the very challenging situation of completing my first 100 mile race. 

I made a conscious effort to smile frequently during my first 100 mile race. There were aid stations every 10km where I could refill my water and get something to eat. I made sure to smile when coming into any aid station and to thank the aid station volunteers. I was super tired and sore but I still kept a smile on my face, even though I didn’t feel like it. The aid station volunteers had big smiles for me in return and told me how fresh I looked. Smiling helped me believe that I was actually doing okay. A 2018 article in Runner’s World cites scientific evidence that smiling actually makes you run faster. A group of trained runners were asked to run intervals on the treadmill while smiling and frowning. Runners saved 2.8% more energy while smiling and researchers believed that smiling helped the runners relax and have less muscle tension.

I also decided that I would never complain about how I felt during my first 100 mile race. While racing, you’re often asked “how are you doing?” by volunteers, family and friends. They are being polite but the honest answer to this question is always “I feel like complete crap,”. I never let on that I was struggling though and only responded “I’m doing great,”. Similar to smiling, positive talk helped me control my negative thoughts. It takes a long time to finish 100 miles and you need to carefully control your thoughts and emotions. Letting the smallest amount of negative emotion come through can put you in a dark hole and potentially lead to dropping out of a race.

Take a moment to smile at a loved one the next time that you’re feeling overwhelmed about our new reality with Covid-19. It’s not going to fix our problem but it will help you feel better. Don’t complain to your partner if you’re frustrated that you can’t go out for dinner on Friday night. Complaining will only make both of you feel worse. Don’t get me wrong, you should definitely share your feelings but this is different than complaining. We are living in stressful times and it’s important to be mindful of our situation but this doesn’t mean that you have to feel terrible all the time. Protect and nurture your mindset – you’ll be glad that you did.