Smiling is good for you. It uses the muscles in your face, keeping them toned and tight. It helps to boost your mental health and can make you feel happier. Smiling can even improve your relationships and performance at work as it makes you seem more approachable and trustworthy. Generally, it’s easier to have fun and enjoy yourself if you’ve got a smile on your face and smiling can affect your mood as much as your mood can affect your facial expressions.

But it’s not something that comes easy to all of us. Many people hate their smiles. They try to keep their mouths closed and avoid showing their teeth, they might even try to cover their mouths when they speak or eat. They certainly don’t smile for photographs and are very conscious of their facial expressions and how they look.

This kind of self-consciousness around your smile can start to impact many different areas of your life. But unfortunately, falling in love with your smile, so that you can smile freely without hesitation isn’t always easy. It’s even harder if you’ve spent a long time hiding it away. Smiling might feel unnatural and strange, and the idea of loving your smile is impossible. If you feel this way, here are some effective ways that you can fall in love with your smile.

If you haven’t smiled for a long time, the muscles in your face might find it difficult, and will certainly ache if you do a lot of it. Facial yoga can tone these muscles and make smiling easier, but it can also help to strengthen your face, and even keep it looking younger.

One of the main reasons that we hide our smiles away is that we don’t like our teeth. The good news is, that if your teeth are wonky, discoloured, or damaged, it’s never too late to get help. Make an appointment with an orthodontics North London clinic to talk about any concerns you have and get into the habit of going for regular check-ups.

Even if your teeth are perfect, it takes work to keep them healthy and clean. Make sure you are brushing for two minutes, twice daily, and using the right products. Talk to your dentist for advice.

Of course, our teeth aren’t the only things that we can feel self-conscious about. We can also worry about our lips. Good lip care can keep them plump, supple, and perfect for smiling. Make sure you use a balm with a high SPF to prevent sun damage and take makeup off before bed. Try using a sugar scrub weekly to boost blood flow and remove dead skin.

When we try to avoid smiling, we lose some enjoyment of the thing that is making us smile. Instead of enjoying a moment, memory or experience freely, we’re worried about smiling in front of people, and we spend time adjusting our expression. Try to give whatever is making you happy your full attention, and you’ll smile naturally. Let yourself and it will start to feel more normal.

Once you start to smile openly, you’ll find that life becomes easier, more carefree, and more joyful. You might even start to like having your photo taken.