It can’t just be me, can it? When the weather gets cold, the evenings are shorter, and the mornings are dark, it sure can take the spring out of your step. I definitely feel it. You likely do, too. And for some folk, autumn and winter can be absolutely awful. With reduced sunlight, hectic school timetables, and all the additional monetary and social pressures of the festive season, these upcoming months can be darn difficult.

Those who have it really rough may suffer from SAD, that is, Seasonal Affective Disorder. Yeah, it’s a real thing. If you’ve been feeling gloomy, find some peace of mind in the fact that you’re not alone right now. Us humans need all the good stuff you get from sunlight and fresh air – ie. Increased serotonin levels – to boost our moods. Without it, we can feel down in the dumps, tired, lethargic, even depressed.

Now, there’s plenty of advice out there on the Internet for anyone who’s really struggles with this. I’m no professional. That said, do we actually need to be to help? As part of various communities, including blogging, social networks, actual work, towns, and social groups, we can each do our little bit to help people feel just a tad better.

What your Nan always said was true all along: a smile can work wonders.

Of course, we’re not talking fixing huge mental health epidemics here. Rather, offering a glance of appreciation, friendship, warmth, that could turn someone’s day around. It may be momentary, it might last merely seconds, but by offering your smile more often to more people, you could well be the highlight that gets some people through their day. If you’re struggling, someone being kind towards you is often enough.

So many people struggle with a smile, whether it is because they don't feel comfortable expressing themselves like that or feel self conscious of their teeth. You don't even have to go to a dentists anymore as you can get a free dental consultation online. My husband hadn't been to the dentist for years but after ecouraging him to go back, he genuinely now smiles with confidence. I personally had my teeth whitened for our wedding, I didn't want to feel self conscious about my teeth and having the confidence to smile can be infectious.

It sounds simple, but it’s oh-so hard. After all, we’re all busy people! Reading school letters at swimming lessons, not looking up from your printed memo as you walk through the office, zoning out while you take the Tube across the city. It’s so easy to be wrapped up in what we have to do, meeting demanding deadlines, attending activities and appointments, that we can forget to look up and truly take in what’s going on in the world around us.

For others, and for yourself, let’s try to be mindful as we go about our day. Make the effort to turn that frown upside down and, who knows, smiling may just becoming a mood-enhancing habit.

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