5 reasons to smile!

byIsaac Mann/February 6, 2024/inNews

Many see smiling simply as an involuntary response to things that bring you joy or inspire laughter. While this is certainly true, it overlooks an important point: Smiling can be a conscious, intentional choice, it can act on your body and mind in a variety of positive ways, offering benefits for your health, your mood, and even the moods of people around you.

Smiles are free and contagious
Smiling puts you in a good mood
Smiles are the first thing we notice when meeting someone
Smiling is the universal sign of happiness
Smiling makes you feel good….really, it can boost your immune system!

Friday 7th October is World Smile Day. Created in 1999, the celebration aspects of the day are simple yet effective: people are to use the day to smile and make small acts of kindness worldwide. By doing so, you’ll smile, and in return, you’ll make someone else smile and brighten up their day. Simple, right?

Here are a few things that have made us smile this week:

Chester Zoo welcomed three new fossa pups over the summer and at just 12-weeks old, they’ve now emerged from their den to make their first appearance and explore their enclosure! The fossa is classed as a vulnerable species, which means they could eventually go extinct. They’re only found in the forests of Madagascar – an island off the South-Eastern coast of Africa – but scientists say the island has already lost nearly 90% of its forests. Have a look at how cute they are here.

We had a lovely poem submitted by a person we support at Cypress Hospital, about a recent trip to Dartmoor:

The Marcus Rashford Book Club (MRBC) has now officially distributed 250,000 books. Over the summer, MRBC has collaborated with the National Literacy Trust, Magic Breakfast and the Free Books Campaign to make this happen. A wide selection of books, including Rashford’s own book The Breakfast Club Adventures: The Beast Beyond the Fence, were given to children from the poorest areas of the UK. Marcus says “The children who often miss out are those on free school meals and users of breakfast clubs, who more than likely need fiction, and non-fiction, to escape reality from time to time”.

Exeter Carnival is set to return to the city after a gap of 24 years thanks to InExeter. The new carnival will take place on Saturday 26th of November, starting at 6pm. The carnival will travel through the city with an illuminated parade, celebrating the community of Exeter. To find out more click here.

Our brand-new Men’s Wellbeing Walk in association with Bay Walks, Active Devon and Ramblers Wellbeing Walks started this week! This group event allows men to come along and feel the benefit of getting out in the fresh air, connect with others and enjoy the positive effect that spending time outside in our wonderful environment can have. These walks take place every Tuesday at 10.30am starting and ending from Preston Hut behind St Paul’s Church in Preston, Paignton, Locarno Avenue, TQ3 2DH. (Length: approx. 40 minutes, difficulty: easy). To find out more, contact Dominic.Bryant@steponecharity.co.uk, or please feel free to just turn up on the day.

Remember: most smiles are started by another smile. So why not be the reason to make someone smile today?