As Is

While situations, encounters or events may seem intrinsically "stressful," it is truly how an individual perceives and reacts to an event that determines whether or not the stress response is activated.

Institute of HeartMath, Research Overview

I notice that I have been clenching my jaw a lot lately. Signs of stresss? Probably. Ever notice that bad things usually come in threes? Well, it may not be so, but it sure seems like it. A lot of things have been happening lately, not all of them bad, but it seems to be so. And they happen all at once. Not that there’s anything I can do to avoid it. I can soften the blow, but like flood, there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

I notice I don’t smile as often as I used to. Even my friends said so. I have developed frown lines on my forehead, so much so that the lines look like it’s going to stay, despite the amount of facial massage and masks that I applied to my face. No amount of skin care products is going to make that one go away, not as long as I keep on frowning all day long.

Frowning is bad, it gives you a headache. Try smiling more, it brightens your day. (I should take my own advice!)