Jenny Taitz

Seriously.

It primes you to accept whatever is, preventing you from adding a tension headache to everything else you're carrying.

To be clear, this is not about faking happiness when you're legitimately upset.

It's about letting your physiology boost your bandwidth.

Plus, it can help foster connections with others, especially if your face otherwise looks like a big do-not-disturb sign.

Let's give half smiling a try.

Anybody feeling more serene?

Now turn to the person next to you and give them a little smile.

You guys have such nice half smiles.

How does that feel?

Your body is a walking pharmacy if you know how to use it.

Three, act opposite to how you feel.

Notice how when you're anxious, you avoid.

When you're depressed, you lay low.

When you're angry, you yell.

Acting exactly the way you feel when you're totally overwhelmed amplifies negativity and piles on guilt and shame.

If you want to upgrade your mood and how you live your life, the third tool is to notice your emotion-driven urge.

Ask yourself if acting on it is ultimately helpful.

If not, do the opposite.

So if you're grumpy and want to send a hostile text, how about either sending a nice one to someone who needs it or stowing your phone?