smile

Smile and the world smiles with you, goes the familiar phrase. It's a lovely idea. And perhaps it's true. But it may be that the world isn’t smiling with you as much as it's laughing at you for being such a softie.

Stress is awful but sadly something we all deal with. While we cook up personal remedies — no checking email after 7 p.m. or on weekends — it can be hard not to feel overwhelmed when you want to give enough attention to all of the things that matter to you. So what can you do when you need a break from the pressure?

Will I be happy in four years? If so, how happy? If you ask yourself these questions as I sometimes do— and audibly while walking alone on the street, or sulking in the bathtub—don’t look to the universe for an answer, look to your Facebook profile picture.

The temperature hovered around 90 degrees on a beautiful sunny day this past weekend but that was nothing compared to my internal thermometer about three seconds after I heard this from a passing motorist. “Smile” the man shouted from the window of his rusty old van.

A recent story in the Daily Mail - Make happiness a habit by Paul McKenna - takes on a few simple tricks that happiness guru McKenna, author of I Can Make You Happy, claims can brighten your mood every day.