#NotesToSelf

It can be challenging to smile amidst stressful situations and that’s okay—but get this, studies actually show people who smile during and after stressful times maintain a slower heart rate than those who keep a neutral facial expression. Keep your chin up, #SaintJoesMaine—we’re all in this together.

Researchers at the University of Kansas published findings that smiling helps reduce the body’s response to stress and lower heart rate in tense situations; another study linked smiling to lower blood pressure, while yet another suggests that smiling leads to longevity.

And if you need to talk, the Counseling Center is just a phone call or email away.