🌿 Weekly Wellness Challenge: The “Smile More” Challenge

It’s time for a new weekly challenge — and wow, what a year it has been. I’m so thankful to have had you all join us on this adventure.

Around Thanksgiving, I noticed something that I’ve seen in years past as well. Even in very busy stores, people seemed unusually kind to one another. Carts were maneuvered with patience. Tight spaces were navigated with grace. There was an unspoken understanding that everyone was doing their best.

That observation stayed with me.

One thing I try to impress upon my children is the importance of smiling. For me, smiling comes very naturally. More often than not, I carry a slightly more positive-than-neutral expression — not because I’m thinking about anything specific, but because of an internal disposition: thankfulness, steadiness, and a sense of grace I’m deeply grateful for.

Recently, I was in a space with many people, and I noticed that I moved through the day with a gentle smile on my face. Not forced. Not performative. Just present. It wasn’t about communication or politeness — it was simply a reflection of how I was feeling inside.

That moment made me reflect.

😊 This Week’s Challenge: Smile More

This week, I’d like us to intentionally focus on smiling — and also on noticing when we smile and why.

We’ve done smile- and positivity-focused challenges before, and for good reason. They’re simple practices that are always worth returning to. Each season of life brings new environments, new pressures, and new opportunities to show up with a little more warmth.

You can continue exploring more weekly challenges here

This week isn’t about forcing optimism or pretending everything is perfect. It’s about a small outward expression that often reflects something deeper within us.

🌱 Smiling, Culture, and Children

This is especially interesting to notice in children.

In many cultures around the world, adults are intentional about encouraging children to smile as a way of expressing warmth, respect, and connection. In other places — including much of mainstream American youth culture — smiling is sometimes quietly discouraged as children grow older, replaced with the idea that being neutral, reserved, or even hardened is more “cool.”

Research across cultures shows that smiling isn’t simply about happiness; it’s shaped by social norms and what a culture values in public expression. Some cultures encourage frequent smiling as a sign of friendliness or politeness, while others teach more restraint and context-specific expressions. None of this means one culture is right and another is wrong — it simply highlights that smiling is, at least in part, learned and nurtured.

As parents, we have a powerful opportunity to encourage our children to let their smiles out — not as a performance or expectation, but as a natural expression of presence and goodwill. A smile doesn’t need to mean anything more than I’m here, and I’m open.

🔁 Staying Consistent This Week

To stay mindful of this challenge, it helps to gently check in with yourself throughout the day.

Before you walk into a store, a school, an appointment, or a gathering, take a moment to notice your expression. When you’re alone, check in with yourself — there’s never a wrong time to smile.

Smile at your family to acknowledge their presence, to say hello, or to say goodbye. Smile while moving through everyday spaces — in stores, parking lots, waiting areas, and moments of transition.

We’re not trying to set ourselves apart from others or draw attention to ourselves. Instead, we’re simply offering something a bit more positive than a neutral expression.

Sometimes that small shift is enough to soften an interaction — or even a whole moment.

🌍 Making a Difference, Gently

Smiling doesn’t require words. It doesn’t require agreement. It doesn’t even require direct interaction.

It can shape how we feel inside, how our families experience us, how our communities feel to move through, and how strangers experience brief moments of shared space.

As the year comes to a close, let’s offer ourselves — and those around us — this simple, steady gift. Not as a performance, but as a practice. A quiet way of moving through the world with a little more openness.

With quiet encouragement,
Ashley