Campaign encourages joy while masked
Smile campaign encourages people to spread joy while masking
A campaign called “Connect with a Smile” is encouraging people throughout the region to turn that frown upside down, even while wearing a mask, to spread hope throughout the community.
Don’t let your mask stop you from smiling
It’s recommended people wear a mask in public spaces and when around others outside their household. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention even recommends individuals who are fully vaccinated continue to wear a well-fitted mask and practice physical distancing in public.
A mask covers half the face and can even make it hard for people to recognize familiar faces. As people practice physical distancing, they may forget the importance of finding ways to connect with others during these challenging times.
“It’s still really important to make eye contact and then smile,” said Kirsten Freitag-Murray, director of development and public relations at Creative Health Services.
The Connect with a Smile campaign encourages people to connect and support one another as individuals struggle with the social and emotional impact of the pandemic.
“Every day more and more of us are feeling isolated and disconnected. It becomes all too easy to forget that there are simple things we can do to support ourselves and others. Like sharing a smile. Even, or especially, from behind a mask,” said Dr. Andrew Trentacoste, chief executive officer and clinical director of Creative Health Services.
Trentacoste said some of the effects of the pandemic have been
feelings of “loneliness, depression, anxiety, grief and hopelessness.” He said sharing a smile is a powerful tool that can help combat such feelings.
The Connect with a Smile website states several benefits of smiling such as reducing blood pressure, helping the immune system to function better, and communicating positivity. Science-based research has shown the benefits of smiling and that it’s possible to recognize a smile even from behind a mask.
A smile can be seen through the eyes and heard in the voice
Facial expression and emotion researcher Ursula Hess explained
how it’s possible to recognize a smile on someone wearing a mask during an interview with Scientific American magazine.
Hess, deputy dean for international affairs at the faculty of life sciences at Humboldt University of Berlin, said a real smile moves other facial muscles in addition to your mouth.
“People’s ability to recognize emotional expressions does not get worse if their mouth and nose are covered,” she said. “The corners of the mouth turn up, and laugh lines appear around the eyes.”
Hess’s research also revealed that a smile can even be heard.
“It’s sounds bright. This is because the changes in the shape of the mouth alter the modulation of our voices,” she said.
Spread the joy with a smile movement
Individual community members can join the movement and help spread joy by sharing the campaign messaging through social media. The website pottstownfoundation.org/connectwith-a-smile has sample messages and images to share while using #connectwithasmile or #spreadjoy. The site also includes messaging in Spanish through translations provided by Nelly JimenezArevalo, executive director and chief executive officer of ACLAMO Family Centers.
connects residents with health resources
The Tri-County Health Council launched the smile campaign last month. A billboard about the campaign with the words “Mask Up, Look Up” went up on Feb. 22 along Route 100 in Pottstown.
The regional health council is made up of representatives from Community Health and Dental Care, Creative Health Services, Pottstown Hospital-Tower Health, TriCounty Community Network, and the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation.
“As rates of depression and anxiety continue to rise in our area, the Tri-County Health Council is uniquely situated to provide messages and resources to address the mental health epidemic,” said David Kraybill, Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation president.
Members of the Tri-County Health Council collaborate to provide area residents with resources they can use to address health needs.
Richard Newell, president and chief executive officer for Pottstown Hospital, said “Access to behavioral healthcare was identified as a top community need during the 2018 Pottstown-Tower Health Community Health Needs Assessment. Our hospital and its’ staff are committed to educating the community about available resources for mental health care and bridging the gap to treatment.”
The Connect with a Smile billboard and website includes information on how people can receive behavioral healthcare services or seek help.
Anyone who is feeling down during this time can contact Creative Health Services at 484-9410500 or the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).