Around some people, I cannot smile naturally. My mouth tenses up. The other person always seems to notice it and I see that they look uncomfortable as well.
This seems to happen most when I unexpectedly see someone, such as when I see a friend or neighbor when out running errands.
It creates a bad cycle: I want to be making a good impression, but my smile looks forced, so I make a bad impression, which makes me want even more to create a good impression, so my smile looks even worse and I make a worse impression.
How do I fix this and learn to have a smile and face that appear natural, rather than frozen?
Thanks.