One of the most powerful, effective, and fun ways to deal with stress is to laugh. Does this sound too good to be true? It’s real.
Laughter has been shown in many studies to have some dramatic physical, emotional, and spiritual effects. It lowers blood pressure, it is good aerobic activity that builds lung capacity and strengthens the heart, and it boosts the immune system. It’s good for mental health, lifting depression and generally leading to a good mood. It reduces and inhibits negative thought patterns, stimulates positive thoughts, and increases creativity.
People who laugh a lot are healthier, happier people.
How does a person achieve genuine laughter in their life when they don’t feel they have anything to laugh about? That’s simple: fake it until you make it. Laughter, like many emotions, is physiological. Like other emotions, if you create the body physiology that goes with the desired state, the real thing begins to happen. Simply faking laughter well creates the emotional responses of joy and happiness, and then the laughter becomes less and less fake and more and more real. Eventually you are genuinely laughing just as if you’d been told the funniest thing you had ever heard.
Laughter is also contagious. Being near people who laugh makes it easier to start laughing.
This is where joining a laughing group can be helpful. By meeting up with others who also want to laugh intentionally, you are welcomed and encouraged and helped to find the happy state you seek. There are several types of laughter meetings, including Laughter Yoga and Laugh Therapy. Another option is to simply gather a group of friends (or strangers!) and start laughing.
Either way, everyone starts laughing in whatever way they can, and pretty soon a few of the laughs become real… then, next thing you know, everyone is laughing fully and completely. Strangers who walk up and join in suddenly find themselves having a fantastic time! Everyone who completes the session feels great for the rest of the day!
Take time to laugh. It’s fun, and it’s good for you.
Resources:
- Laugh Your Way To Good Health [health.indiatimes.com]
- Humor can increase hope [sheknows.com]
- No Joke: Laughter Yoga Stretches Into OC [www.wral.com]
Other news
- There will be no excuses! Maxed out! When exercisers go overboard [www.msnbc.msn.com]
- Is this still an open question? Men and women: Are we wired differently? [www.msnbc.msn.com]
- Act smart, eat your veggies: Kids With High IQs Grow Up to Be Vegetarians [healthday.com]
From the editor
Since this is the first year of publication of Weekly Wellness News, I’m still figuring out how to handle certain events. I’ve decided there will be no issue during the Christmas holidays. I would rather know your attentions are focused on your family and friends than on email.
I will, however, use this opportunity to ask for feedback. What have you liked this year? What would you like to see more of? Less of? How can I improve this publication? Please use the feedback link below and tell me how I can better serve you.
I have a big announcement, as well. By the time you read this, I’ll be unplugged from the internet and email, and spending time in the South Pacific (on a remote island) and getting married. I’m not going to see your feedback for a while, but I will respond to every note I receive once I return.
Finally, I ask that you forward this to your friends. If you know of anyone who might find this enjoyable or valuable, please send it to them. My only request is that you forward the whole newsletter, including the bits at the top and bottom. Share this with everyone, please. Thanks!
Stay tuned for the First Annual Resolutions Issue, coming in two weeks!
Healthy thoughts,
Jeff
