When it comes to improving your health and well-being, one of the best things you can do is have a good laugh! Not only does laughter help to improve the health of your body, it also brings more happiness and joy. In addition, the more you laugh with the people you love, the closer you become and the healthier your relationships will be.
More and more people today are looking for ways to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life, to find a way to more joyful and vibrant living
Laughter can help you deal with the trials and challenges of your day. When you find a way to laugh in the midst of your problems, you automatically shift towards a more hopeful and optimistic frame of mind and this can be quite contagious.
Compassion, joy, love, and humour are the main ingredients for a healthy heart, mind and soul and the ability to truly celebrate life. Stress only leads to ill health and is the main cause of many of today's major diseases.
So make it your goal to find something to laugh at every day, to take yourself a little less seriously and to make a positive contribution to your vibrant health and well being.
Researchers have found that when we laugh "feel good" hormones called endorphins are released in the brain and these also serve to boost the immune system. Laughter has long been considered a great medicine.
Numerous studies have shown that the act of laughing can have important healing effects - including reducing strss, helping to keep the heart healthy and lowering blood sugar levels So, not only does laughter make your heart feel light and happy, it actually improves your health as well!
When you 'play the clown' and combine that with the practice of mindfulness you can develop a conversation with the soul and connect with your own strengths, inner wisdom, joy and optimism. Raise your spirits and nourish your body through the practice of imagination, humour, laughter and fun.
Laugh When Things Are Going Wrong
It might be fairly easy to laugh and joke on your good days but what about when things aren't going quite so smoothly? It is important to actively develop the skill of using humour to deal with stress and apply it as a highly effective coping strategy at times when the going gets tough.
There is a real sense of exhilaration that comes from learning to use your sense of humour to pull yourself up. Allow yourself to rediscover your childlike spontaneity, creativity and pure delight to reconnect with the playful child inside.
Through the years, we lose touch with the brightness of life, our inner spark and things become dark and grey. But we can rekindle that spark and restore the color and brightness to our world, restore our sense of wonder and joy.
It involves stepping outside of your usual way of looking at the world, being curious and intentionally naïve, excited by everything, out to explore and it involves stepping into a world of wonder and delight. Laughter becomes the focus and enables you to develop an awareness of the 'bigger' you which exists beyond all of your problems. From it you can draw inspiration and connection to the happiness that already exists within.
People who can tap into their sense of humour in stressful times have a much greater resilience and are more emotionally flexible in the midst of the difficulties they face. It is a great coping tool and a skill that you can easily learn to develop.
"I would never have made it if I could not have laughed. Laughing lifted me momentarily. . . out of this horrible situation" (Victor Frankl on his experiences in a Concentration camp)
Terry Anderson, held captive in Lebanon for over 6yrs, describes in his book, Den of Lions, how a sense of humour helped him and his fellow prisoners cope.
"Despite everything, it's amazing sometimes how much laughing we do.. .. It's just a relief to be able to laugh at something."
Jokes can help you to take emotional control of the situation
Just imagine what a daily dose of serious attitude does to the quality of your life. It can be seriously stifling and can rob you of the many opportunities for joy that a more upbeat, positive attitude brings.
"Laughter sets the spirit free to move through even the most tragic circumstances. It helps us shake our heads clear, get our feet back under us and restore our sense of balance and purpose. Humour is integral to our peace of mind and ability to go beyond survival." (Captain Gerald Coffee, POW in Vietnam)
Love Yourself for Who You Are
When you stop taking yourself so seriously you become free to accept yourself as you are, enabling you to release the internal struggle that is taking place inside. As a result, you will actually feel revitalized and energized. And the happier you are, the more at peace you are with yourself. This results in a continual cycle of positive feelings and outlook, since being happy leads to even more happiness.
After all, continually battling with that internal tug-of-war is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. When you lay that battle to rest, your body and mind can rest as well.
Exercise your laughter muscles
Use Humour Skills, such as Caricature, or Exaggeration With Compassion to free yourself from internal struggle. Step outside of your limiting roles, those 'parts' that you believe you should 'play' a certain way. Roles such as being a parent, a child, an office employee, or a significant other can often become heavy with expectation and feel suffocating. In order to find true happiness, you need to realize that you are bigger than the roles you take yourself to be. Learn to master them and the emotions they are attached to rather than allowing them to master you
It can help keep your problems in perspective
By bringing your feelings and thoughts out into the spotlight, you can effectively find ways to change your way of thinking and release internal struggle. You become more able to loosen your attachment to the negative feelings or stressful situations and become empowered with more positive choices for yourself.
Bill Cosby once said, "If you can find humour in anything, you can survive it."
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