Do you laugh enough?

“Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.”

~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

It is proven that food affects mood and that motion affects emotion, so if you are making friends with your eating and achieving regular, consistent motion (exercise) then your mood and outlook on life will generally improve. However it is important to bolster these physiological bonuses with humour and a lightness of spirit.

Laughter is a quick and dependable fix to bring your mind and body back into balance than anything else. It lifts stress, inspires, creates hope, connects you to others and keeps you grounded and focused.

Laughter is good for both physical and emotional health.

Laughter relaxes the whole body.

A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, and can leave your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes afterwards.

Laughter boosts the immune system. It decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

Laughter protects the heart, improving the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Even before much of the scientific and neurological research in to the effects of laughter were done. There was a ‘normal’ (non- science) guy called Norman Cousins who tested the healing power of Laughter on himself. He was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause the joints in the spine to fuse. Norman came up with a healing system that combined massive amounts of vitamin C and humor. He recovered from near-paralysis and wrote the book "Anatomy of an Illness." He later used the same method to recover from a heart attack. His work has been cited in many medical journals since.

What things seem so overwhelming and dire that laughter seems impossible?

I am not saying just laugh off your problems, I am saying laugh while in your problems, while overwhelmed by your problems, while wondering how things could possibly be any worse…… Create the time and space to find laughter. Even if it means just being around others who are laughing because that in itself can be contagious.

Positivity inspires positivity, laughter creates laughter and if you can’t feel it, fake it until you do. Surround yourself with people and circumstances that make you feel positive about yourself and that make you smile and laugh.

If you are stuck in the part of your brain that is reacting to stress, anxiety and fear (the amigdala), Laughter is a sure fire way to switch off that area of the brain, disrupt that neural pattern and allow you a moment (or more) to connect to parts of the brain that are creative, logical and connected to others.

The support of like-minded people who can lift our spirits is vital. It gives us the signs, information, inspiration, energy and camaraderie needed to fuel our journey.

“Find your smile, your laughter and use it for better health and a more confident you.”