Laughter is the Best Cure for Living a Joyful Life
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By Suzanne Glover
Laughter is the best cure whenever you’re feeling down, but the importance of laughter cannot be underestimated in a recipe for a joyful life. But, first let’s laugh a bit…
Here’s a short blooper that will hopefully make you giggle.
Laughter is instant relief from stress because it only takes less than half a second of laughter to change the electrical impulses in your brain to create a chain reaction that makes you feel great.
And laughter cures everything because your mind is so busy laughing, it can’t think (or worry or be depressed about) anything else.
LAUGHTER AND STRESS
Laughter is the best cure because laughter relieves stress long after the “laughter is over.” In fact, the positive effects of laughter and the beneficial connections between laughter and health are numerous. Here are a few of the health benefits of laughter and why laughter is good medicine:
- Laughter can help you sleep because it affects the pituitary gland.
- Laughter lowers blood pressure and increases oxygen in the blood as well as blood flow.
- Laughter gives you a physical workout from breathing hard and working your diaphragm and abdomen muscles.
- Laughter reduces cortisol and adrenaline [stress hormones that age you.]
- Laughter has a way of helping fight off colds.
- Laughter makes you more alert, increases creativity and memory and can increase your ability to learn.
Makes you want to laugh out loud doesn’t it?
The bottom line is that laughter and stress don’t mix. When you’re laughing, your body is in a state of happiness that doesn’t allow stress to happen for the moment.
So, how do you find opportunities to laugh?
LAUGHTER YOGA
The founder of the worldwide Laughter Yoga movement created “World Laughter Day” which is celebrated on the first Sunday of May each year and there are numerous Laughter Clubs worldwide.
Here’s a link to a SKYPE LAUGHTER CLUB so you can get a “smile online.” It’s really a fun experience. Nothing to do but laugh!
LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE
Laughter is the best cure because if you think about how much stress makes us sick, it makes sense to take every opportunity to laugh so you can offset the negative effects of stress and illness. And with the high costs of medicine these days, laughter is the cheapest medicine you’ll find.
The importance of laughter can easily be overlooked until you get hooked on it and incorporate it into your life on a daily basis. When you do, you’ve found one of the very core elements to living a joyful life.
Homemade chocolate cake that’s good for you…
