Have A Good Laugh, For Goodness Sake!

Have you ever been in a situation where you were feeling worn out, or tired, or even stressed, and someone came along and just made you laugh out loud with glee? Chances are, your mood improved significantly, leaving you feeling a whole lot better after that, right? That itself proves how laughter can after all, be a powerful medicine! Ready to know more?

Nothing draws people closer that a good laugh – even enemies might find themsleves letting down their guards during moments of light-heartedness. It’s a powerfool tool that triggers healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Bouts of sincere laughter are also found to strengthen the immune system, boosts mood, diminish pain, and protect from the damaging effects of stress. To top this all off, it’s free!

Why so serious?
Yes, life may not be easy, for there are resposibilities, conflicts, stress, etc. However, if you make an effort to seek out more opportunities for humor and laughter, you can improve your emotional health and this in turn leads to clearer thinking and calmness of thoughts. By constantly insisting on seeing the lighter side of things, you’ll actually be adding value (and years!) to your life!

Here Are A Few Ways You Can Deliberately Create Opportunities To Laugh

• Watch a funny movie, TV show, or YouTube video
• Arrange for a night out to a comedy club
• Share a good joke or a funny story
• Pick out a book or two from the humor section of the bookstore
• Goof around with children
• Engage in silly behaviour

Reasons to drop everything and just laugh!
1. Tension reliever: When you find something amusing enough to make you laugh out loud, your entire body can’t help but relax itself. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes.

2. Immune booster: Laugh often enough, and you may even be on your way to boosting your immune system, for all that laughing will keep triggering infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

3. Pain reliever: As laughter triggers the release of endorphins, it can even temporarily relieve pain! Emdorphins are the body’s natural feel-good chemicals that promote an overall sense of well-being.

4. May protect you heart: Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

5. An easy way to burn (some) calories: No, you can’t switch laughter for exercise and a good diet, but one study did reveal that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories. Laugh more, burn more, we say!

6. Lightens your heart (and your day): there really is no better way to diffuse bad feelings other than with a good laugh. So, make it a habit to try and see the funny side of things instead of insisting on holding on to heart-heavy bitterness!

7. You may live longer. One particular Norwegian study found that people with a strong sense of humor outlived those who don’t laugh as much, even in cases when they were being treated for cancer!

The best remedy
If you’re feeling poorly for whatever reason, a good laugh may bring back the balance of your mind and body. When you laugh, your burdens seem lighter and there is a feeling of renewed hope. Laughing away an incident that has left a bad taste in your mouth may even help you release anger, forgive, and move on!

Bring More Laughter Into Your Life!
Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life. First, make it an intention to seek out reasons to laugh, just as you would set aside time for exercise. From there, you’ll find it easier to incorporate humor and laughter into your everday life. Here are some useful pointers to get your started:

• Smile – it’s contagious!
  Many times, a good laugh starts with a smile, and it’s contagious too! When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling in acknowlegment of it. Let go of the need to be staring down at your phone when you’re in a cafe, on the trian, on the street, etc. Instead, look up and smile at people you are encountering, and notice how it affects them, and yourself.
• Count your blessings
  Do it! Make a list of everything in your life that you can be grateful for. This will allow you to have a more positive outlook on things and prevent you from negative thoughts that will block you from appreciating and practicing humor.
• Draw yourself closer to sources of laughter and fun
  Often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s so funny?”
• Be around funny people
  These are people who laugh easily–both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. This is especially important if you don’t happen to be a lighthearted, humorous person. Being in the company of people who are likely to make you giggle will eventually break your barriers and hopefully will get you laughing out in glee too.
• The art of not taking yourself too seriously
  An essential ingredient for developing your sense of humor is to learn not to take yourself too seriously and laugh at your own mistakes and foibles. As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, we all do foolish things from time to time. Instead of feeling embarrassed or defensive, embrace your imperfections. There are many events and incidents that fall into the neutral zone of an ordinary life, and the choice is yours if you would like to be lighthearted about it or not.
• Don’t waste a chance to laugh!
  In fact, try considering the act of laughter as an exercise routine that you must not miss for your health and vitality! Set aside 10 to 15 minutes and do something that amuses you. The more you get used to laughing each day, the less effort you’ll have to make.
• Overcome life’s challenges with humor
  The ability to laugh, play, and have fun not only makes life more enjoyable but also helps you solve problems, connect with others, and think more creatively. People who incorporate humor and play into their daily lives find that it renews them and all of their relationships. As laughter, humor, and play become integrated into your life, your creativity will flourish and new opportunities for laughing with friends, coworkers, acquaintances, and loved ones will occur to you daily. Laughter takes you to a higher place where you can view the world from a more relaxed, positive, and joyful perspective.