Monday, July 14, 2014

MONDAY'S MUSINGS—SHARING LAUGHTER

Laughter isn't just the best medicine, it’s life’s saving grace.






Do you like to laugh? Goof around with friends and giggle and laugh? Tell jokes? Watch funny movies?

Laughter is such a great freebie in life. It’s contagious. It helps us cope with things, resets our mood, and makes our body healthier.


Did you also know when laughter, humor, and a playful spirit become an integrated part of your life your creativity increases (good news for writers, eh)? Indulging in play with family, friends and coworkers makes you more relaxed. It creates a positive attitude and gives you needed balance in your perspective of situations and life. Being playful and sharing laughter helps solve problems and connect with others. It gives you moments of joy and happiness. Age has nothing to do with our sense of fun and play. We can and should indulge in play regardless of our age.

Laughter is a powerful remedy to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. There are numerous physiological changes in our body as a result of laughter.

For instance:

Laughter relaxes your body. Did you know that a good round of laughter will relieve stress and tension and relax your muscles up to 45 minutes later. 
It also helps focus your mind. Perhaps that’s why those in dangerous jobs tend to joke and poke at one another—think soldiers, police, and firefighters just to name a few. 
Laughter also releases the body's feel good chemicals—endorphins. This chemical can temporarily relieve pain or reduce it dramatically. 
Laughter makes the heart feel good. It reduces stress; helps increase the function of blood vessels, which increases the blood flow. Win-win for the cardiovascular system. 
Laughter boosts the immune system by decreasing stress hormones and increasing the immune cells and antibodies. Those help fight off disease.

There are moments in life it’s hard to smile much less laugh. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to get to humor and laughter. In reality, this is when you need the laughter the most.

We've lost five precious people in my family. I won’t kid you it’s a hard one to cope with. One of the things we, as a family, do is share funny stories about the one we've lost. Or a special memory. A time of, do you remember when…? We gather together and celebrate the life of the one we've lost. Yeah, we cry and we laugh. But it helps remind us that we’re together and of the beauty of life and the endurance of love.

Laughter unites people during difficult times. Laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh—or even a smile—can go a long way toward making you feel better. Laughter also creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

While I have my serious moments I don’t take myself too seriously. I love laughter and I indulge in it frequently. I’m drawn to people who like to laugh. I also look for other ways to enjoy humor and laughter. 

You tube has god knows how many clips of funny things. Usually something from movie I enjoyed. For instance, there were some funny scenes in The Avengers—I love the scene where the Hulk beats the snot out of Loki and walks away after calling him a puny god. 



I like to watch movies that make me laugh. I like to make time for fun things like bowling, miniature golfing, swimming, a barbecue with friends, or a game night of cards or board games.



Life is so much better when you share laughter. Laughter really is the best medicine!

References: Web MD, Organic Health, Medical News