Ever laughed so hard at a comedian on TV that you begin to cry? Or perhaps your friend gets you going with some old, funny memories and your laughter becomes uncontrollable for minutes on end. Do you feel the tension wash away from your body?
What you are experiencing is a release of the stress you’ve been carrying for days or even weeks. The old adage, “Laughter is the best medicine,” is very true.
Why is laughter your secret weapon to beating stress?
Laughter = 15 min. on an exercise bike
That's incredible! Not only does laughter lower your blood pressure, but it also increases the endorphins in your body which contributes to a healthier immune system.
Life is hard; why make it harder? If you can determine what makes you laugh; whether it’s going to a comedy club; surrounding yourself with funny people; watching a comedy on TV, or simply reading a book of jokes, you will be amazed how laughter can improve your physical and emotional well-being. Laughter actually distracts you from the underlying stress, and brings you to a balanced and calm state. It is, as they say, infectious.
It is important to laugh as much and as often as you can. It is the cure-all for stress, frustration and, in some cases, depression. Perhaps you’ve used the expression, “One day we will remember this, and laugh our heads off.” By having a positive attitude, and using laughter as a mechanism to celebrate life, instead of stressing over it; you’ll become healthier and less stressed when confronting negative events.
This happened just the other evening while being bombarded all day long with the tragedy of the Virginia Tech shootings...I said to my husband, "Let's just watch something funny for a half hour - we need a break." It's not that we needed to forget or ignore what's going on, but we just needed to laugh and release that stress that had been building.
“Laugh and the world will laugh with you….” As you go through your daily routine, find something to laugh about. Look at the bright side; tell yourself the cup is half full; laugh until it hurts. You may not have control over certain aspects of life, but you can control the stress. Let laughter be that secret weapon to beating stress.
1 comment:
How true this is. I cover blogs for my paper and it's been so hard to have the VT commentary constantly in my face over the past week. Throw in some pregnancy hormones and that's a recipe for disaster. A friend and I got away for a while with the kids, today. It was nice to be in the fresh air, sunshine, and laugh at the kids as they ate more strawberries than they got in their buckets.
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