OKinHealth

Laughter

By: Carole Fawcett

It's free! We've known about it for centuries; there have been ongoing studies about it for decades and it's a great way to relieve stress! I'm talking about laughter of course. Just thinking about it makes me feel warm and fuzzy. I can feel the giggles getting ready to bubble out as I type. But then I'm a giggler and I'm proud to be one. You can be a giggler too if you wish. But, if you have a tendency to look at life as though the glass is half empty, you might have to work a bit harder. Think back to your childhood and ask yourself these questions. Were you told to "stop laughing" or told "don’t be so silly" or "grow up, it's not funny". Were you programmed to view the world as a very serious place? Was the message you received one of "you have to be serious to be successful?" Do you suffer from terminal seriousness?

With just a slight shift in how you think about life you can go from seldom smiling or laughing to seeing the funnier side of life more easily. Or, you can learn how to do simulated laughter exercises. The body does not know the difference between the genuine thing and fake laughter. That's right, you can fool the body into thinking that fake laughter is real. It reacts the same way as if you'd just genuinely laughed at a joke.

The physical benefits of laughter are:

Decrease in adrenalin (which is released when you are stressed)
Increase in heart rate (aerobic exercise)
Increase in circulation (a problem we all have as we age)
Decrease in blood pressure (big bonus here)
Increase body's ability to digest food (helps your metabolism work more efficiently)
Increase in respiratory activity (great for asthmatics)
Increase in blood oxygen levels (good for all parts of the body - especially the brain)

Psychologically, laughter is wonderful and can help to increase your rapport with others, helps to improve communication, decreases anxiety and tension, helps to diffuse anger, is a great coping mechanism and definitely makes learning easier and more fun. Learning how to look at the funny side of life can also help with depression.

We know that stress causes illness. Dr. Hans Selye proved this with his discovery of the "fight or flight" response in the body. Basically, stress is our body's response to a negative (or positive) stimulus. For most of us this is a learned response. If our body releases the harmful stress chemicals too many times, this is when we become ill. So learning how to get in touch with your inner child, giving yourself permission to see the funny side of life, changing your attitude and making better choices can all work together to make your life less stressful and more joyful. It is all part of a healthier lifestyle and goes hand in hand with good nutrition and exercise.

So, choose to laugh your way through each day, look for the funny side of everything that you experience daily. You'll notice a positive change. It sounds very simplistic - and it is. The hard part is in changing your thinking habits - and that is all that it is - a habit. Dr. Wayne Dyer once said… "f you change the way you think about things, the things you think about change".

Good luck and start smiling - if nothing else, it will make others wonder what you are up to. Tee Hee!

Written by Carole Fawcett

To learn more about Carole check the Natural Health Local business page