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Laugh It's Good for You
By Jeanne Hugoe-matthews
What is easy to do and improves your quality of life and health – all without costing you a cent? The answer is laughter: nature's mental, emotional and physical healer. Laughter is good for you physically. When you laugh you: • lower your blood pressure • improve blood flow and oxygen / nutrient circulation around your body • reduce pain and increase your sense of wellbeing • support your immune system • reduce stress and counteract the effect of stress which would otherwise also suppress your immune system
Quite apart from its physical benefits, laughter improves your mental state and quality of life. When you laugh, you change your mood from stressed and depressed to happy and free. You shift your focus from what is wrong in your life to what is going well. In particular, laughter brings you into the moment. When you laugh, you practice joyful mindfulness, in which you can't also be sad, angry or stressed. Now, being able to laugh doesn't mean sticking your head in the sand and pretending that all is going well when it may not be. A realistic appraisal of what's happening in your life is the first step to healing. This appraisal may involve periods of grief and anger. Nonetheless, as a friend of mine has discovered, being able to laugh because you choose to focus on the best of what is occurring and the best that can occur adds the silver lining to the storm clouds. Laughter enables you to cope with life as it really is. If you're not able to do this, then laugh anyway. Your brain and nervous system can't distinguish between laughter which is a result of a humorous situation, and a decision you make to simply say, 'Ha ha ha ha' over and over again with a smile on your face. Remember the TV sitcoms complete with canned laughter? Sometimes we find ourselves laughing along and feeling happy, even though the show itself isn't all that amusing. In other words, although we may laugh because we feel happy, we also feel happy because we laugh. Even expecting something to be funny lifts our mood. How often have you listened to a friend tell you a joke and have started to smile well before the punchline, simply because you know it's approaching? So why not add more laughter to your day? Here are some tips to get you started: • Look in the mirror and smile at yourself every day. • Stock up on funny videos, DVDs and books. Watch and read them regularly and laugh. • Laugh before you go to sleep to relax your mind and body for rest. Funny books or comic strips are good to read as well. • Laugh to relax before you go into a potentially tense situation.
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Contributor's Note
Jeanne Hugoe-Matthews is an attorney, NLP Master Practitioner and Reiki Master Teacher. She has also worked as a manager and adult trainer. Through her website, www.OvercomeChronicFatigue.com, she provides information that empowers people to overcome chronic fatigue syndrome day by day.
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Great post!
 | | Tia Nov 10, 2008 23:46 | |
The copyright for this content entitled "Laugh It's Good for You" has been specified by the contributor as:
All Rights Reserved
This content may not be copied, distributed or adapted by anyone under any circumstances.
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