Laughter is the Best Medicine
Life as an adult these days is serious.
With all the bad stories in the news and the stresses of life, it’s easy to feel weighed down. Yes, it’s easy to get too serious.
Lightening our spirits, though, is often simpler than we think.
At Light the Way, one of our Guiding Principles is having a sense of humor. It’s a Guiding Principle on purpose.
As counselors, we help carry the burdens of others, and we take that responsibility seriously. That said, we prioritize laughing and not taking ourselves too seriously. It boosts the spirits and protects against burn out.
That’s true for everyone, no matter what we do or where we live. Laughter helps all of us in our physical and emotional wellbeing and in our relationships.
For instance, the next time you are around a baby, notice what happens.
We smile to get them to smile. As they smile and laugh, we find ourselves smiling and laughing more. We get silly and the baby laughs even more.
Have you noticed how you feel afterwards? Your body is more relaxed, you continue to smile and life is a little brighter.
Watch children and toddlers playing. Better yet, play with them. Notice what they are doing most of the time. They are laughing. They chase each other, fall, get up and laugh and giggle and go chase each other again.
Laughter is contagious. What happens to us as we watch or play with them? We are laughing also. Notice how good you feel, even after the play has stopped.
Laughter really is the best medicine
“Laugh and the world laughs with you”. It’s true. Laughing with others decreases our stress. Our relationships grow closer. Being with others and laughter improves our wellbeing. The saying, “laughter is the best medicine” has a lot of truth to it.
Why is laughter and humor essential? Why is it helpful? Life is serious. Being an adult is serious. Sometimes, hearing the news or life’s events we think we can’t laugh. We can’t be serious and intense all the time. Laughter lightens our mood, reduces stress and boosts our immune system! Amazing! Another natural way to boost our immune system. And it’s free!
Laughter releases endorphins, the feel-good chemical in our bodies. Endorphins helps to temporarily relieve pain and stress. Laughter increases our blood flow, which helps our heart and other organs.
Laughter reduces anger and helps break the stalemate in a conflict. Seeing the humorous side of a situation is a great way to get a different perspective.
Laughter, humor, and smiling improves our relationships, decreases stress and increases our wellbeing. We need to laugh more. When life gets you down and the weight of the world is on your shoulders, how can you take time to laugh? We need to have breaks in the stress. If the stress is continuous our health fails.
If you think you might not be laughing enough, here are some tips to help you laugh.
Here are some ways to laugh more:
Tip #1--Stop watching and listening to the news. Their job is to get you to watch. The more scary and awful it is, the more people watch. There are many positive events happening around you that’s in the news. Instead of the news, look around you and see the good that is happening.
Tip #2--Be with people. Be with positive people. We need people in our lives. Others can help us reframe a situation in a positive way. Around others we smile and laugh more. Remember, laughter is contagious.
Tip #3--Have a humor mindset. Start looking for the positive or humor in situations. Have a sense of humor with yourself. Look at photos that bring a smile to your face. Watch your pets, or any animal. They are silly creatures. Our pets are a great way to get us laughing.
Tip #4--Watch a funny show, movie, or listen to a funny podcast. After a stressful day at work, I watch a funny TV show to help de-stress. I need to laugh. It helps me sleep better and be more relaxed.
Tip #5--Learn to laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself too seriously. It may be hard at first but try to see the humor in yourself and what you do. You’ll be surprised how funny you are.
Give yourself new permission to smile and laugh. Of course, there’s a time and place for laughter and seriousness so be discerning.
Laughter builds positive bonds with others. It reduces our stress and helps our bodies and minds function better. We can focus on what matters when we take the time to laugh. Take time to smile and share a good laugh with another.
Written by: Cindy Picht, LPC, CEO
About Cindy:
Cindy is director and co-founder of Light the Way Counseling. She is a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional and a Certified Clinical Anxiety Treatment Professional. She combines her skills with compassion and encouragement to help people find hope and healing.