The Lighter Side of Life

 “Even if there is nothing to laugh about, laugh on credit.” ~Author Unknown

If I were to tell you that there a new medication that boosts energy, decreases pain, improves your immune system in the fight against disease and also protects you from the harmful effects of stress, how many of you would want to buy shares in the pharmaceutical company producing this? 

Well the bad news is that there is no company producing this magic panacea, but the good news is that it is available to all of us to use on a daily basis to improve our health – and what’s more, it is free and simple to use.  It is called humor!

Laughter is a human magnet – it is infectious and improves relationships, increasing happiness and intimacy.  Additionally it is a universal language and as such can break through many cultural barriers that words cannot do. Unfortunately with all the anger, despair and negativity in the world today, it seems that we often forget just how good humor can make our lives a little easier!

Humor is not a behavior or positive emotion, but like stress it is a perception; the ‘ability to perceive/enjoy what is funny or comical, a state of mind, feeling or mood’ – Paul McGhee.

There is now sufficient scientific evidence that good humor, in the form of smiling and laughing, is a powerful tool supporting good physical, mental and emotional health.  Humor therapy is now being used widely in medical circles in many parts of the world.  What is interesting is that even simulated/forced laughter can have the same effects, so for all those skeptics and miserable individuals out there, try it and reap the rewards.

So how does laughter work? This is just to name a few of the benefits, as there is much more written on this topic, which is beyond the scope of a short blog:

·      It relaxes the body and reduces the stress hormones

·      It triggers the release of the endorphins or feeling-good chemicals similar to those released during exercise

·      It reduces pain and improves cellular immunity – thus aiding the fight against disease

·      It improves mood, adds joy to life and enhances resilience, many of the things that are being challenged in our worlds today!

·      It helps to defuse conflict and also improves relationships.

Try to find solutions to improve your sense of humor by smiling and laughing and seeing the lighter side of life.  There are many ways of doing this, but like everything that one aspires to, it takes a little extra work and effort!

So no matter how tough life seems right now, start by finding one humorous thing a day and learn to smile – a lot!!

Smile when you wake up in the morning and look in the mirror, smile when you are alone, smile at strangers and smile at any other time.

“Every day you spend without a smile, is a lost day.” ~Author Unknown

Facing Adversity and Cognitive Restructuring

When written in Chinese the word "crisis" is composed of two characters 危机 - one represents danger and the other represents opportunity ~ J. F. Kennedy

With all the uncertainty in the world and the current economic situation in many countries today, a number of us are being challenged daily in one way or another, facing crises and fighting fires.  Some of us have recently lost our jobs and may be finding it more difficult than expected to get back into the job market, despite adequate professional qualifications and a good track record.

This can have an impact on self-esteem and self-worth; the loss of employment and difficulty trying to get back into the market can be a big blow to self-confidence, even if the redundancy was in no way related to performance.  As time progresses some of us tend to become more negative about the entire situation, developing a sense of helplessness and despair and the consequences that follow.

Negative thoughts are most often a conditioned response to constant negative feedback and this is usually translated into shame and guilt.  These negative or toxic thoughts can, unfortunately, have a major impact on both mental and physical health, causing anxiety & depression and suppressing the immune system.  In addition to this, in our external world today we are constantly bombarded by negative stimuli - there is not often a happy moment on the news worth relating to!!

But no matter what it is that affects our confidence and self-worth, it is vitally important that we learn to put this into some perspective and bounce back from negative thoughts, low self-esteem and self-worth, however tough it may seem at the time.  We need to change the things we can control and learn to accept those that we cannot.

So how do we tackle the adversity we are facing and move on to the next stage of our lives, without constantly seeing ourselves in a negative light?

One way of doing this is by cognitive restructuring/reframing where we change a perception from a negative to a neutral or positive one, thus reducing the physical and mental stress that it is causing.  We have the ability to choose our thoughts and to alter our thinking, adopting new perspectives on life.

As with any behavioral change one needs to reconstruct the situation:

·      Identify and be aware of the negative thought/s or processes,

·      have the desire and knowledge to change them,

·      adapt a new positive mindset,

·      and re-evaluate.

Sometimes when there does not seem to be any positive light in sight, we need to accept the situation and live in the moment - this does not equate to giving up.

In Taoism this acceptance is going with the flow of universal energy, rather than against it. Acceptance makes it possible to enjoy life fully each day, finding answers to every situation.

“No matter how dark the night, somehow the sun rises once again and all shadows are chased away” ~ David Matthew

The Change – The Challenge

“When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; 

at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened

or in saying that we are not ready. The challenge will not wait. Life does not look back. 

A week is more than enough time for us to decide whether or not to accept our destiny.”

- Paulo Coelho

 

For the few of you that have taken a look at my blog from time to time you will have noticed a change, both in the title and description and the type of postings.  I decided to do this rather than to start something new and another link for people to follow; change is as good as a holiday!  Hopefully I will be able to keep up with some not so serious blogs to keep it interesting & fun, both for myself and for the readers.

I was never really very active on this blog and posted things from time to time, but I have now committed to improving on this and so for me personally that is going to be the challenge; to be consistent as far as I can and to continue posting here about how I help my clients, and to share some of my experiences in life with others.

Tipping the Scales - Finding Equilibrium in Your Life

Confucius in his teachings stated,  “Equilibrium is the great root from which grow all the human actings in the world, and this harmony is the universal path which they all should pursue.”

Stress levels are ever increasing around the world, and some individuals in Asia's booming economies are feeling the greatest pressure.  In a survey of 30 countries done in 2006, Taiwan topped the league table to report rising stress levels amongst business leaders.  China came second with the Philippines third. Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia filled the fifth, sixth and seventh spots.  The only country among the top six, which was not Asian interestingly enough, was Botswana in fourth place.  Keeping up with fast growth or combating recession are both stressful but it seems that Asians are under particular strain as businesses continue to show phenomenal growth.  One needs to identify some of the modern day stressors and develop skills to deal with them to maintain equilibrium in this rapidly changing world.  The most important thing to realize is that the majority of these stressors are here to stay and are not going away; it is about learning how to deal with them, building the resilience and developing sustainable lifestyle habits to re-energize and to make the difference.  It’s all about the balance, tipping the scales back to where they belong and finding the best solution for you, your family, friends and colleagues.