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