Laugh Away the Tension – It’s Good for You!
Laughter is one of the best emotional and physical therapies for anyone under stress. Not only is this good for the person laughing but it’s also good for those who are part of the audience.
Laughing releases endorphins into the brain. Endorphins are like the nerve-numbing drug morphine and serve to reduce harmful chemicals in the body that are released by stress.
One of the best ways to increase comfort in negative situations is to break the ice with laughter. When everyone is thinking the worst or feeling anxious about a situation, laughter can dissipate the tension just enough to give everyone a more manageable perspective on an issue.
Of course, serious issues deserve a focused approach. But whenever laughter can be introduced, the resulting release in tension can be a tremendous opportunity to lift above the doom and gloom and clarify our minds. We can then think more effectively about solutions for the problem at hand.
Laughter is Good for your Physical Health
When we think of caring for our health, we tend to think about the quality of our diets and whether or not we exercise. However, those are not the only things that are good for your health.
The act of laughing can cause beneficial physical changes to your body. In addition to relieving stress, laughter gives you a renewed boost of energy and relieves minor pains.
Releasing stress also immediately puts you in a better mood and improves your attitude so you feel ready to tackle tough situations.
A friend of mine has a teenage daughter who recently went through cancer treatment. She told me that when they were in the hospital for weeks at a time, the best way for both of them to relieve their stress was to find the funniest (or dumbest) movies on television and just laugh until they cried.
Their laughter helped them forget temporarily where they were; it joined them together because it’s something they shared; and it relaxed both of their bodies enough so they could rest for a few hours.
Certainly the cancer drugs were what helped her daughter win back her health, but the laughter acted as a type of band aid that helped soothe the stress of the situation.
Here are some more health benefits of laughing:
- Relieve stress by laughing and relax your body and your muscles for up to an hour.
- Believe it or not, laughter can increase your immunity which helps you fight off disease.
- The natural chemical that helps us feel good. Endorphins can also relieve minor pain temporarily.
- Good hearty laughs on a regular basis help improve the blood flow through your body and strengthen your heart function.
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