Laugh!

We have all heard the old adage, “Laughter is the best medicine,” and I agree that laughter is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. If you have had a session with me at Posture Massage, then you know laughter is an element that I try to incorporate into every session. I have also been told for ages that I have a unique and infectious laugh, so that doesn’t hurt things either.

Benefits of Laughter

Laughter may not be able to cure all afflictions we experience in life but it sure does have some great positive benefits for our health. Aside from lightening your mood, laughter also has some great physiological and psychological effects.

This Mayo Clinic published article states the many benefits of laughter. “Laughter can:

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term effects

Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:

• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your stress, depression, and anxiety and may make you feel happier. It can also improve your self-esteem.
• Improve your sense of humor”

Mental Health Benefits

Aside from helping us function better physiologically, laughter can also greatly improve our mental health. According to Newport Academy, the mental health benefits from laughter include:

• Releases endorphins: Natural chemicals in the body, endorphins promote a sense of well-being and relieve stress.
• Decreases anger: When we’re in a difficult situation or in a disagreement with another person, seeing the humor in it can help. Specifically, laughter defuses anger, conflict, and self-blame.
• Eases distressing emotions: Laughter counteracts feelings of anxiety and sadness. Moreover, it helps us release other intense emotions, such as grief.
• Relaxes and revitalizes: Along with reducing stress, laughter also increases our energy levels. Therefore, we can stay focused more easily.
• Changes your perspective: Laughter helps us access another point of view. Moreover, we begin to see something in a new, less scary way when we can laugh about it. In addition, humor helps us take things less seriously.
• Reduces stress: When we laugh and smile, cortisol levels decrease. Cortisol is also known as the stress hormone, so lower levels are better for our mental health. Therefore, laughter increases our stress resilience.
• Brings more joy and fun into our life: This one is self-explanatory!

Lean Into Laughter

According to HelpGuide, “As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults, life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. By seeking out more opportunities for humor and laughter, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness—and even add years to your life.” We probably all reminisce of the days when life was easier and we were more carefree as children. One of the biggest elements that goes missing as adults is our ability or even willingness to laugh often. The more we can re-incorporate laughter into our days, the more rejuvenated we become. Try it out! Here are 10 Ways To Add More Laughter To Your Life:

• Follow a funny meme account: There’s a reason funny memes go viral. They make people laugh! Follow some funny meme accounts to put a smile on your face every time you hop on social media.
• Create a Pinterest board: Start a Pinterest board full of things that make you laugh, like quotes or hilarious pictures. Next time you find something on the internet that makes you smile, pin it to your board so you can look at it next time you’re feeling stressed.
• Spend time with pets: Pets, such as dogs and cats, are a source of laughter and joy for many people. If you don’t have a pet, consider asking a friend to pet-sit theirs or volunteer at an animal shelter in your free time.
• Listen to a funny podcast: On your way to work or school, listen to a funny podcast to start your day off with a laugh.
• Try laughter yoga: Laughter yoga is a new take on yoga that encourages prolonged voluntary laughter. Try out a class by yourself or take it with a friend next time you’re feeling stressed.
• Laugh at yourself: Learning to laugh at yourself is one of the best ways you can add more laughter into your life. Next time you do something that would otherwise upset you, try to find the positive in the situation.
• Alter your environment: Your environment can play a huge part in your mood. Reshape your work or study area to include things that make you smile, like a picture with friends from a funny night out, or a photo of your dog in a hilarious costume.
• Host a game night: Nothing beats a shared laugh. Invite some friends over for a game night and play party-style games like Charades or Apples to Apples.
• Watch YouTube videos: Need a quick laugh? Head to YouTube. Search anything from jumping cats to funny clips from your favorite show for a fast and easy pick-me-up.
• Spend time with playful people: We tend to be influenced by the people we hang around. Make an effort to hang out more with the funniest friend in your circle. Ask them to get coffee or lunch and talk about the silly things that happened in your day.

Laugh With Yourself

Perhaps one of the best signs that a person has a healthy relationship with themselves and truly knows/loves themself is their ability to laugh at themselves, yes even out loud! Not taking oneself too seriously can make your relationship with yourself much lighter and enjoyable. Would you keep a friend around who never laughs or brings joy into your world? Probably not for long. 

As the saying goes, if you can’t laugh at yourself, you are probably missing the biggest joke in the room. When we are able to laugh at the things we do, it encourages us to be gentle with ourselves and to release stress as it happens. Another magical thing that happens when we are able to laugh at our own stress and problems is that we psychologically distance ourselves from those stresses/problems. In order to find the humor in something we have to be able to remove ourselves from the minutiae of our lives enough to look at it from a more distant perspective. 

I dare say that this is one of my stronger qualities. When I bumble or screw up, my mind automatically thinks “Who can I call and tell this horrid story to so that we can both laugh about it?” It is not by accident that my mind automatically reframes tough times to become more manageable through humor, I have practiced laughing for years!

This is one of my favorite topics so please bring it up in one of your next sessions with me at Posture Massage! Nothing clears the tension from bodies and brains like a good laugh while getting body/brain work!