Defrazzle with a Hearty Guffaw
“The best blush to use is laughter: It put roses in your cheeks and in your soul.”
Linda Knight
We all know the old adage that “Laugher is the best medicine” - but what does that mean, actually?
Well, research has shown that laughing can help in: • lowering blood pressure
• reducing stress hormones
• increasing muscle flexibility
• boosting immune function
• triggering the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers
• producing a general sense of well-being.
The most famous case of laughing away illness is that of Norman Cousins who took that quote literally and set out to heal himself of a serious chronic disease by laughing at favourite comedy shows. He stated that ten minutes of laughing gave him two hours of drug-free pain relief.
In fact the positive effects of laughter have been recognized to the point that now there are certified laughter coaches (my favourite laughter coach website is: http://www.laughtercoach.com. Just going there will make you smile!)
Cheryl Oberg of the Canadian Association for Therapeutic Humour states that children naturally laugh over 300 times a day, but as adults we only laugh about eight times a day. We need to raise the bar a little here!
So, what's a good way to start laughing? • watch small children and listen to their conversations
• watch a funny movie with friends (go for some good old fashioned Charlie Chaplin, “I Love Lucy” or Laurel and Hardy)
• read author’s that help you see the funny side of things, like Erma Bombeck, Liz Curtis Higgins, or Bill Cosby
• next time something embarrassing happens to you, force yourself to laugh about it instead of getting mad (don’t know about you, but I have LOTS of opportunities to practice this!)
• reminisce about funny events in your own past, and share them with others
• find folks that make you laugh and keep company with them
• if you’re desperate, just start going “Ha! Ha! Ha!” for a good 5 minutes as loud as you can. If it doesn’t make you laugh, it might count as good primal scream therapy which might also help!
• simply keep your eyes and ears tuned for funny events.
Well, there’s a good list to get you started. You could also check into something like a laughter coach if you’re really stuck.
Laughter is not only good for your own soul, but being a bringer of laughter to others can be a huge blessing if you can learn to use it with sensitivity and discretion.
I wish you joy!
Darlene Hull
About the Author
Darlene Hull is an ordinary, imperfect mom who sees her mission as helping moms look after themselves so that they can better look after their families. She is married to Tom and has two children – Simon (12) and Christina (11) whom she home schools.
Darlene Hull is the creator of the free “Mom-Defrazzler tool - 52 Tips for Moms to get from Chaos to Calm in One Year” and the “Merry Moms” newsletter, a weekly humour e-zine to help moms defrazzle with laughter.
You can download this tool and newsletter on her website at www.mom-defrazzler.com .
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