Laughter and Humor Are Proven Healers

“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky.” — Buddha

“Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light... “— Frida Kahlo

A lady at work yesterday had such an infectious vibe. She was laughing at everything. I mean everything. It seemed that anything anyone said made her smile and grin.

She was sooo damn cheerful it had me curious, so I had to ask:

“You really have an infectious smile. You seem so happy. What’s your secret?…”

She said “Well thank you! Yeah…I’ve been told that before! I think I’m just a cheerful person’.

I couldn’t relate but I was definitely fascinated.

“So where do you think this cheerfulness came from?” I asked curiously.

“Well, maybe it was because both of my grandmothers laughed a lot. I don’t know.. I just like to laugh I guess…!”

I’ve been researching the topic of the Healing Power of laughter and humor recently.

There are many reasons for my interest in this subject. One is that I realize most of my life I have taken life way too serious.

I am now 57.

I don’t want to take life so damnnn serious for my next …20 or 30 years!

So, I’ve been learning how to change my innate reactions to life, which normally have been more melancholy.

Lately, what helps me is that I like to think humorous, silly thoughts about myself and my life — as often as I can.

It’s been a fun stress reliever and it has WORKED. I like to think that all of life is really absurd…

The absurdity of life.

All of life is a comedy?

Even my pain.

Even the things I worry about.

Even my deep childhood angst.

Maybe it’s all a big comedy. Even though at times the world seems so damn heavy, dark and serious, maybe, just MAYBE it is also damn silly and funny!

I love dichotomies of life.

Even Abe Lincoln wrote of the importance of laughter, although if you notice most photos of Mr. Lincoln are somber and serious. You’d think he was consumed with the ‘seriousness’ of life and his responsibilities as President but he said this:

“Gentlemen, why do you not laugh? With the fearful strain that is upon me day and night, if I did not laugh, I should die. ” ― Abraham Lincoln

He even wrote a book about this topic.

LAUGHTER AND HUMOR HEAL

I’ve also been looking into Laughter Medicine. It is a REAL thing. It is being used to help heal patients of many diseases and illnesses.

“Laughter Medicine is a powerful break-through tool to work simultaneously on freeing the body and the mind from the contractions caused by stress, pain, injuries and illness...” — -Stephen Sinatra of the HeartMD Institude

There is definitely something TO THIS! I am proving it in my own life.

FINDING THE HUMOR IN IT ALL

Almost every experience I find myself in now I try to find some sort of humor in it. Instead of my past thinking which was to catastrophize.

Now I think:

“…Hey, maybe I’ll turn this into some sort of humorous story… Maybe I’ll write about this very situation in a funny comedic way…? Maybe this will become a song for my Musical, or maybe this will spurn a funny essay…”

This is growth.

Recently at my part time job I’ve been making a real attempt at laughing at myself.

For instance when I don’t know something instead of feeling like some idiot I say things like, ‘Hey, can someone help me with this?” then I chuckle to myself or even out loud. Or, “I’m not real good at this stuff…I never have been…” then instead of taking it seriously I laugh at myself.

This is big.

This is maturity. Laughing at myself feels good. It lightens my mood and hopefully others too.

When you can take life less serious and even laugh about everything(?) including yourself you might just be on your way!

Here are some Healing Powers of Laughter

1. Laughter Stops Fear.

Laughing offers an extremely effective and fun way of combating fear. When we are made to laugh in the face of what scares us most, it distances us from our fear. Whatever we are afraid of; be it public speaking, revisiting a traumatic childhood memory, a medical scare — when we laugh, our fear loosens its grip over us.

In addition, laughter makes us view the world and events from a different, much lighter perspective. It doesn’t matter what fear we are facing, when we use humor we can begin to look at our fears from a much happier, carefree place; the fear that we face suddenly looks a lot sillier and our attitude towards it shifts.

2. Laughter Relaxes Us.

Much like exercise, laughter provides a relaxing effect. The greater our bout of laughter, the more endorphins and blood we get pumping around the body. This is great for elevating stress and relaxing our bodies. So, next time you realize that you are feeling tense and stressed out, treat yourself to some deep, body-wracking, explosive laughter! Your body will thank you for it.

3. Laughter Is Comforting.

Laughter is known to have the same cathartic effect as a reassuring hug; a warm chuckle or playful joke lets you know that everything is going to be ok, no matter the circumstances.

When we laugh, we are usually making light of something. In the darkest of times, laughter can let people feel as though everything isn’t as bad as it initially seemed. Hospitals recognize this benefit of laughter, which is why you will often find comedians or circus workers offering to work shifts in the wards of hospitals.

So, whether you are going through troubling times or you know someone that is, bring out the joke books, comedy films, or funny stories — they will prove to be the most amazing source of comfort when you need it.

4. Laughter Boosts The Immune System.

There is no more enjoyable way of protecting your health than to laughter. Medical research has shown that laughter, or even the anticipation of laughter (for example, if you knew that you were about to watch a funny film) increases the immune system’s ability to fight off viruses and foreign cells.

The belief that laughter can help to speed up the healing process is supported by the teachings of the Law of Attraction, when we are laughing we are emitting a more powerful positive frequency — aligning ourselves with how we want to feel.

So, next time you are in bed feeling poorly, try laughing your way back to good health! Stick on some of your funniest films, let your loved ones tell you their worst jokes, and you should be out of bed in no time at all.

5. Laughter Eases Pain.

The feel-good chemicals and hormones that are released around our bodies when we laugh, as well as the positive mind frame that we create for ourselves, can do wonders for easing symptoms of pain.

Laughter has been recognized by science to help reduce pain, and is now used in hospitals to encourage a quicker recovery from an array of illnesses. If you know somebody currently living in pain of any kind, try injecting some much-needed laughter into their life.

6. Laughter Combats Stress.

Laughter is a great stress-buster. Whether we are laughing with friends, on our own, or are watching a funny show or film; laughter can provide a welcome cure to chronic stress.

Next time you are feeling the stresses of your everyday life, take some time out to do something that makes you laugh. Learn to laugh heartily at yourself and the world, and your reasons for being stressed will immediately begin to look trivial and unimportant.

7. Laughter Is Contagious.

The single greatest thing about laughter is that it spreads happiness! From when we are very young, we often find that when the people around us begin to laugh (sometimes for absolutely no reason), we too are doubled over in fits of hysteria. Laughter is one of the most beautiful and fun ways of bringing people together; whether we want it to or not, it connects us with the people around us and allows us to all share in a feel-good moment — building and nurturing relationships, as well as leaving us feeling connected and uplifted.

Decide that from today onwards you will laugh more. Laugh at the little things, laugh off the seemingly big things, share in others’ laughter and let it spread like wildfire. Remember, a sense of humor is for free, and with it you can help to heal and change your life and the life of others.

I compiled some enlightening quotes about Laughter and Humor . I thought I’d share them with you today.

ENJOY! and keep on finding the humor and comedy in life.

“Time spent laughing is time spent with the gods.”–Japanese proverb

A priest once quoted to me the Roman saying that a religion is dead when the priests laugh at each other across the altar. I always laugh at the altar, be it Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist, because real religion is the transformation of anxiety into laughter.― Alan W. Watts

“When you laugh, aside from the endorphin rush, there’s also a spiritual opening. You’re not so tight inside yourself. That opening I’ve found to be a real gift, in people being able to absorb spirituality.”–Rabbi Sydney Mintz

“But it certainly is a wonderful thing to wake up suddenly in the solitude of the woods and look up at the sky and see the utter nonsense of everything including all the solemn stuff given out by professional asses about the spiritual life; and simply to burst out laughing, and laugh and laugh, with the sky and the trees because God is not in words, and not in systems, and not in liturgical movements, and not in “contemplation” with a big “C,” or in asceticism or in anything like that, not even in the apostolate...” –Thomas Merton, Trappist monk

“Except ye be as little children, ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.” — The Bible

THANKS FOR READING! www.michellemonet.com