Wellness

Laugh Your Way to Health and Wellness

Written by Do I Editorial

“Through humour, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive.” – Bill Cosby.

“We don’t laugh because we’re happy – we’re happy because we laugh.” William James.

Laughter therapy, also known as humour therapy, is used to promote overall health and to make you more positive. It is laughter used therapeutically to heal the body and your sometimes fragile emotions. Humour is infectious and contagious, not like a dreaded disease, but in a good way. You can’t stop sharing a genuine smile or laughter if someone shares it with you. Laughter is binding. It connects strangers. Laughter makes you happy and helps in increasing intimacy. It is one of the most powerful antidotes to tension, stress, depression, conflict and pain.

Laughter therapy not only takes care of your mental health but also your body. Read on to know more about its benefits.

Laughter reduces stress
Laughter is a stress-buster for sure! It reduces those stress hormones which lead to other ailments. A hearty laughter relaxes your body. It triggers the release of endorphins, the feel-good chemical of the body, that help in making you feel good overall. All the physical tension and stress go out of your body and you are left with positive feelings, making you feel light and energetic! So whether it’s high blood pressure or even a headache, they can be cured with a healthy dose of laughter!

Laughter strengthens your immune system and your heart
Once you are free of stress, the other ailments start leaving your body too. So now, your immunity, which was earlier suppressed by stress and made weaker because of those constant ailments, will start getting stronger with each passing day. The stronger your immune system becomes, the easier it would be to fight the other diseases. It also helps in improving the blood vessels to function properly, thereby increasing the blood flow which results in you getting protected against strokes, nervous break downs and heart attacks.

Just these two points in themselves show the major effects of laughter therapy on your body and mind. When your body is free of ailments and diseases, everything around you becomes pleasant because your mood and thoughts are always positive. When you laugh more, it adds joy and a zest to life, not only for you, but others around you as well! Laughter helps in keeping not just stress, but other negative feelings like ‘fear’ and ‘anxiety’ at bay.

When you laugh, you feel good; even after, the memory of something funny makes you laugh again. In the face of adversity, if you have humour as your armour, you can face the situation positively. No disappointment or loss would be big enough to faze you if you maintain a positive outlook. Don’t let your issues and problems taunt and tease you, laugh at them and make them seem inconsequential!

When you laugh, you stop feeling negative. You don’t feel angry or sad or upset. That one act gives you the strength to merge all the negative feeling into something positive and help you come out of a depressing situation with hope, courage and strength.

Turn a stranger into a friend
A smile can go a long way in changing hearts. When you laugh, you never know who might laugh with you, whose day would become better just by hearing you laugh! Sharing a laugh can easily turn two strangers into friends. The colour of the skin, caste, creed, language and personality are all nullified when you laugh with someone. Laughter is known to unite people, especially under trying circumstances. People often say happiness shared is happiness doubled; in the same way, laughing with others is far more powerful than laughing alone! It not only keeps you from becoming distant with a loved one, but it also helps in making someone distant come close!

Humour is the perfect medicine to cure someone’s grumpiness, disagreements, resentments and grief, and it doesn’t cost anything! You can improve the quality of a relationship by a good dose of shared laughter! It needs to come from within but you don’t have to put in a lot of effort. Once you start focusing on the humorous side of ever situation, this tough day-to-day life is not only going to become bearable, it will become beautiful and fill you with amazement. Do keep these pointers in mind:

Humour goes well with spontaneity!
* Loosen up! Laugh at yourself! You might gain friends if you stop taking yourself seriously all the time. Let the laughter therapy work wonders for your personality!
* Don’t hold back, laugh at your fear. Shed those inhibitions.
* Let the hour help you in expressing yourself.

How to get started on laughter therapy
Hey, it’s not a job nor it is too hard a work to do. We won’t ask you to get all technical here. Laughing is a natural thing and, as mentioned earlier, it really helps you in more ways than you could ever think! It’s a pity that people are slowly forgetting how to laugh heartily, as they are too busy in ‘other important things’ in their lives. I will just try to help you in remembering how to go about it!

* Start by smiling at everything which pleases your heart!
* Take out to enjoy humour, and laugh to your heart’s content, try doing it every morning! If you want to join a laughter group or just watch people laugh, believe me, it’s contagious!
* Learn to be funny, it’s fun! Have a couple of jokes up your sleeve. It will help you get all the positive attention you want. Laugh at a joke! Learn to appreciate the beauty in humour!
* Try recalling humorous events in your life. It will help you laugh easily even when you are in trouble and soon the troubles will vanish!

I do hope that this article will help you understand the beauty and the benefits of laughter therapy! Do join in and laugh your way to good health and a good life!

Visual Courtesy:https://www.flickr.com/photos/eflon/