Share a Good Laugh
Is laughter the best medicine? Can it help prevent heart disease? Probably.
A trend that is becoming increasingly popular is the use of laughter as a form of therapy. Several years ago in Bombay, India, several laughter clubs sprang up to deal with daily stress. There are also laughter clubs starting up in Australia.
In these clubs, groups of people get together and practice a series of laughter exercises to promote their health and well being.
They have discovered the benefits of having a good 'laugh workout' are;
Psychological
It reduces their mental stress levels and helps develop a positive attitude to life.
Emotional
Laughter releases and dissipates negative emotions that they have stored up over a period time. It acts like a safety valve reducing the risk of severe stress that may cause heart disease.
Physiological
Laughter gives them a pleasant aerobic workout. Research has shown that laughter increases certain antibodies (helps to cope with stress), decreases levels of stress hormones and decreases the heart rate.
Here are some exercises that will help you develop a hearty heart;
A Smile a Day
This is a gentle exercise that combines the wonderful effects of smiling and meditation.
Organise a regular time each day for your smile exercise. Start with 5 minutes and then build up the time to whatever you feel is comfortable and enjoyable.
Find a comfortable place where there are no distractions. Close your eyes. Relax your body and breathe deeply and slowly. Don't over inhale. Focus on your breathing and not on any thoughts that may appear.
Now smile. Imagine the corners of your mouth lifting slightly. Relax the forehead, facial muscles and jaw. Feel the gentle wave relax all the muscles in these areas. Repeat this several times until you feel relaxed. Maintain this pleasant feeling throughout your session.
This technique can also be used in any situation you feel stressed, or when you need to revitalise yourself. Keep your eyes open and visualise and feel the process. This usually works well in situations of potential conflict with other people.
Humour
Look for humorous or potentially humorous situations in your everyday personal and work life. A technique comedians use to find material for their acts.
There are many mundane jobs we do each day and there is potential for humour in these areas. Use your imagination and tap into the sense of the ridiculous.
This is an excellent method in stopping stress, because it is impossible to laugh and feel stressed at the same time. Usually when you stress out the muscles tend to tighten up. For example, it may be the muscles in your forehead, face or jaw. A good laugh will relax these muscles and make you feel better.
It also can be an effective way of coping or dealing with serious problems or a crisis. Laughter will give you temporary relief from your problems and the energy to cope more effectively in most cases.
Share Your Humour
Don't keep it to yourself. If you have heard a good joke or story, share it with your friends, family and work mates. Can't remember any? That's easy to overcome. Create a Ha Ha file. A resource where you can file away any bits of humour that makes you laugh. It could be a joke, an anecdote, one liner, poem etc. etc..
Look at your Ha Ha file every day and try to use at least one humourous bit to share with other people. If nothing else you will have a good laugh yourself reading your file.
When sharing your humour with other people, make sure it is appropriate and not offensive.
When you cause a person to laugh, it is a great emotional release both for yourself and the other person.
Use laughter as a daily workout and you will develop a hearty heart and get the last laugh on your health.
That reminds me, did you hear the one about ....
Heartwise Journal
October 2002
© 2002 Chris Bennett - all rights reserved
Chris Bennett