I need to laugh more.
Seriously.
Life can be so darn hard even when you’re trying so hard. Bills, bills, bills. Aches, pains and maladies. High health care costs. The cost of living in general. The lack of good paying jobs. One could possibly become overly anxious, maybe even a little depressed…shall I say skeptical or…angry?
As Pennsylvania state legislators propose legislation to eliminate a nationwide model for delivering behavior health services in our state and the President declares war on Obamacare (okay, the scare is over until 2020, it seems), I wonder how some of us can concentrate at all on our daily lives not knowing what tomorrow will hold.
As someone who has trained herself to look at the brighter side of life, this age of uncertainty has tested me to the limits. Even yoga, meditating and hanging out with my dog isn’t doing it for me all the time.
I was getting ready to write a scathing blog about all things disgusting when I went online to check on the holidays and happenings in April and saw that it is “National Humor Month!”
LOL!
Yes. It’s good for our health, mentally and physically. The tag line for the Humor Month website was “So laugh it up!” Searching further I came upon the website for the “World Laughter Tour, Inc.”, the brainchild of psychologist and self-proclaimed “Joyologist” Steve Wilson, who describes his role as “Cheerman of The Bored.”
Give me more of this stuff, please.
According to information on the World Laughter Tour site, laughing can lead to better health in the following ways:
· Combats respiratory infections
· Increases antibodies in saliva by decreasing serum cortisol
· Reduces pain by releasing endorphins
· Relaxes muscles
· Positive mental function changes perspective with improved mood
· Changes perspective with improved mood through cardiovascular efficiency
· Helps the body fight infection
· Improves tissue function and growth by supplying nutrients and oxygen to tissues
· Happiness is linked to longevity
According to www.humormonth.com, “National Humor Month was conceived as a means to heighten public awareness of the therapeutic value of humor. Laughter and joy – the benchmarks of humor – lead to improved well-being, boosted morale, increased communication skills, and an enriched quality of life. Humor as a tool to lift ailing spirits is an established notion supported by scientific research. The curative power of laughter and its ability to relieve debilitating stress and burnout may indeed be one of the great medical discoveries of our times.”
So check out the websites yourself and start laughing it up!
www.humormonth.com
www.worldlaughingtour.com
