If you can’t remember the last time you had a good laugh at something, then it has been too long.
Life can be so serious, with obligations, family, conflict, health worries, and innumerable other issues that demand our attention. It’s easy to overlook the lighter side sometimes. We are blessed with many emotions that we can experience, and if fear, worry and anger are the ones that dominate your life then you aren’t allowing yourself to be as well-rounded as you could be.
There is research that proves that laughter can be a great medicine. In addition to improving your mood and the way you see life, laughter can reduce blood pressure, reduce anxiety and other negative emotions, bring more oxygen into your blood, boost the immune system, and act as a natural anti-depressant. Besides all of that, it just feels good to have a laugh!
Action – It can seem almost impossible to want to laugh when everything around you is so serious. In fact, we can tell ourselves that there is nothing to be happy about and actually avoid opportunities that might make us feel more light-hearted. Not only is this not healthy, it is unnecessary. You can’t make yourself miserable enough to change anything about the world.
Laugh at animals, children, funny clouds in the sky, or at yourself. It isn’t that difficult once you give yourself permission.
Steps – We all have different tastes, and what is funny to me may seem silly to you. It doesn’t matter though – find something that tickles your funny bone. Just don’t laugh at someone else’s expense. Laughing at someone’s misfortune is never genuine humour, but cruelty in disguise.
Find a comedian who you think is funny, or a television show or movie, or read funny stories. There are multiple things out there that are designed to make us laugh.
Why It Makes You Feel Better – Laughing releases endorphins that elevate mood, and it produces an overall sense of wellbeing. It encourages you to see the lighter side of life, instantly reducing stress and increasing a sense of optimism. Even babies know how to laugh. It is a natural ability that we tend to shun as we get older, thinking that it is frivolous and unnecessary.
But it feels good and it always will. So just do it.
Example – I like to laugh at myself. Every time I feel like I am getting too serious, I remember that life is constantly changing and that what is bothering me today might not even be important tomorrow. I tell myself jokes, laugh if I make a mess, and generally focus on all that is good in life.
Develop the habit of looking for the lighter side of life. Give yourself permission to laugh out loud, knowing that it is good for your body and your mind. There are few things in life that make you feel as good as laughing does, and it doesn’t cost anything.
Enjoy finding the funny in everything today!