Finding Inspiration in Laughter

When's the last time you really had a good, hard laugh? It truly is the best medicine - literally. In a study carried out by the Department of Social and Environmental Medicine in Osaka, Japan, the effects of laughter were investigated on the levels of stress...did you know that findings suggest that not only does laughter reduce stress, but laughter also increases the feelings of overall fulfillment. [1] This is just one of the many reasons why it is so very important to take the time to laugh. A friend of mine, who was in her late 20s, went roller-blading with her two young children. As she skated around the neighborhood with her son and daughter riding alongside her on their bicycles, her inline skate hit a small piece of loose gravel. In an instant, her body was propelled through the air like a rocket and she landed knees first on the hard cement! In fact, she flew so far through the air that an oncoming SUV stopped instantly in the road and jumped from his vehicle to determine whether or not he had hit her. Quickly coming to her aid, he asked, "Oh my goodness, did I hit you? Are you alright?" Now, sitting on her bottom, and picking little rock particles from her knees, my friend simply laughed, "Oh I'll be okay," wiping the scrapes from her kneecaps, she continued, "you didn't hit me, the rock on the road did." While she blew both her kneecaps, and she was still in serious pain, she laughed in spite of herself and once up on her feet, she hobbled back to her house. Though vicious as the accident appeared to be, her ability to laugh at herself over the pain eased the situation and believe it or not, she was walking without incident. Laughter helps a person cope with issues, and the example above demonstrates how it can be used to promote a better outcome. When we take a serious situation, and in no means - make light of it, but find the humor in it to diffuse the emotional trauma associated with it, we are better able to deal with it and move forward. Allow me to plant a thought in your mind right now...this moment: Smile. Are you smiling yet? You know you want to. If you're smiling, then you are automatically feeling better right now. Your body doesn't feel so heavy right now either. Keep smiling. A matter of fact, I bet you feel a slight butterfly affect in your heart. That's the light...your soul inspiration...your psychic intuition...it's telling you to smile, laugh, feel happy...be happy. When you discover the happiness within you, your heart beats in rhythm, your eyes light up, your breathing is relaxed...and suddenly, all your worries, pain, emotional trauma...they don't seem as relevant anymore. The human body's cells are all intertwined. When you take a thought, that thought attaches itself to a living cell and it communicates with every living cell and organ within your body. Subsequently, if you attach a negative thought to that cell, it will bring about a negative affect...if you attach a positive thought to that cell, it will bring about a positive affect. Have you laughed lately? Isn't it time you stopped, shared a funny joke, watched a humorous show or simply fell back into a pile of autumn leaves and laughed in spite of yourself? Take time to heal yourself by smiling. Remember, when you smile, the world smiles with you...when you cry, you cry alone. References:

1. NCBI-PubMed.gov 1: Biomed Res. 2007 Apr;28(2):115-8.

nnn© Copyright – All Rights ReservednFinding Inspiration in Laughter By Joan Marie Whelan