What always makes you laugh?

My purpose in blogging  is to provide a peek into what life coaching is and can do.  And it is also to provide insights to help you look at and do life differently.  But I will be honest, one of the things that I think we can all do for ourselves today is laugh out loud and even better laugh with someone we love.  Laughter is the best medicine. Laughter has the the power to break down walls, make us forget stress, and connect us to others.  

Laughter is such an important part of my day each day.  In fact, with my background in psychology I am pretty aware of how beneficial laughter is that somewhere in the process of laughing at a good joke, I usually think to myself- “This is so good for my brain.”  Haha  Yup.  I’m a nerd.  But even though I know laughter is the best medicine, I don’t usually approach it with intentionality.

Research has shown for years that laughing has great health benefits, even touting it as a form of therapy needed for some situations.  In fact, Cancer Treatment Centers of America list laughter therapy as one of the things they offer their patients.  In an article done by Mayo Clinic, they say the benefits of laughter for health include to: “Stimulate many organs, activate and relieve your stress response, soothe tension, improve your immune system, relieve pain, increase personal satisfaction, and improve mood.”  Read the rest of the article to learn more.

I’m guessing that many of you are familiar with the story of Norman Cousins.  He developed a strange illness and was told that he probably wouldn’t survive.  So he developed a regimen to treat his illness.  He found that a really hearty laugh has pain relieving effects and that after a good laugh he could get a couple hours of good sleep.  He was intentional about incorporating a lot laughter into his every day life to treat his illness.  He ended up living a long time past what was originally projected.

The Bible talks about the importance of laughter and cheer too.  Psalm 126:2 ESV Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”  Proverbs 17:22“A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”  I can really identify with that vivid picture of laughter making it so I don’t feel crushed and dry anymore.

I know in my own life, laughter has the emotional power to relieve stress, dissolve anger, bring me closer to those I am laughing with, and get my mind off of challenging things.  On the medical side, I believe the research and I can feel the positive release of tension that laughter gives my body.

Find something or do something that just makes you laugh today.  These are the things that have been making me laugh lately:

~playing with the Snapchat App with my kids

~watching Jim Gaffigan on Netflix

~pushing my daughters’ buttons (just being honest)

~watching old Friends episodes on Netflix

~talking with my husband about the crazy political client (if I don’t laugh then I will cry)

What better way to improve health and just plain enjoy life more then by taking time to laugh today?!

What is ALWAYS makes you laugh?