The Power of Positivity
What a good laugh can do for you
Even in the most trying of times, infusing some humor into your day is one of the best ways to keep calm and carry on. When you laugh, your brain releases endorphins, the body’s natural mood boosters. Laughing can also boost your respiration and heart rate, like a mini cardio session. A good laugh ripples through your body, causing muscles to tense and then r-e-l-a-x.
Laughter is also good medicine for the soul. What better way to diffuse fear and anxiety than with a giggle? Even a forced smile has been shown to raise spirits. Here are five tips to help you add more laughter to your life:
- Find the humor in a bad situation. There are genuinely sad situations that aren’t laughing matters, but many have an ironic or ludicrous side. Next time you feel stress rising, take a minute to think about the irony and allow yourself to laugh over the things you cannot control.
- Remind yourself of funny moments from the past. Perhaps a friend told you a great joke, your kids did something amusing or you watched a funny movie that had you in stitches. Call on these moments and relive them to relieve sadness or anger.
- Connect with people who laugh a lot. Laughter is contagious, so make a point to chat or interact with positive people who aren’t afraid to laugh at themselves or find humor in life’s situations.
- Adopt a pet or arrange for a visit from a therapy animal. Animals are great for boosting happiness and encouraging laughter because they love to play and they do amusing things without even realizing it. If you can’t have a pet of your own, there are many organizations that arrange for animal visitors to seniors. And during times of social isolation, you can even search up funny animal videos on YouTube for a quick giggle.
- Connect with others who make you laugh. Seek out friends or family members who share your sense of humor, or video chat with grandchildren whose innocence can always provide a smile.
