In the Flow with Healing Waters

Laughter/Humor A New Prescription for Good Health

What if we went to the Dr and asked for a prescription for laughter and humor? Easy fix right? But we all know that is not going to happen. So how do we create laughter, humor, and ultimately joy and happiness in our lives? 

Growing up and into my adult life I remember watching very funny TV shows. I Love Lucy, Kids Say the Darndest Things, Carol Burnett Show, Candid Camera, Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld, Frasier, and The Big Bang Theory….. Oh my gosh, a trip down memory lane. I still remember many years ago going to a comedy club with my Dad in California and seeing Tim Allen before he was famous. I have very fond memories of going to my cousins in Northern Minnesota enjoying a weekend in laughter. My Dad, his brother, and 2 older male cousins had one joke after the other keeping us all in stitches. My Dad had a great sense of humor. When he worked at Anderson Windows he and a prankster buddy cut out some small wooden cubes, dipped them in chocolate, and placed them in an empty candy box. Yes, they shared them with fellow employees. Laughter and humor are good medicine. 

Do you feel like we have somehow lost some of our sense of humor? Are we taking ourselves too seriously? I get it that in this world we live in we are inundated with all the “Bad Stuff” we hear on the news, read in magazines, or read on our devices. We start to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders and there may be little room for laughter and humor. Maybe we start to feel like there is so much to worry about and feel bad about that we don’t deserve to laugh and have fun. 

The truth is we deserve happiness and joy. We need to have fun and laugh. The idea of writing a blog about humor came when 4 of us were sitting together for lunch. Susan asked for input about adding humor to Facebook marketing posts. What started as a simple request for brainstorming turned into all of us laughing so hard we were crying and Deb had to remind us not to laugh while we had food in our mouths. It feels good to laugh like that but why?

“We know that laughter has been shown in studies to improve your pain threshold, likely due to an endorphin-mediated opiate effect. What is interesting is that this appears to be independent of your mood, meaning that it can have a positive effect even when you are down.”

— ROBERT BONAKDAR MD, FAAFP, FACN

I found some information on the site Very Well Mind.

Physical Benefits

At its most basic level, laughter exercises your diaphragm. It enables you to take in more oxygenated air and stimulates your lungs. During those moments of raucous laughter, you are relieving physical tension in your muscle

Laughter Can Boost Heart Health                                                                                                                         Humor Brings Comfort and Eases Physical Pain                                                                                                    Laughter Can Improve Sleep and Boost Immunity

Psychological Benefits                                                                                                                                 Laughing Reduces Stress                                                                                                                                           Humor Improves Memory                                                                                                                                

Social Benefits                                                                                                                                                             Laughter Brings People Together                                                                                                       

Adds Positivity to Conversations

But the truth is it just feels good to laugh right?  So let’s all find a way to add some humor to our lives.  If you have little grandchildren they can be a source of humor, or watching a funny movie or TV show. I personally enjoy some of the reels on Facebook and sharing them with people that I know will laugh with me. How about laughing at ourselves instead of taking ourselves so seriously? Hang around people that make you laugh. How about a funny harmless prank? If there are things that bring you down and you can avoid them (like watching the news) then do your best to avoid them. There are many things in life that get us down but for everything that exists, there is an opposite. So here is the Good News. There are just as many good things and funny things to make us happy and make us laugh as there are negative things that bring us down.  Where are you putting your attention? What are you focusing on? The Good, The Bad, or the Ugly.  It’s your choice. Write your own prescription for laughter, humor, joy, and happiness by being intentional about where you put your attention. 

If you google funny jokes you may find something like this. What did the horse say after he tripped? Help I’ve fallen and I can’t giddyup. 

Go out, have fun, and maybe brighten someone else’s day with laughter and humor.

Laughing in the Flow,

Donna