5 Ways Laughter Truly is the Best Medicine

 

Everyone’s heard the phrase, ‘Laughter is the best medicine.’ Have you ever wondered how that can be? Have you wondered if laughter really is good for you, or if it’s just one of those catchy cliches that people like to repeat? Well, medical experts from the Mayo Clinic to WebMD to ones interviewed by Reader’s Digest, say it is absolutely true. Here are 5 ways that laughter boosts your physical, mental and overall health.

 

1. Stimulates Organs and Increases Blood Flow

A good, full laughter is very physical. You can feel it throughout your body. It is even working physically in areas you can’t tell, such as your heart. A good loud laugh increases the amount of oxygen you bring into your body, thereby enhancing your lung function. It stimulates your heart, increases blood flow, and improves the function of your veins and arteries. These processes promote cardiac health and can stave off a heart attack or other cardiovascular disease.

 

2. Relaxes Your Body

Laughter fires up your stress response and then cools it down. This provides your body with a nice relaxed feeling, both mentally and physically. You may feel relaxed for a good 30-45 minutes after a good, rollicking laugh. Your blood pressure is lowered as well. It increases your bodies blood flow. It sends natural endorphins to be released creating a sense of pleasure and calmness.

 

Boosts Your Immunity

Laughter stimulates circulation and releases neuropeptides that help your body fight off stress. Negative thoughts actually create chemical reactions in your body that lower your natural immunity and leave you feeling stressed out. Laughter banishes these chemicals and brings out the feel-good neuropeptides so that your immune system is stoked up and ready to fight illness once again. It increase the cells that fight off infection.

 

Burns Calories

Laughing your head off all day is not a substitute for regular exercise. But laughing does burn calories and can also give you a shot of energy and motivation to get up and get your exercising done.

 

Improves Your Mental Health

In a world increasingly beset by mental health disorders, laughter is a great weapon in the fight against anxiety, depression and other mental illnesses. When you laugh, your perspective automatically shifts to see the brighter side and you feel overall more positive, regardless of the situation. You may be able to see things in a new light and start feeling hopeful again. When you laugh, it’s impossible to be anxious or sad at the same time, so it gives you a break from heavy thoughts and feelings. If your problems are due to others around you, a good round of laughter can draw you closer to one another and form a new bond.

 

There’s no doubt about it, laughter is good for you all around. Different people have different senses of humor, so you’ll have to figure out what kinds of things make you laugh long and hard. Then surround yourself with those things, and you will be able to laugh your way throughout the day. Once your focus is on laughter versus stress, you will be able to feel the mental and physical changes in yourself. Try it today!

 

5 Ways Laughter Truly is the Best Medicine

These are just 5 ways that laughter can be the best medicine. It is also important to note that who you surround yourself with also can determine and affect your mindset. Take an assessment of your social interactions with others. Do you have others around you that are positive and uplifting? Do you find yourself drawn to chaos or do you make a conscious decision to find like minded people that want the best for you? If you find yourself surrounded primarily around negative and depressed people than maybe it’s time you change your friend group. Don’t waste your time trying to change them. You cant control the way others see the world but you can control how much your going to allow them to affect your mood.

Your thoughts are powerful and what you think will affect your mood and have a direct influence on how you feel. Narrative therapy and CBT therapy can be effective in helping you shift your perspective in life. Challenge the false narrative and look at your conditioning. You have the power to see the world as beautiful and see negative experiences as teachers instead of thinking that the world is out to get you. Seek therapy today if your ready to change the way you see the world and your relationship with it. Give us a call today and start the work to bring more laughter into it. There is so much to be grateful for. Gratitude is a great way to quickly shift your perspective.

At High Expectations Counseling we have talented therapist that can help you reach your goals. They can assist you in shifting your perspective and come into alignment with the person you can be. Give us a call today at 407-967-1327.