Having a hearty belly laugh feels so good. “Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone” goes the old saying, and I have found that opting for the lighter side of life and keeping a sense of humour at times of sadness or frustration can really improve things for the better. Have friends that take you to your happy place and crack you up when life gets tough. This empowers you to control of predicaments, bond and talk about taboo subjects that might have otherwise kept under wraps.
It’s harder to get angry at irritating occurrences when they amuse you instead! If your toddler puts your iphone down the toilet or draws all over their face with a permanent marker pen (I’ve experienced both) you could choose to get furious at them. Alternatively, if you have a sense of humour, you might find these antics funny, diffusing a potentially anger-inducing rage. You might even post the pictures and turn your child into a viral TikTok sensation!
The more you embrace your funny side, the more enjoyable your life becomes. This doesn’t mean you need to train to be a comedian or start learning silly jokes. It’s more of an encouragement to lighten up and take a moment to break the ice and enjoy life with all its stress and tensions. Laughing at yourself is self-depreciating and humbles you, without putting yourself down. This reconnects you to your playful inner child and invites others to feel more confident and equal.
Here are three statistics revealing just how powerful and real benefits of laughter are:
Laughter increases blood flow by 20%. Improved blood flow has many benefits, including better organ health, stronger immunity and deeper relaxation.
Research has shown that laughing every day for 10 to 15 minutes burns about 40 calories.That translates to about four pounds over the course of a year — not bad for just having fun.
A good laugh could relax your muscles for up to 45 minutes afterwards. Laughter is a scientifically proven tension-releaser and it also soothes the body’s natural stress response.
“When you’re not regularly activating the pleasure/reward centers of the brain they go offline. So, in order to feel good, we have to practice feeling good. And laughing is one of the most cost-effective ways to do that.”
Natalie Dattilo, Harvard Medical School
So don’t be afraid to get up to some high jinks if it’s appropriate, you could save some lives!
I have a sunny nature but know when to be serious. If you are looking for someone to shed some light on becoming more aligned with your soul tribe and getting a positive mindset, a counselling session, soul coaching or a reading with me will help. I am in Aspendale and I also do online sessions. Please click here for more details: www.andreafortune.com.au
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