When’s the last time you had a really good laugh? I’m talking about one of those painful, stomach-muscles ripping, tear-streaming laughs that leave you unable to breathe, clutching your sides and crying. If it’s been a while, maybe it’s time for you to lighten up a bit and find something funny to let go with, as laughter is proven to be a brilliant remedy for all sorts of ailments. It brings out the happiness in all of us.
There’s a reason why comedies are big business – we love to let go, getting lost in a film or television series that takes us away from everyday life and lets us lose ourselves for a while. 2009 comedy films such as The Pink Panther 2, Old Dogs and He’s Just Not That in to You scored massively on the blockbuster lists, proving that in times of economic downturn, people are looking for laughter more than ever before.
Laughter is great for us, physically. It releases Serotonin, the ‘feel-good’ chemical in our bodies that anti-depressants encourage us to make. It works out our facial muscles, using up more than frowning. It works in the same way as exercise to release endorphins and push adrenaline levels down. Stress and anxiety can be beaten by a good old-fashioned belly laugh!
When we get bogged down with day to day concerns, sometimes it can be hard to find the funny side of things, and yet maybe this is the key to staying positive and finding happiness in the face of adversity.
Laughter enables us to let go of inhibitions, making it a great way of making friends and sharing conversation. Whether we are laughing at ourselves or with other people, there are very few situations where cracking a joke won’t help things run along a little more smoothly. The exception for this is obviously funerals, although I do have a friend who giggles all the way through them, proving that for her it is as much a coping mechanism as crying! Sometimes it does help remembering the funny things about someone at their funeral. Special things about them!
So, the next time you feel a bit stressed out with things, try turning on the comedy channel and giving yourself over to a good laugh. You’ll emerge brighter, with a better outlook on life. Give it a shot – I dare you!
Here are some quotes to help you on your way to grab a whole of a little happiness within…
An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have; the older she gets, the more interested he is in her.
Agatha Christie
Always remember that true beauty comes from within — from within bottles, jars, compacts, and tubes.
Peter’s Almanac
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you are a mile away from them, and you have their shoes.
Frieda Norris
Behind every successful man stands a surprised mother-in-law.
Hubert Humphrey
Children really brighten up a household. They never turn the lights off.
Ralph Bus
Committee – a group of men who keep minutes and waste hours.
M. Berle
Every day I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work.
Robert Orben
He taught me housekeeping; when I divorce I keep the house.
Zsa Zsa Gabor.
Today is the day to learn to laugh. Let me know how it made you feel?
Debbie
Debbie,
Great post, I try to find something to laugh about everyday, I agree it is so beneficial to our physical being that it can change your day into one of great joy. Thanks so much for this I did laugh at a couple of those quotes!
.-= Lori Robertson´s last blog ..How To Find Happiness Within Yourself =-.
Thanks Lori glad I could bring a smile to your face. When my youngest daughter was still home every evening her and I would just sit and laugh together. Sometime we really didn’t have anything to laugh about, so we would just start laughing and laugh even harder, because we weren’t laughing about anything. It was really cool and fun.
Debbie
Laughter is great!
I love to laugh.
Have you ever broken out into uncontrollable giggles when you “weren’t supposed to”? Like in church? or school? or at a funeral!??!
Isn’t that the funniest thing?!
I remember one time breaking into uncontrollable laughter at a wedding. I was in the 2nd row right by the alter. My cousin and I walked in with the giggles and it just kept escalating from there. At one point a priest came over and told us to behave ourselves. Isn’t that terrible?!?!
.-= Susan Liddy´s last blog ..SURVEY! What do you have to smile about today? =-.
I love to laugh too. Never laughed in church or a funeral before. My mother probably would have given me one of her looks. I have to say it would be funny. Having a priest come over and tell yo to behave. That is really good Susan. I can see you now. Probably made you laugh harder.
hugs
Debbie