The Best Medicine Is Laughter

Have you laughed lately?

If not, get out of your serious self and loosen up.

Laughter is a powerful tool for combating stress and conflict.  It can dissipate anger, sadness and other negative emotions.  In addition to making you feel good, laughter can improve your health and make your relationships with others closer and stronger.  There are a wide variety of benefits to be gained by making daily laughter a priority.

Many studies have shown that laughter can boost your energy level and reduce stress.  These are just a few of the ways that laughter can improve your health.

Here are 10 activities that will help increase your ability
to laugh, play and have fun.

1. Smile more often. A smile is the first step towards laughter and is equally contagious.  Make a conscious effort to smile more and laughter will follow.
2. Spend more time with happy people. It’s easier to laugh and feel happy when you’re surrounded by people who know how to have fun.  Seek out friends who are playful and like to laugh.
3. Use funny stories to lighten your mood. Pay attention to the funny stories that other people share and learn how to tell your own.  Appreciate the humor in daily experiences and share it with friends.
4. Introduce humor when it’s appropriate. Lighten up conversations by introducing an element of humor.  Initiate conversations that are funny and playful.
5. Enjoy inside jokes with friends. Sharing private jokes with another person brings you closer.  Bringing up a private joke is a good way to re-experience the humor of the moment.
6. Seek out entertainment with humor. Watch comedy movies.  Rent some classic comedy films and enjoy them with friends.  Go to a comedy club.  Check out humorous books and comic strips.  The culture of comedy is infectious and will improve your sense of humor.
7. Have a laugh at your own expense. When appropriate, share your embarrassing moments with others.  This can help you take yourself a little less seriously.
8. Be playful and silly. Have a water fight, take part in some horseplay, indulge a case of the giggles.  It’s all part of lightening up.
9. Play games with friends. Whether its board games or sports, keep the atmosphere low-key, fun and non-competitive.  Just play for the fun of it and have some laughs along the way.
10. Spend time with children. We can learn a lot from their sense of play and laughter.  Put aside your “adult” thinking and try to see things through their eyes.