Having a good sense of humor and enjoying a good laugh are powerful tools to ensure that your mood and emotional state support good health. Laughter is an incredibly powerful antidote to relieve stress, pain and conflict; it also helps to keep you grounded, focused, alert, lightens your burdens and helps to keep you connected to others.
Did you know that a good hearty laugh can actually relieve physical tension and stress and leaves your muscles relaxed for as long as 45 minutes afterwards? It is great for your health, including increasing blood flow which improves the function of blood vessels – great for your heart. Laughter also increases immune cells and decreases stress hormones, it improves your resistance to disease by increasing your infection-fighting antibodies. And then there are those wonderful ‘feel good’ chemicals the body produces called ‘endorphins’ that are released into your body when you laugh.
There is definitely a link between laughter and good mental health, it is impossible to feel angry, miserable or anxious when you are laughing. Laughter makes you feel good and helps you keep a positive and optimistic attitude even when life is difficult or disappointing. It also helps you see things with a different perspective, and helps to make you feel a little more rational and less overwhelmed.
Laughing with others is a fabulous and effective way to build friendships, strengthen bonds and keep relationships strong. Laughter can help to heal hurts and resentments, settle disagreements, encourage spontaneity, release inhibitions, foster emotional connections, and unite people during difficult times.
Phew! A lot of great reasons for us to laugh more, I need a healthy dose today so I am meeting a friend for a laughter filled lunch.
You might want to check out the Entertainment page on my website for more things to inspire you to laugh;
http://www.reallifebalance.com/entertainment/entertainment.html
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