It can be. But when you are in severe pain, most often not. Laughter is important. It can relieve stress, if even for a couple of moments. It is good exercise and can benefit your health.
It can be a reset button to boost your immune system. This “medicine” is quick, free, and can be taken anywhere. When you laugh, your body releases endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals. With the release of endorphins, your body increases its natural painkilling response, helping with pain and improving your mood.
Laughter also decreases stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your disease resistance. When you laugh, you breathe more deeply, which sends oxygen into your lungs, assisting in the heart pumping oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. An increase in oxygen promotes cell growth, allowing organs to work more efficiently. All this will enable you to feel better.
Laughter can also help us find happiness. It can help you to cope with difficult situations. A hearty laugh also reduces tension in your body, making you calmer. By stimulating circulation, laughter aids in muscle relaxation, reducing some of the physical symptoms of stress.
Several ways to add laughter into one’s day are:
- Find something funny to watch – stand-up comedy specials, outrageous cat videos, or sitcoms. I also enjoy going to the Improv Theatre for an evening of laughter.
- Play with your pet – you could utilize a laser pointer or play with their favorite toys.
- Talk with a friend – through a video or phone call. Have a few chuckles at something you read or saw on the internet.
- Share a joke – true story - my dad used to keep the punch lines to jokes in his wallet. When he wanted to tell a joke, he’d reach for the piece of paper with the punch line in his wallet. Often Dad had forgotten how to tell the entire joke – which had us all laughing anyway.
- Play some fun music and have a dance party – especially fun if you have younger family members to join in. My favorites are the chicken dance and raising the roof. My mother-in-law got up at my daughter’s college graduation party and started dancing with me to Earth, Wind & Fire. The whole place joined in and was also having a good laugh.
Several interesting websites to check out are:
- https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
- https://www.southwesthealth.org/my-healthy-life/laughter/
- https://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2017/06/05/six-science-based-reasons-why-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/?sh=70b94dbf7f04
Do not laugh at the expense of others. Remember that some forms of humor might not be appropriate for all ages. So, use your best judgment in choosing a good joke – not a bad or hurtful one.
All my best,
Julie
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After my three strokes, my rehab group periodically engaged in weak hand exercises, trying with limited success to pass a tennis ball from your own weak hand to that of another. Infants had better hand-eye coordination. As often as not the tennis ball hands passed each other like comets in the night. Painful, embarrassing exercises to be sure, but we preferred to think of them as silent film vaudeville auditions. The moment you can laugh at, you’ve achieved the higher ground.