Laughter and Stress

Stress is the number one enemy of health today. It is estimated that majority of all doctors’ visits and medication prescribed today are for stress-related illnesses that accounts for 70% or more.

Some stress symptoms include:

* a negative state of mind with a cynical, sarcastic and critical outlook;
* lack of motivation;
* irritability and lack of patience;
* lack of energy;
* lack of satisfaction with one’s own life and personal achievements;
* disillusionment;
* the feeling of facing insurmountable barriers;
* lack of productivity and efficiency;
* self-medication using food, alcohol and drugs to feel better or to not feel;
* changes in sleep and appetite habits;
* headaches, neck and lower back pain;
* loss of the ability to experience joy.

Laughter is nature’s counter to stress ─ they are physiological opposites. As what we all know - laughter is the best medicine.

A clue to this may be found in the body’s typical actions after extreme stress of the fight or fight kind: deep panting and using laughter make light of events that provoked fear.

The predominance of one (deeper breathing and laughter) tends to prevent the other (fear).

In short:

* Laughter quickly reduces the levels of stress chemicals and hormones in our body. Significant reductions can occur in minutes and last for days;
* Laughter switches on and boosts physiological systems that stress switches off, including the circulatory, digestive, sexual and immune systems;
* Stress, worry, fear and emotional problems stifle learning ability, creativity, teamwork, productivity, efficiency and motivation while laughter boosts and strengthens these attributes;
* Stress promotes illness, depression and anguish. Laughter promotes health, wellness, emotional balance and joyfulness;
* Laughter can not only help reduce stress levels, it can also effectively protect our systems from the effect of further stress.

Laughter Yoga

Laughter Yoga  is a deceptively simple, yet very powerful and potentially life-changing, form of exercise that anybody can do — anytime, anywhere. Its core premise is that your body can and knows how to laugh, regardless of what your mind has to say; Laughter Yoga is a body-mind approach to laughter, not something mind-body. The distinction is very important. Here you do not need to have a sense of humor, know jokes, or even be happy. Laughter Yoga invites you to fake it until it becomes real.

An article by Sebastien Gendry, C.E.O. of the American School Of Laughter YogaLaughter Yoga is non-political, non-religious, non-racial, non-threatening, and non-competitive. It comes with no strings attached. There are no jokes or comedy, and there is no judging. Because there is no mind, there is also no ego, and no room for conflict or power struggle. Laughter is a universal language that transcends all barriers: language, age, gender, race, and social background. It improves interpersonal relationships and enhances communication. It interrupts the power struggle and breaks down the instinctive barriers between people.

At a deeper level it proves that pain can be overcome and also that we can all live in peace together. It is now indisputable that laughter plays a role in healing, staying healthy, controlling stress reactions, and maintaining emotional balance. Laughter has been rediscovered as a powerful tool in the battle against many mental and physical diseases.

Laughter Yoga also teaches you emotional resilience: how to make happiness a choice and not a consequence, and how to respond positively even in the face of adversity.

Should you laugh every day? Only if you want to feel good.
Read More