Laugh Your Way into Good Health
Monday has barely begun and most of us (myself definitely included) are already wishing tomorrow could magically be Friday. Already we are dealing with hounding from annoying bosses, approaching deadlines and a pressure to perform up to a level of expectation. If we keep thinking about this pressure, however, we would end up being too overwhelmed to do much, and stress will start to pile up.
The most effective way for one to get rid of these thoughts effectively and reduce the stress build up is to find something to amuse you. This seems odd, but a few laughs can do your physical and mental health a lot of good. Laughter has been scientifically proven to reduce stress levels and relax the body for up to one hour after.
Apart from reducing stress, some of the other things that laughter can help with include
Reducing the blood pressure, increasing the flow of blood throughout the body and improving the functioning of the heart.
Releases pleasure hormones known as endorphins, which leave your brain and your body happy and relaxed.
Laughter helps you to tone your abs by contracting and relaxing the muscles in your tummy.
Laughter helps to activate the specialized disease-fighting cells in your body known as T-cells
Laughter helps the body to burn off a few calories.
Finally, laughter helps to improve your mental standing, as well as your general outlook on the situation at hand and helps you to be able to deal with problems better.
So as you go about the things you have to do for the week, remember to take the time to laugh and amuse yourself. Here’s a funny joke to start you off:
Three friends from out of town were staying together in a room on the 70th floor of a hotel because it was fully booked. After a long day attending meetings around town, they were heading to their room when they found out that all the elevators in the hotel were being repaired, and they would have to walk all the way to their rooms.
To pass away time, all of them decided to sing, tell jokes and stories, and they were thoroughly enjoying themselves. After walking about 40 flights of stairs, one of the friends suddenly stopped laughing and said: “I want to tell you the saddest story ever.” The other two encouraged him to go on, and then he said: “I forgot the room keys in the car!”