Laughter - the Best Medicine
Reader’s Digest always had a page of humor under
the title “Laughter in the Best Medicine”. I found this other article
that agreed. So, let’s look at that.
-1 Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good,
hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed
for up to 45 minutes after.
-2 Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter
decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting
antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.
-3 Laughter triggers the release of endorphins,
the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of
well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.
-4 Laughter protects the heart. Laughter
improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help
protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
-5 Laughter burns calories. OK, so it’s no
replacement for going to the gym, but one study found that laughing for 10 to
15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories—which could be enough to
lose three or four pounds over the course of a year.
-5 Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. Nothing
diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh. Looking at the funny
side can put problems into perspective and enable you to move on from
confrontations without holding onto bitterness or resentment.
-6 Laughter may even help you to live longer. A
study in Norway found that people with a strong sense of humor outlived those
who don’t laugh as much. The difference was particularly notable for those
battling cancer.
*****
I laugh every day - actually many times a
day. (And, all-to-frequently - I am causing my own laughter -that is -
I’m laughing at myself!!!)
A week ago, as I was walking at the Georgetown
City Recreation Center, there was a basketball game going on. The walking
track is above the basketball court. I
had seen the home team play before, and I decided I was going to cheer for the
visiting team. I was laughing and giving an air fist bump when the
visiting team scored. Even though I knew
nobody on either team, I was really enjoying the game.
I even laughed at one of the officials. He
reminded me - of me!! Sometimes I can be
a bit of an
‘Absent-minded-professor’. Well, I decided this official was wearing blue-jeans instead of the standard black pants that would go with his black-and-white striped official’s shirt. I was making up a story. He got home from his work - and the calendar on his phone beeped and reminded him that he needed to referee that evening. He had a whirlwind of finding his shirt and looked for his pants (which were “hiding” from him - maybe in the laundry basket). He found his whistle, but search as he could, he couldn’t find his black pants - and he HAD to get out of the house, or he would be late. So, he went in his blue jeans.
‘Absent-minded-professor’. Well, I decided this official was wearing blue-jeans instead of the standard black pants that would go with his black-and-white striped official’s shirt. I was making up a story. He got home from his work - and the calendar on his phone beeped and reminded him that he needed to referee that evening. He had a whirlwind of finding his shirt and looked for his pants (which were “hiding” from him - maybe in the laundry basket). He found his whistle, but search as he could, he couldn’t find his black pants - and he HAD to get out of the house, or he would be late. So, he went in his blue jeans.
I laughed as I went into the library earlier
today. The Georgetown library has a large foyer and there is always a
table with a jigsaw puzzle on it. Well, I consider myself a very talented
jigsaw puzzle solver - and I sat down to put some pieces in the puzzle.
After 15 minutes of searching for pieces, I hadn’t put any pieces into the
puzzle - I laughed at myself - saying in effect “Boy am I a very talented
jigsaw solver”!!!
I laugh around my apartment frequently.
Just something hits me. I laughed (but
not out loud) at church last week. The Psalm refrain was “Remember the
marvels of the Lord”. I must not have
been paying attention - and my brain picked up on “remember the marbles of the
Lord”. Yes, I guess God can have many, many beautiful marbles!!!
Twice in the last week, I have ‘lost’ my
car/apartment key chain. Now, I have a place where I place my keys (and
billfold) when I come in. They weren’t there. Panic.
I looked around - nope - no keys.
Now, I know I had my keys, or I would not have been in my
apartment. Finally (both times), I found my keys already in my
purse. Thinking back, I must have
thought - “Hey - I can put them in my purse, so I won’t lose them!!” (and
then lost them.
My bridge group is more of a laughing, social
group and less of a bridge group. If Vickie starts laughing, before long
the whole group is laughing.
Do find something every day to laugh about -
even if you are laughing at yourself!! (I’ll always have plenty to laugh
about!!!)
I am going to share some Dad’s Puns from
Twitter. I like those and You had one job (where street works paint SPOT
- instead of STOP and similar signs)
- I got an email from Google today saying,
"At Google Earth, we can read maps backward!". I sat there and
thought "that's just spam."
- You know you’re ugly when it comes to a group
picture and they hand you the camera.
- I went to the shop to buy 6 cans of
Sprite. It's only when I got home I realized I'd picked 7 up.
- Just got a birthday card opened it up and a
load of rice fell out. It was from Uncle Ben.
- I saw a man at the beach going "Help!
Shark! Help!" I laughed because I knew that the shark wasn't going
to help him.
Do you have things that make you laugh?
Could you share with us?
Hugs!!!
Karen
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