Laugh Well

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Tuesday nights 6-7:30pm
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Welcome to week 8 of the Be Well Series – Strategies for Coping with COVID.  This is the last week in this series.  Last but not least is Laugh Well.  Laughter is such an amazing gift.  It’s fun to listen to people laugh, especially the giggle of a child.  Also, seeing other’s smile and laugh often brings a smile to my face as well, even if I can only see their eyes smiling now.  Turns out there are special brain neurons called mirror neurons.  When we see someone else smile, it lights up the same part of our brain as if we were smiling too. Obviously the same is true when we smile at others.

That’s not all, when we smile, good hormones like dopamine are released. Dopamine is a ‘feel good’ hormone.  Here’s the great news, normally we only smile if we feel happy, but it turns out just the act of smiling can release that feel good hormone!  Here’s a little article that you may find interesting.
 
Laughter helps boost your immune system.  Here’s a short article from the Mayo Clinic that talks about the benefits of laughter, even if you have to force it.

There’s another kind of laughter that I want to share with you that I think is so very important. It’s the ability to laugh at yourself, at your mistakes and your situation.  Being able to laugh at what bedevils us and not take life so seriously, can seriously lift your overall mood and health.  We all make mistakes, and sometimes not everything goes our way.  But you know the adage, ‘you can laugh or cry’? Well it’s true. You can practice laughing when something doesn’t go to plan.  If just for a moment you can step outside of yourself to your ‘observer’ self and say, ‘hahah, now we have split milk all over the floor,’ with a chuckle instead of a curse word.  Just try it, see if it can shift the energy of the situation from anger, self-criticism and judgement of others towards compassion and mirth.   The reality is the proverbial milk has already been split. Being anger at yourself or others doesn’t really help the situation.

Ram Dass, talks a lot about, observing himself and saying, ‘….oh, there goes my anger again…isn’t it interesting how that triggers me…’ followed by a smile and a chuckle.  We all have stuff that gets under our skin, that makes us react, sometimes badly.  But when we realize that our soul’s just on a journey of transformation and learning and growing just like a child, we can offer ourselves a humorous response….just like the kid who spilled the milk. 

Here are some ideas of how to cultivate laughter in your life:

Laugh with a friend. Tell a joke. Don’t know any jokes, here’s a link to some clean jokes that made me smile! Even fake laughter has benefits!

Watch a funny movie or tv show. Smile, even when you don’t feel like smiling

Next time something goes wonky and your first instinct is to curse, try a chuckle. 

Looking forward to seeing you on Tuesday! I might even tell some jokes!!
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May you be healthy & at peace,
Andrea Carvalho