My prayer for you is that you will know laughter this day and that you will know a moment of release and abandon, bringing wealth beyond measure.
According to the Reader’s Digest “Laughter is the best medicine” and according to the book of Proverbs “a joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed heart dries up the bones” Now this is not just something that is highlighted in small quotes or magazines, there has been research done around the effects of laughter and the benefits to our overall health. According to the Mayo Clinic
- A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn’t just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can:
- Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
- Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
- Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up, though. It’s also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:
- Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
- Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.
- Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.
- Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses. Laughter can help lessen your stress, depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier. It can also improve your self-esteem.
As I write this, this morning, I hear Tracy and Chris laughing as they plan for Sunday worship and I am reminded of the joy that comes with such abandon. I think about the people I have encountered along the way whose laughter has brought light and love to the world and my heart sings. In our Hymn book there is a hymn called “Give to us Laughter” by Walter Farquharson. The first verse goes like this :
“Give to us laughter O Source of our life. Laughter can banish so much of our strife. Laughter and love give us wholeness and health. Laughter and love are the coin of true wealth.”
My prayer for you is that you will know laughter this day and that you will know a moment of release and abandon, bringing wealth beyond measure.
Blessings
Valerie
It sure is,some people don’t laugh enough…
another thing,its good for your face to laugh
it will help exersize your face .
The best lines are laugh lines.
Thank you
Joyce Smith.
Your blog gave me a smile Valerie. Conflicts that hurt can be softened with laughter. Thank you.
Wanalda Parsons