JULY 8, 2022
I am sure many of you have heard the old saying; “Laughter is life’s best medicine.” I agree with this statement totally along with our title today, “Laugh it Off.” When things happen to you that make you angry, hateful, jealous, or sad, that is the time to “laugh it off” and move on. If you don’t, you just might end up anxious and depressed over those things that are out of your control. Quit worrying about what others think, what others say, what others do, and be more concerned with how YOU treat people or what you might say about yourself. Having a sense of humor is critical in living a joyful life. (This cowboy has a weird sense of humor but at least I have a sense of humor)
What do you laugh about? Can you laugh at yourself? If not, start today as we are all weird and unique in our own way. Do you laugh at your mistakes? If not, start today as there was only one “Perfect man.”
While some may think that laughter is an emotion, most commonly, it is considered an “auditory expression of a number of positive emotional states” such as joy, happiness, or relief. On some occasions, however, it may be caused by contrary emotional states such as embarrassment, surprise, or confusion such as nervous laughter or courtesy laugh. Do you just give a courtesy laugh or do you sometimes experience a howling type laughter? Laughter actually induces physical changes in your body by stimulating many organs. (There is where we get the “Pee-your-pants” type laughter) Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain. All good reasons to laugh more often.
Other benefits of laughter include; reducing the level of stress hormones in our bodies, providing both physical and emotional release, creating a good workout for the abs, diaphragm, and shoulders, leaving you feeling more relaxed, giving you more positive outlook on a situation, and connects you better with others. Here are some tips for having more laughter in your life; Hang out with funny friends, fake it if you must, (apparently fake laughter has the same benefits) check out funny quotes from movies or TV, (i.e. the movie “Dumb and Dumber,” from the trooper trying to pull over the “Mutt-Cutts” van, “Pull-over” the response; “Thanks, but it’s a cardigan”) Check out funny websites. Look in the mirror and make funny faces. (this really works)
A few quotes to consider on laughter:
- “You don’t stop laughing because you grow older. You grow older because you stop laughing” Maurice Chevalier.
- “Always find a reason to laugh. It may not add years to your life but will “surely” add life to your years.” (“And don’t call me Shirley”)
- “Laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy.” John Cleese (Start by laughing at some of the crazy things going on in our political world today)
- Maybe you should eat some makeup so you can be pretty on the inside too.” Anonymous (Don’t try this at home!)
Wishing you much joy and laughter in your life. Remember, you have a choice to hold it in or “Laugh it Off.” I suggest the latter.
Elevator Guy
Quote for the Day; “Everyone’s human. Everyone makes mistakes. If you laugh it off and keep going and try to give it your best the next time around, people respect that.” Ben Franklin