Laughter is the best medicine!

I was not planning on writing a blog today, however someone in my personal life is struggling at the moment and I really feel like I am meant to write one today in hopes that I can help them. There's nothing worse then seeing those you love hurting and so I want to try and help them and hopefully anyone else who is struggling at the moment as well. Honestly we all need a reminder to seek joy and laughter even when we are feeling down. 

But how do we do this? How do we find happiness and laughter even when we may be feeling low?

I'm pretty sure that's what you are all are asking me right now, but don't worry because I do have the answer to your questions but firstly I want to talk about the importance of laughter. Why is laughter so important?

 Laughter enhances your intake on air which as a result stimulates the heart, lungs and muscles and increases the  beta-endorphins released by your brain. These endorphins are 'feel good chemicals' that make you feel better and give you a more positive state of mind. Many people experience depression sometimes due to chronic illnesses and laughter can help reduce your stress, depression and anxiety and overall make you feel better. It can also give you a greater sense of self-esteem!  Nothing works faster or more dependently to bring your mind and body back into  balance than a good laugh. Laughter lightens your burdens ,inspires hope ,connects you to others and can keep you grounded. Laughter really is the best medicine out there!

 But I get it, laughter tends to be the furthest thing from our minds when things are not going well in our lives or we are struggling with our mental health. Many of us wonder in them moments when will we ever catch a break from it all. But then we hear someone laugh or we hear something that makes us laugh and for a split second we allow the light to shine upon us and we feel good. 

 I want to turn that split second into much longer and increase laughter into your life especially during your darkest moments. I have written a little list down below of some of the ways you can do this:

Spend time with good friends 

Turn to those friends in your life who you know will always make you feel that tiny bit better when you are feeling low. Those friends who can turn crying into laughter. Who can make you crack a smile even when you didn't think it was possible to do so in the moment. Spend a day with them or even an afternoon. Do something fun , something that may take your mind off whatever is making you feel low even just for a short period of time. And most importantly do something that will bring you laughter. I can't remember a time when I wasn't laughing when I'm with my friends no matter how I was feeling that day, they always end up making me laugh. 

Watch a comfort comedy movie 

Sometimes it is as simple as having a cosy night in and switching on the tv and watching your favourite comedy movie. Even when you don't feel like it I really recommend you to do so, because you can be almost guaranteed to at least crack a smile by the end of the movie! Two of my top comedy movies are ' Just go with it' featuring Adam Sandler or 'Bridget Jones' featuring Renee Zellweger. If you haven't watched either of these then I definitely recommend giving them a watch because you can be guaranteed to laugh many times throughout the movies!

Spend time with children

Spending time with children I can guarantee will warm your spirit. Whether it be a younger sibling or cousin or you may even work with children. Children can often sense when someone is low and they tend to want to cheer you up! Being around children and playing whatever game it is they want you to play with them will end up bringing you so much joy and laughter. Children's innocent outlook on life also tends to give them a funny sense of humour and honestly whenever I am with children I always end up laughing. Like today, I was out shopping when this little boy kept on pulling funny faces at me and so I started doing it back and myself, the little boy, his mum and people around us ended up in fits of laughter. It was really a really nice feeling and brightened my mood for the rest of the day!

Force laughter 

Okay so this does sound like a weird one but you got to trust me on this one. If you force yourself to laugh, nine times out of ten it turns into real laughter. It sounds mad I know but it honestly has worked for me before!

Smile

Smiling is the beginning of laughter and like laughter it is contagious. When you look at someone or see something mildly funny practice smiling. Instead of looking down at your phone , look up, and smile at people you see on the street, the person serving you a drink or even people you work with. Notice the effects it has on others. There's a chance that, that smile could turn into laughter!

When you hear laughter move towards it

A lot of the time people are happy to share something funny because it will give them the opportunity to tell the story or joke and  laugh again and feed off the humour you find in it. As a result the amount of laughter has just doubled to what it was before and the moods between everyone  have brightened even for just a moment. 

Play with a pet 

Pets tend to be unpredictable and silly, for me my dogs are endless entertainment in my household and they  never fail to make us laugh with their playful nature. It has been proven that people with pets tend to experience more laughter in their day to day lives than those without pets! However if you don't have your own pets ( I mean this would be a good sign to go and get one) then go and visit a friend or family member who has one instead.

Go to a 'laughter yoga 'class

The last one on my list is to go to a laughter yoga class which you may never have heard of before and may be a bit out there but it is proven to work! Laughter yoga class is basically in the name it is a laughter exercise programme which emphasizes three elements. The first element is focusing on laughter and playfulness. The next is yogic breath-work and the last one is mindfulness meditation. 

I hope that some of these recommendations will help you to find ways to incorporate more  laughter into your life even in your low moments and I hope you will see the positive effects when you do so.

Love always, 

Ruby 

xo