The Benefits Of Laughter

Here is an interesting and inspiring article I found recently on the benefits of laughter by author Jennifer Macleay that I would like to share with you today... I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

For those who want to go straight to laughter therapy to begin healing immediately click here to go to a site all about how laughter can heal. You'll also find an opt in box there on the right hand side, to sign up for a complimentary 'Benefits Of laughter' E-Course, packed with tips, interesting information and advice

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I have been doing some study on the benefits of laughter . The reason for this is that my husband and I have the responsibility of managing a guesthouse. One of the functions of this guesthouse is to provide accommodation for workers who are assisting in third world countries.

These workers may be sick or burnt out or just in need of a break. I set about to collect a book of jokes to place on the coffee table to be a source of cheer. I decided to go further and include some of the physical benefits of laughing . What I found was quite enlightening and I found that my own spirits were lifted from doing this study.

One may question does God have a sense of humor?
The stock answer is: of course, He made you and me didn't He

In recent years there has been many studies and much written on the benefits of laughter so I won't go into detail in this article, except to serve as a reminder.

Laughing is thought to help you to fight illnesses and tumours.

Laughing reduces pain

Laughing acts as a muscle relaxant for example if someone is fearful of injections, a laugh just before will do wonders.
Laughing reduces allergic responses.
Laughing lifts your mood or your spirit.
Laughing reduces the effect of stress by lowering stress hormone levels.
One study showed that laughing helped keep diabetes under control.
Lowers blood pressure.
Improves brain and mental functions.
Gives a feeling of inner joy.

This is just a brief view of a few benefits of laughing. Although these are from relatively recent studies, the ancient words of Proverbs, which is writings of practical advice for daily living, confirms that: A cheerful heart is good medicine. The second half of this verse confirms what recent studies have found in angry, unhappy people, that their health deteriorates. Proverbs says: a crushed spirit dries up the bones. (Proverbs 17:22)

Learn how to transform pain into joy

My work as a clinical nurse has bought me in contact with a lot of older people. What stands out to me is that just about every old person 85 years plus, who does not have dementia, has a wonderful sense of humor. One dear old lady, had a long list of severe physical problems on her medical records, but to see her it was hard to believe, she just kept on keeping on with life, laughing and telling jokes as she went.

Although times may be tough and hard, Proverbs also says: the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

For a number of years we lived in a remote part of Papua New Guinea. We had to radio out to a town on the other side of the range with an order for the supplies that we needed. These supplies were bought and put on a boat that took several days to get to where we could pick them up. From our place to the pickup point was a two-day hike over rough mountainous trails and across dangerous rivers.

Quite often on arrival to meet the boat we would find that rough seas had turned the boat back. Or we may have ordered crucial parts for the chainsaw. Then after this long process to get them, we found that the wrong parts had been sent. This of course was causing much delay and frustration. We ate a lot of local foods when they were available, but we took the opportunity when a supply trip was coming up to order in some special things like canned foods and eggs. You can imagine our despair to find 18 dozen eggs, all broken and smelly after the two-day hike back from the boat because someone did not treat them with care.

So how does one deal with these extra frustrations in an already trying situation. For starters we had a deep conviction that despite all these events, God was still sovereign.

We would sit around the meal table, there were four of us, and we would take these frustrating events and turn them into humor.

We would use our imagination to concoct the most way out stories of how these events went wrong. We would laugh and laugh at each ones story. Then we might see who could think up the most uses for 18 dozen rotten eggs. Or what could we make out of all these useless chainsaw parts that we had collected through frustrating mistakes. We found that despite our often-desperate situations that the cheerful heart has a continual feast.

As wonderful as laughing is it is not always appropriate to laugh, and discernment is needed to be wise with ones humor. As the Bible states in Ecclesiastes: There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.

By Jennifer Macleay Article Directory http://www.articledashboard.com

Back Pain: What Does it Mean?

There's more to back pain than meets the eye.The key to its cure may lie more in dealing with the underlying meaning of pain than simply dealing with its physical manifestation and symptoms.

I was a young woman abroad, travelling around and teaching to pay my way. It had begun as a very enjoyable adventure, exploring and interacting with the many different cultures, people and places I cam across as I savoured the sense of freedom and play that being abroad seemed to bring.

Then one day I got up in the morning to go and deliver my class as usual and felt a nagging and persistent pain in my back It came across as a deep, tired ache. Bending backwards was a real problem for me. It was the ability to bend forwards that led the doctor to say I was fine and should go to work. By the look in his eye it was obvious what my backache meant to him –that I was playing a 'fast one' to get out of a day's teaching!

To me it meant:

* suffer silently, ignore the problem and pop the pills as I go to work so I don’t lose my job

* not being able to deliver my teaching well through lack of concentration and energy

* that when I need help no-one listens as often happened in childhood

* feeling unsupported and alone - that no-one cares or understands, or even wants to

* feeling like a victim - 'why me?'

* that my efforts to be happy are usually sabotaged by unexpected events

* remembering the car accident a few years before, during a traumatic kidnap attempt where my back took the brunt of the impact

* being burdened with yet another challenge and having to make the best of it

* a drain on my energy turning a natural zest for life into an act of suffering and 'bearing up' under the strain

I think the conclusion of all of this is that back pain is not as straightforward and simple a condition as it sounds. We need to look at what MEANING it has for the person who is experiencing it and understand that all of these thoughts, memories and accompanying emotions can act as additional stressors to aggravate or even cause the condition in the first place. So any treatment of the pain needs to include an investigation into what meaning it has for the patient and a way needs to be provided to work through or let go of these stressors which otherwise can get in the way of our body's natural healing processes

We could explore what 'new meanings' might be assigned to the experience to enhance and encourage restoration and wellness.

* seeing the pain as a 'wake-up' call, a message that something needs to be done. Being the ‘victim’ is just one way of seeing it. I can make a more empowering choice for myself and see the pain as a simple and supportive message from the body that 'something needs to be addressed'

* It is an opportunity to take a nurturing attitude towards myself. I can experiment with laughter or EFT for example, since it is well known that these techniques are very good for pain relief and wellness

Understanding the effects that 'meanings attached to pain' can have gives us the choice and opportunity to address the underlying factors and come up with a cure instead of just 'putting up' with the pain or popping pills that can often do more harm than good

And you can make a fast start in that direction right now by getting hold of my free video at
www.instantnaturalpainrelief.com

The Benefits Of Laughter and Playing on Purpose

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The benefits of Laughter and Playing on Purpose
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Part 1: The Happiness Factor: Foundations for a Healthy World
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When it comes to improving your health and well-being, one of the best things you can do is have a good laugh! Not only does laughter help to improve the health of your body, it also brings more happiness and joy. In addition, the more you laugh with the people you love, the closer you become and the healthier your relationships can be.

More and more people today are looking for ways to cope with the stresses and strains of everyday life, to find a way to more joyful and vibrant living

Laughter can help you deal with the trials and challenges of your day. When you find a way to laugh in the midst of your problems, you automatically shift towards a more hopeful and optimistic frame of mind and this can be quite contagious.

Compassion, joy, love, and humour are the main ingredients for a healthy heart, mind and soul and the ability to truly celebrate life

So make it your goal to find something to laugh at every day, and to take yourself a little less seriously

Laughter is All in Your Mind
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Researchers have found that, when we laugh “feel good” hormones called endorphins are released in the brain. Laughter has long been considered a great medicine.

Numerous studies have shown that the act of laughing can have important healing effects – including helping to keep the heart healthy, lowering blood sugar levels, and giving the immune system a boost. So, not only does laughter make your heart feel light and happy, it actually improves your health as well!

When you ‘play the clown’ and combine that with the practice of mindfulness you can develop a conversation with the soul and connect with your own strengths, inner wisdom, joy and optimism.

This ‘Clown Focus’ raises the spirits and nourishes your body, through the practice of using your imagination, sense of humour and laughter.

Laugh When Things Are Going Wrong
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It might be fairly easy to laugh and joke on your good days but what about when things aren’t going quite so smoothly?

It is important to actively develop the skill of using humour to deal with stress and apply it as a highly effective coping strategy at times when the going gets tough.

There is a real sense of exhilaration that comes from learning to use your
sense of humour to pull yourself up. One way of accessing this is to get in touch with your Inner Clown

We all have an Inner Clown inside of us waiting to be discovered.
It's a character we can play that gives us permission to be free, to rediscover our childlike spontaneity, creativity and pure delight. It invites us to reconnect to the playful child inside.

Through the years, we lose touch with the brightness of life, our inner spark and things become dark and grey. But the clown helps to rekindle that spark, to restore the color and brightness, to restore our sense of wonder and joy.
It involves stepping outside of your usual way of looking at the world, being curious and intentionally naïve, excited by everything, out to explore and stepping into a world of wonder and delight.

Clown Focus Therapy is a program that enables you to get in touch with your Inner Clown in a way that is both fun and sacred, using the Language of the Soul which often uses compassionate humour and metaphor to communicate to you what you most need to know to live joyfully and in the best of health.

Laughter becomes the focus, to develop an awareness of the ‘bigger’ you which exists beyond all of your problems. From it you can draw inspiration and connection to the happiness that already exists within.

People who can tap into their sense of humour in stressful times have a much greater resilience and are more emotionally flexible in the midst of the difficulties they face. It is a great coping tool and a skill that you can easily learn to develop.

"I would never have made it if I could not have laughed. Laughing lifted me momentarily. . . out of this horrible situation" (Victor Frankl on his experiences in a Concentration camp)

Terry Anderson, held captive in Lebanon for over 6yrs, describes in his book, Den of Lions, how a sense of humour helped him and his fellow prisoners cope.

"Despite everything, it's amazing sometimes how much laughing we do.. .. It's just a relief to be able to laugh at something."

Jokes can help you to take emotional control of the situation

Just imagine what a daily dose of serious attitude does to the quality of your life. It can be seriously stifling and can rob you of the many opportunities for joy that a more upbeat, positive attitude brings.

"Laughter sets the spirit free to move through even the most tragic circumstances. It helps us shake our heads clear, get our feet back under us and restore our sense of balance and purpose. Humour is integral to our peace of mind and ability to go beyond survival." (Captain Gerald Coffee, POW in Vietnam)

Love Yourself for Who You Are
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When you stop taking yourself so seriously you become free to accept yourself as you are, enabling you to release the internal struggle that is taking place inside. As a result, you will actually feel revitalized and energized.
And the happier you are, the more at peace you are with yourself. This results in a continual cycle of positivism, as being happy leads to even more happiness.

After all, continually battling with that internal tug-of-war is physically, mentally, and emotionally draining. When you lay that battle to rest, your body and mind can rest as well.

Exercise your laughter muscles
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Clown Focus Therapy shows how Humour Skills, such as Caricature, or Exaggeration With Compassion, can free you from internal struggle. You learn to step outside of your limiting roles, those ‘parts’ that you believe you should ‘play’ a certain way. Roles such as being a parent, a child, an office employee, or a significant other can often become heavy with expectation and feel suffocating. In order to find true happiness, you need to realize that you are bigger than the roles you take yourself to be. Learn to master them and the emotions they are attached to rather than allowing them to master you

It can help keep your problems in perspective

By bringing your feelings and thoughts out into the spotlight, you can effectively find ways to change your way of thinking and release internal struggle. You become more able to loosen your attachment to the negative feelings or stressful situations and become empowered with more positive choices for yourself.

Bill Cosby once said, "If you can find humour in anything, you can survive it."

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Joy's unique style and teaching comes from 30 years' experience in the field of personal and spiritual growth making use of a wide range of ancient and contemporary techniques blended into an approach and style which she likes to call "Spiritual growth, healing and fun!" This includes dynamic interactive meditation, creative visualisation, energy work, the practice of mindfulness, sacred clowning and inner spiritual adventures.

Her strong belief in the greatness that lies within everyone makes her a fine spiritual journey facilitator and guide as she invites you to dive deep into your essential being to re-emerge celebrating and free. Joy 'dances' with the inner wisdom of her clients through a gentle, yet deep, soul searching experience, to encourage and support an opening on the path of healing and spiritual growth, beyond blockages and pain to true, transformational awakening and joyful vibrant living

http://www.clownfocustherapy.com
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/joy_idries.html