Laughter is the Best Medicine

We are living in stressful times made more intense by rapid, unanticipated changes caused by unexpected and unpredictable behaviors. Our thoughts are being disrupted by a constant barrage of unverifiable, opposing information like we are the captive audience to a tennis match of a dysfunctional family gathering’s emotional bloodletting.

This is not a healthy situation. We need to break the tension so we can step back and reaffirm that we love one another and release any negative energy, so we can make space for peace and positivity.

Chapter Six of my book, “The Art of Radical Self Love: The First Steps to Healing & Well-Being”, is titled “Eating, Laughing, Relaxing, Transforming Everyday Behaviors into Loving and Healing Actions”.

There are two ways to get immediate relief from stress. One is relaxation. I was certified as a hypnotherapist in 1983. Hypnosis can be described as a state of profound physical relaxation coupled with focused mental concentration. Deep relaxation techniques are part of my daily life. I encourage everyone to learn self-hypnosis as well as about the less benevolent uses of mass hypnosis outlined in the late Dick Sutphen’s 1984 speech “The Battle for Your Mind”, which is available on the internet. Information is self-empowerment.

The other path is laughter. Just as we can practice a relaxation response, we can have a laughter response. Laughter is not logical, so it disrupts our brain’s routine ways of organizing information by introducing something random, giving us the superpower to bring new concepts into our thought processes and confound our monkey brain. We can laugh about stories about human nature that highlight our common struggles and mistakes. Humor and laughter help us cope during times of crisis. To paraphrase G. K. Chesterton, life is serious, but living doesn’t need to be. We need mirth or we will have madness. Mark Twain wrote, “The human race has only one really effective weapon, and that is laughter.” Humor offers a creative alternative to violence. The physical act of laughter has beneficial effects on our body and spirit. And laughter is contagious, so we can share the joy. You can’t hate your neighbor when you’re laughing with them.

What makes you laugh? Practice, practice, practice. We’re allowed to laugh, even in times of disaster. Humor lifts humanity up above the results of violence and warfare. Human life is basically a play with tragic and comedic interpretations for every act. Keep life in the Big Picture perspective. Give yourself permission to have intermittent bouts of laughter. A sense of humor is essential.

Your heart radiates the love that you are. You are at peace and a source of healing for yourself and others. You are a blessing to the world. And that’s the truth.