Laughing and healing

I am a serious person by nature. I've always been that way. Not that I don't enjoy laughing, but I just tend to be serious, a worrier....To give you an idea, I was volunteering for an anti-nuke organization in high school. My favorite Shakespeare play is Romeo and Juliet, which I recited by heart around the dinner table when I was a teen.

So one of the things I've been trying to do in my recovery period is to laugh more. Daily. What a fun assignment you must be thinking...is she for real? You bet on both counts. Laughing is good for healing, and very good for a worrier who is healing.

"Laughter appears to do much more than provide a coping mechanism to face major illness. It can reduce stress hormones and boost the immune system. Laughter can reduce blood pressure by increasing vascular blood flow, and it can provide an aerobic workout. Laughing 100 times is equal in caloric expenditure to 10 minutes on a rowing machine or 15 minutes on an exercise bike. (Which would your patients rather do? And you?)" from the article "Towards Optimal Health: experts discuss therapeutic humor"

I've been getting every decent comedy DVD from the library, as well reading funny authors. McCarthy's Bar and Steve Almond's works are snorting and shaking laughing kinda of books. The more funny things I enjoy, the more I want. It is like chocolate for the soul, but zero calories!

Another gem from the same article:

One of the key ingredients for humor is the ability to be childlike. Having a childlike perspective is different from childish behavior. We can learn a great deal from our children if we are open to their teachings. The next time you find yourself in a pickle or a tight spot, ask yourself,“How would an 8-year old see this situation?” The event can often be reframed into a laughing matter or at least an amused one that is not so loaded and much easier to handle. No one else has to be in on this show because it all takes place in the privacy and safety of one’s mind. There is no risk of embarrassment or judgment. A childlike perspective can be a mature, adult coping mechanism that keeps us young in mind, body, and spirit.

Ok, enough data, so if you want to laugh, check out one of my favorite comics: