Laugh it off

Have you ever had a real laugh before? Have you ever really laughed out loud before? How about laughing till your ribs hurt and you are out of breath and cannot even stand or sit properly? How did you feel afterwards? And if you haven’t done any of these before then I can bet you are missing out on one of the most refreshing activities in life. 

Life can and will almost always throw curve balls at you. You will have to experience lots of sorrow and pain in certain parts of your life, but you do not have to suffer through anxiety and worry. If spending time worrying and stressing on problems cannot solve them, why bother? So the next time you feel stress coming up, or you feel yourself getting anxious about anything, get a comedy flick, throw your feet up on the coffee table and laugh it off. 

Researchers have discovered some pretty amazing things about laughter.

1.       Blood flow; apparently some researchers at the University of Maryland studied the effects on people and their blood vessels when they were shown some comedy. After the screening, the blood vessels of the group who watched the comedy behaved normally -- expanding and contracting easily whereas the blood vessels in another group of people who had watched a drama tended to tense up, restricting blood flow.

2.       Immune booster; It has been discovered that, laughter actually causes an increase in the release of infection-fighting antibodies in the body, thus raising the immune level. So the more you laugh, the better your chances of fighting common infections and viruses. Isn’t this better and cheaper than medicine?

3.       Relaxation and sleep; Well I can definitely testify to this one. Laughing relieves tension, relaxes muscles and improves blood flow. These factors are basically the requirements for relaxation and a sound sleep. It also promotes pain relief and digestion.

The bible advises us to cast our cares on God for he loves us and will cater for us. Jesus told the disciples to observe the lilies of the valley and the birds of the skies and know how they neither sow nor work a farm but are clothed and fed every day. He then admonishes them to acknowledge their significance in the kingdom of God and to be content in the knowledge that, their father in heaven will provide for them. How many of us can add even a minute to their lives by worrying? All we do by worrying is increase our blood pressure and make us susceptible to all manner of lifestyle ailments.

From this day forward, make a conscious effort to laugh your stress off. Get a few clean comedy flicks and treat yourself to a laughter therapy at least 30 minutes every day. You will have fun and stay healthy too. Have a funny day. Hehehehehehehehehe.