Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing more precisely or quite as fast to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh (aside from medication). Humor lightens your mind, makes your burdens seem bearable. It connects you with others, inspires hope and helps to keep you not only focused and alert, but also grounded.Humor is also infectious. Nothing is more infectious than the sound of a roaring laugh. It is more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze could be.  When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases not only happiness but intimacy as well. It can have the domino effect of creating the feelings of joy and amusement.Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humor and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

The million dollar question we all want the answer to is how do you learn to find the humor in life? Especially it feels like life is handing you tacky lemons? There are lots of ways you can develop, or refine your sense of humor, and it is a lot easier than you may think.

• Make Humor a Focal Point. Find a few simple items, such as funny comic strips or photos that make you giggle. Hang them up at home or in your office– where you will see them often. Take a 5 minute “funny bone break” and watch funny clips or shows you remember from your childhood.  Add some of your favorite comedians to your iPod to shuffle through when you need a good laugh break.
• Everything is Funny– You just have to find it. Even the most stressful situations can be funny– it’s just all in how you choose to look at them. Allow yourself to feel the anger, pain or stress. Then try to find the one funny thing from the situation and focus on that. By doing that you will feel your stress start to fade away and your outlook on life start to change. Even if it feels forced at first, practice laughing. It does your body good.
• Share a laugh. Make it a habit to spend time with friends who make you laugh. And then return the favor by sharing funny stories or jokes with those around you.
• Knock-knock. Nothing is funnier than hearing a good joke. Especially when it’s well delivered. Browse through your local bookstore’s selection of joke books and get a few rib ticklers in your repertoire that you can share with friends.
• Know what isn’t funny. Never laugh at the expense of others. Some forms of humor are not appropriate. Use your best judgment to discern a good joke from a bad, or hurtful one.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

This time of year has a tendency to bring out our inner Grinch. Not because we don’t love the forced family fun time celebrating this world-wide holiday, but because we are so stinking stressed out we can’t think straight. That stress has a tendency to make us do and say things that under normal circumstances we would never dream of saying.We are trying our hardest to make the holiday’s memorable and exciting and we have a tendency to forget what matters most. It’s not the amount of packages wrapped under the tree or the candy or fudge we spend hours making. It’s the time we spend  making memories with our loved ones. And, how do you do that? By having fun and laughing with our family and friends.When you find yourself being taken over by your inner Grinch, ask yourself these questions:

• Is it really worth getting upset over?
• Is it worth upsetting others?
• Is it that important?

• Is it that bad?
• Is the situation irreparable?
• Is it really your problem?

After asking yourself these questions, if you still feel like you are being possessed by The Grinch-Meister, then its time to up your game and laugh. It has been proven that people who laugh on a regular basis look on average five to seven years younger than those who do not.

Laughing doesn’t just help you look younger or lighten your load mentally, it can actually cause physical changes in your body. A good gut-busting laugh can have both short and long term benefits. Some of the short term benefits are:

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles. It also increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response and increases your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.
• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

In a study done of nearly 150 college students, those that complained and “vented” to their friends felt less satisfied than those who put their problems in a funny or positive light. Venting keeps the angry thoughts alive and percolating, laughing relaxes you and it just feels good.

Think about it: The last time you laughed so hard you cried, how did you feel after? More than likely you felt really great and the stressful situation was momentarily diffused. A good laugh is a powerful tool.

Laughter isn’t just a quick pick-me-up, though. It’s also good for you over the long haul. What are some of the long term benefits?

• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can impact your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. In contrast, positive thoughts actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.
• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers. Laughter may also break the pain-spasm cycle common to some muscle disorders.
• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.

Check back on Wednesday when we will help you uncover your hidden funny bone.