For April Fools Day it’s important for us to remember to lighten up and enjoy life. At this point it’s cliché of us to say laughter is the best medicine, so instead here are some great health facts about laughter.
- Laughter relieves tension – A good laugh activates and cools down your autonomic stress response. It’s kind of like setting a reset button on your body’s stress levels. It increases your heart rate and blood pressure for a moment then brings you back down to a good, relaxed feeling.
- Laughter boosts your immune system – positive thoughts can release neuropeptides that help fight stress. Less stress means your immune system can function at a higher capacity because your body isn’t strained with other worries.
- Laughter acts as a natural pain reliever – obviously laughter is no substitute for something prescribed by your doctor but laughter can actually cause your body to release some natural pain relieving chemicals. For people coping with emotional pain, even forced laughter can begin to lighten your mood.
On a related note: Learn to let people laugh with you. Today of all days it might be easy to get offended, frustrated, or angry at simple pranks. Having the ability to laugh at yourself and the situation you find yourself in can make life much easier in a variety of ways. When you laugh at yourself, others will laugh with you, not at you, and you will be much happier for it.
So keep that positive outlook. Find humor in situations that may seem humorless. Remind yourself that bad things can usually be undone and good can come from dire situations.
Life’s too short to be in constant frustration. Laugh. Unwind. Enjoy April Fool’s Day.
Sources: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456
