Days Of Laughter

Dear purple butterflies, 
 
For many of us, around the world we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect in every way. Whether you are a girlfriend, mother, father, etc., we tend to put our loved ones before ourselves. It’s human nature. Most of the time we do this when we have a lot on our plate already. When was the last time you had an honest to goodness belly laugh? Whether your answer is last week or last month, remember laughter has always been universal medication. 

laughter noun

1. the action or sound of laughing.
2. an inner quality, mood, disposition, etc., suggestive of laughter; mirthfulness: a man of laughter and goodwill.
3. an expression or appearance of merriment or amusement.
4. Archaic. an object of laughter; subject or matter for amusement.

 
Remember what it was like to laugh so hard that your belly hurt. Your eyes are tearing up to the point it is hard to focus on anything. It is the best feeling in the world. Here’s a bit of laughter trivia for you! Henri de Mondeville, a French professor of surgery (1260-1320) wrote, "Let the surgeon take care to regulate the whole regimen of the patient's life for joy and happiness, allowing his relatives and special friends to cheer him, and by having someone tell him jokes." {Quote reference: Laughter Is A Powerful Medicine}.
 
Norman Cousins (June 24, 1915 – November 30, 1990) was an American political journalist, author, professor, and world peace advocate. During his career, Cousins became quite ill and did extensive research on humor used as medication. "I made the joyous discovery that ten minutes of genuine belly laughter had an anesthetic effect and would give me at least two hours of pain-free sleep," he reported. "When the pain-killing effect of the laughter wore off, we would switch on the motion picture projector again and not infrequently, it would lead to another pain-free interval." {Quote reference: Norman Cousins and https://www.utmb.edu/gem/pdfs/laughter.pdf - Pg. 41 Laughter, The Internal Medicine}. His struggle with that illness and his discovery of laugh therapy is detailed in his 1979 book Anatomy of an Illness as Perceived by the Patient.
 
Laughter has been shown to increase the tolerance of pain, and although unsubstantiated, it is commonly held that laughter releases endorphins, the body’s natural analgesic. Psychologically, at least, laughter serves as a distraction from pain, and one survey of the nonpharmaceutical management of pain rated laughter as the most effective means of coping with it. Moreover, laughter has a lasting effect. After it has subsided, the good feeling that lingers is one not ordinarily felt after other distractions from pain have abated. 
 
Bringing giggles and smiles to kick start your holiday season, may help those low moments we all tend to go through. What helps me is to find a comfortable place in my home and I close my eyes. Making a weekly realistic list of activities that I’d enjoy, helps me stay positive. When you’re laughing and having a good time, it boosts self-confidence. There isn’t time to think about how much pain you’re in. 
         
What events did you think of? I’d love to know what you thought of the exercise, and if it helped relieve any stress or pain. Share any experiences you’ve had in the comments down below! Please continue to stay safe purple butterflies! Thank you for taking the time to read my blog today! If you’re enjoying my blogs, why not subscribe to my website? My blogs will go straight to your email. It’s free to sign up! Tell your friends! Tell your friends to tell their friends!

Till next time! Be well!

~ Rachel 

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