ARTICLE
It’s true: laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner. On Friday, August 14 at 7 pm, the Santa Cruz County Chamber and DNA Comedy Lab will co-host a webinar entitled Stress is a Laughing Matter -You can find the registration link here: https://web.santacruzchamber.org/events/Stress-is-a-Laughing-Matter-at-DNAs-Virtual-Comedy-Lab-4217/details. For the past six months we have lived in a stressful work, home and community environment as we shelter in place, wear a face covering and follow social distancing protocols — all in an effort to stop the spread of this dreaded coronavirus disease. Every day since March 12, I wake up with anxiety trying to muster the energy to battle forward with a positive strategy to help businesses get back on their feet. It is a non-stop effort to help them educate their employees, work with the chamber’s business partners and the community to seek some sort of normalcy. And the next day is just like yesterday — a repeat. These times remind me that we can overcome all odds. The Simon and Garfinkel song of the 1960s speaks to me: Bridge over Trouble Water — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcwRt6J32o. At a time of trouble we need each other more than ever. The last stanza of the song hits home: Sail on silver girl, Sail on by, Your time has come to shine, All your dreams are on their way, See how they shine, Oh, if you need a friend, I’m sailing right behind, Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind, Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind Laughter can bring instant relief to the thoughts of trouble times, but we need to be receptive to using humor and laughter as a resource for the mind. Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life. Begin by setting aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you might with exercising, and build from there. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything. Here are some thoughts: Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter, and like laughter, it’s contagious. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. Instead of looking down at your phone, look up and smile at people you pass in the street, the person serving you a morning coffee, or the co-workers you share an elevator with. Notice the effect on others. Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the positive aspects of your life will distance you from negative thoughts that block humor and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to reach humor and laughter. When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?” Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. Even if you don’t consider yourself a lighthearted, humorous person, you can still seek out people who like to laugh and make others laugh. Every comedian appreciates an audience. Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?” And finally, take a break with us on Friday, August 14 — to laugh. https://web.santacruzchamber.org/events/Stress-is-a-Laughing-Matter-at-DNAs-Virtual-Comedy-Lab-4217/details. Be Calm, Stay Safe, Buy Local and Laugh a lot.
It’s true: laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.
On Friday, August 14 at 7 pm, the Santa Cruz County Chamber and DNA Comedy Lab will co-host a webinar entitled Stress is a Laughing Matter -You can find the registration link here: https://web.santacruzchamber.org/events/Stress-is-a-Laughing-Matter-at-DNAs-Virtual-Comedy-Lab-4217/details.
For the past six months we have lived in a stressful work, home and community environment as we shelter in place, wear a face covering and follow social distancing protocols — all in an effort to stop the spread of this dreaded coronavirus disease. Every day since March 12, I wake up with anxiety trying to muster the energy to battle forward with a positive strategy to help businesses get back on their feet. It is a non-stop effort to help them educate their employees, work with the chamber’s business partners and the community to seek some sort of normalcy. And the next day is just like yesterday — a repeat.
These times remind me that we can overcome all odds. The Simon and Garfinkel song of the 1960s speaks to me: Bridge over Trouble Water — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcwRt6J32o. At a time of trouble we need each other more than ever. The last stanza of the song hits home: Sail on silver girl, Sail on by, Your time has come to shine, All your dreams are on their way, See how they shine, Oh, if you need a friend, I’m sailing right behind, Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind, Like a bridge over troubled water, I will ease your mind
Laughter can bring instant relief to the thoughts of trouble times, but we need to be receptive to using humor and laughter as a resource for the mind. Laughter is your birthright, a natural part of life that is innate and inborn. Infants begin smiling during the first weeks of life and laugh out loud within months of being born. Even if you did not grow up in a household where laughter was a common sound, you can learn to laugh at any stage of life.
Begin by setting aside special times to seek out humor and laughter, as you might with exercising, and build from there. Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate humor and laughter into the fabric of your life, finding it naturally in everything.
Here are some thoughts:
Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter, and like laughter, it’s contagious. When you look at someone or see something even mildly pleasing, practice smiling. Instead of looking down at your phone, look up and smile at people you pass in the street, the person serving you a morning coffee, or the co-workers you share an elevator with. Notice the effect on others.
Count your blessings. Literally make a list. The simple act of considering the positive aspects of your life will distance you from negative thoughts that block humor and laughter. When you’re in a state of sadness, you have further to travel to reach humor and laughter.
When you hear laughter, move toward it. Sometimes humor and laughter are private, a shared joke among a small group, but usually not. More often, people are very happy to share something funny because it gives them an opportunity to laugh again and feed off the humor you find in it. When you hear laughter, seek it out and ask, “What’s funny?”
Spend time with fun, playful people. These are people who laugh easily both at themselves and at life’s absurdities–and who routinely find the humor in everyday events. Their playful point of view and laughter are contagious. Even if you don’t consider yourself a lighthearted, humorous person, you can still seek out people who like to laugh and make others laugh. Every comedian appreciates an audience.
Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”
And finally, take a break with us on Friday, August 14 — to laugh.
https://web.santacruzchamber.org/events/Stress-is-a-Laughing-Matter-at-DNAs-Virtual-Comedy-Lab-4217/details.
Be Calm, Stay Safe, Buy Local and Laugh a lot.