[2020-09-09] Laughter
When I was in the hospital, a pair of doctors stopped by each morning: one serious and one funny.
The funny one said to me on the third day, "So getting the bandage off today. Are you a rip-it-off-quick kinda person or a remove-it-slowly kinda person?"
"I'm a rip-it-off-quick gal," I said. "Well, slow to start," I qualified, "until you get a good grip, and then let 'er rip."
"Oh, can't make a commitment," he responded.
"Hey," I countered, "I just got married after a 30-year engagement!"
"See, can't make a commitment," he retorted.
We smiled, and he left to continue his rounds.
I like finding humour in everyday situations. When I was in the office, I would often make an unexpected comment to produce laughter. I frequently used laughter to diffuse tense situations and to lessen the stress of high workloads.
However, I have not been deliberate about incorporating laughter into my life. My heavy workload in recent years led me to sacrifice many things: sleep, leisure activities, time with loved ones.
But now, with the luxury of time, and cognizant of the health benefits of laughter, I am looking to bring more humour into my life.
If the connection between a positive outlook and better health outcomes is weak, it is downright irrefutable for the impact of laughter on health. It would appear that the well-known adage "Laughter is the best medicine" is backed by science. Here are just a few benefits of laughter, courtesy of Stress relief from laughter? It's no joke by the Mayo Clinic. Laughter can:
- Relieve stress and induce a relaxed feeling.
- Stimulate organs by enhancing your intake of oxygen-rich air, which stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.
- Stimulate circulation and help to relax muscles.
- Improve your immune system and release neuropeptides that help fight stress and possibly illness.
- Relieve pain by causing the body to produce natural painkillers.
- Make it easier to cope with difficult situations and create a way to connect with other people.
- Improve your mood, including lessening depression and anxiety associated with chronic illness.
Over the years, I have had a few correspondents with whom I regularly shared jokes, but those email exchanges died out years ago. Time to rekindle that practice.
Since I've been on health leave, I've received a few things that have made me laugh or smile, including the photo below of A-maze-ing Laughter, a bronze sculpture by Yue Minjun, located in Vancouver's Morton Park, and this story from a colleague, which he recalled after reading my Smile post.
As a kid, I was walking one day in downtown Vernon BC when I saw chalk-painted letters on the sidewalks saying "start here and follow the signs." Of course I followed—who wouldn't! Periodically there were more words encouraging me to continue and heightening my anticipation, "you will be amazed, you are not going to believe what you see." Finally the last message: "Stop here, look up. Do you see my dirty underpants hanging on the line?" Sure enough there was an old pair of boxers high above on a power line.
I've also included a few jokes that tickled my funny bone today. I hope you enjoy them.
Photo credit: Hugues Lhérisson.
