A smile is contagious. We’ve all heard this phrase at some point in our lives. Well, the same goes for laughter. It is infectious and even has physical, mental and social health benefits.
A good dose of laughter is proven to help relieve stress including the stress that can develop during recovery. Laughter relaxes your body by relieving tension and stress. The end results are relaxed muscles for at least an hour. Not only can laughing relieve stress, it also gives the immune system a boost by increasing immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies. For recovering addicts, the immune system boost can naturally help our bodies recover from some of the health issues caused by addiction.
The endorphins that are released when you laugh increase your sense of well-being. Endorphins are chemicals in your body that make you feel good. These endorphins make us feel more positive. Laughter can also improve one’s resilience, an essential part of recovery.
Socially, laughing helps to strengthen relationships and ease conflict. Laughing can also help teams work better together and promote group bonding so when working with a group, keeping the mood light can be beneficial.
There are many physical, mental and social benefits provided by a little bit of laughter. All of these benefits will help someone recovering from addiction to keep going with recovery and hopefully make things a little easier.
May 12 is International Laughter Day
Here’s how to infuse a little more laughter into your life.
The simplest way is to smile. It’s true what is said about smiling, that it is contagious and smiling at someone can brighten their day and yours. Plus, a smile is how laughter starts.
Everyone has a friend or family member who is the jester of the group. By spending more time with that person, there is always a good chance that laughter will happen. Also, by not taking yourself or life so seriously, it can help you deal with stress and helps to keep life in perspective.
Some simple activities can also bring around laughter. Try watching a funny movie or television show. The funnies in the newspaper can also spur a chuckle or two. Host a game night with a game like Apples to Apples or Catch Phrase, there’s always room to have fun with games like these.
All in all, humor and laughter can be used to help deal with issues or problems in our lives. Laughter helps us connect with people and become problem solvers. Laughter helps make us happy and keep our stress in check. By making laughing an integral part of your day, it will help you overcome anything life throws your way.