Thursday, October 7: Sharpie on paper
P.S. I gave the following as a talk at Toastmasters this morning:
**Laugh out loud for a sustained time**
Now my blood pressure lower, my stress is reduced, my abs got a work out and I am better looking.
Not only is laughter and smiling an expression of joy and playfulness, but it has a long list of health benefits, a rich spiritual history and provides a wealth of social benefits.
Victor Hugo says that “laughter is the sun that drives the winter from the human face”. And a sunny face is much more attractive! Increasingly hospitals are using laughter formally in healing therapy. In addition to the lower blood pressure, regular hearty laughter reduces stress hormones and boosts the immune system. A good guffaw triggers the release of endorphins that are natural painkillers and produce a general sense of well-being. Aids and cancer patients have attested to its use - it is hard to be depressed when you are laughing and many have reported that ten minutes of laughter can alleviate pain for up to two hours.
It also enhances oxygen intake, stimulates the heart and lungs and improves sleep. Finally, it has been shown to improve mental function with increased alertness, better memory and enhanced creativity. I heard a story of patients diagnosed with acute depression. Some even claimed that they were depressed in their sleep. For one month they were placed in front of a mirror for 30 minutes a day and instructed to smile and laugh. At the end of that time, nearly all of them were off their medication and cured. Now that is power.
On the spirituality front, the laughing exercise I did is a reproduction of a famous speech by a Zen monk. He ended it with “This is true spirituality”. Mother Theresa said that peace begins with a smile. Buddhists have said that laughter can lead to a state of elevation, leading to enlightenment. If you Google it, you can find numerous instructions on laughter meditation. Laughter is one of the easiest ways to free you from the mind's constant thought process and find inner peace. It will make you more alive, more healthy, more creative, and more silent. Simply relax into the enjoyment. You will discover in yourself a tremendous natural talent for rejoicing in life. You may even laugh your way to enlightenment. Yes, it's that good.
In Genesis it says “God has given me laughter and everyone who hears about it will laugh with me.” In Proverbs: “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Laughter is a gift from god. If I can laugh my way to awareness, I will giggle my way to heaven.
But while I am here, I love the social benefits. Laughing and smiling speaks straight to the heart, bypassing the intellect and ego. Joseph Addison said: “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity.” Laughter increases your face value. I know I am better looking when I smile! Laughter is sexy even as laughter burns more calories than sex. Laughter is a universal language. When you smile you draw people to you and laughter and playfulness can strengthen your relationships. Time and again I have had people tell me what a great laugh I have. When I worked in NYC there was a man across the aisle from me that transferred to another department after a year. One day I saw him and he remarked that people asked him what happened to the laughing lady they used to hear in the background on his phone. I used to get embarrassed but now, I laugh more. Because of that some of my friends come and ask me to laugh so they can. Perhaps it is my gift.
Laughter can snap us out of melancholy and put things back into perspective. I know that just an upturn of my lips boosts my spirits instantly. Yes, I can fake it, but only for a minute, then it takes over, and viola, I am smiling, laughing and happier.
The study of laughter and its effects on the human body is called gelotology. I don’t know about all that. I just love the fact that it’s free and there are no know side effects even if it is addicting. I give a smile or a laugh whenever I can, even if it’s just to me. And when I get a smile or giggle out of my infant nephew, I know that the universe likes me. So, I will smirk, smile, grin, snicker, titter, chortle, cackle, giggle, snort, guffaw, howl or roar my way to health, good looks and enlightenment.
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