If there is anything empty nesters need when they are hurting are reasons to laugh. Laughter, the best medicine of all costs us nothing. Well, that might not be a true statement. It costs some awareness, and awareness is the first step in all worthwhile endeavors. Out loud laughter is a wonderful healer, and it behooves us to implement it in our lives.
Laughter has short-term and long-term health benefits and works best when everyone in a group can participate. But the absolute best laughter is when we laugh at ourselves. When we make it a part of our daily lives, we will realize how much we need this natural antidote to human suffering.
1. When Laughter Created A Medical Miracle
I wish I still had the article. But anyone who knows me knows how much I love Reader’s Digest magazine. I have been reading them for years, and there is one story that I will never forget. So, there was a man hospitalized with terminal cancer whose doctors had given up.
A Brother-In-Law To The Rescue
To combat boredom during what was expected to be his last days, his brother-in-law brought a bag of old comedy movies for him to watch. He put on one of the movies, and they laughed like crazy. The patient continued to go through the bag of movies. And every day, the hospital staff could hear him laughing from down the hall at the nurses’ station.
Suddenly, They Were Looking At Medical Miracle
Then something miraculous happened. Not only did that man’s health improve, he completely rid his body of every cancer cell! His doctors were baffled because their patient received neither chemotherapy nor radiation therapy, so they didn’t understand how he was cancer-free!
Laughter Was Not What The Doctors Ordered
His medical team even consulted with oncologists from across the globe. In the end, they contributed to his recovery through the implementation of daily laughter. Although it was not what his doctors ordered, laughter is what cured that man. And a caring gesture from a family member got it all started.
Paying It Forward Through Comedy
Afterward, the man returned to the hospital where he had been a patient. But this time, his only mission was to distribute funny movies to the patients in the oncology ward. Sometimes, he even stayed and watched the film with them. The story convinced me that out loud laughter has healing power!
2. How Laughter Affects Immunity
Laughter improves your immune system. Positive thoughts (the kind you get while laughing) releases neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more severe illnesses.
Something For The Pain
Laughter is also a great pain reliever. Believe it or not, laughter can cause the body to make natural pain relievers that might make you feel better.
3. Got Stress And Anxiety? Laugh Out Loud!
One of the best things you can do for stress, anxiety, and depression is laugh. It can become a habit to confess constantly; I am depressed, I am stressed, and I have high levels of anxiety. I am not making fun of any of that; no pun intended. But I am trying to get you to see that you have a great option here. It is a matter of positively changing how things are going in your life. And you get to make that decision or not.
Tell Your “Guests” To Go Somewhere
Some of us like to hold on to things because they are familiar, even if they are detrimental. Start shaking that habit, friends. Stop allowing the guests in your mind to stay longer if they are not helping you. Tell anxiety and stress that they are no longer welcome to hang out in your body and mind. They have long ago outstayed their welcome, and their time is up!
4. We Have To Let It Happen
I know this stuff works because I let it work for me. Notice that I said, “let.” We can block our blessings if we seek some profound spiritual thing to rescue us. I am not saying that some situations don’t call for a more profound intervention; sometimes, they do.
Don’t Overthink It
But this stuff is not deep, so there is no need to look for some esoteric movement to rescue you. Just laugh. Find something that makes you laugh out loud. Do it at least once daily to see if it lowers your stress and anxiety.
L-E-T
Some of you may have heard of Bishop TD Jakes. I will never forget the first sermon I heard him preach about 30 years ago. One of my co-workers loaned me a VHS tape of his speech titled “Let.” LET. I don’t remember the details of the teaching, but I invite you to dwell on that word for a minute.
“Laughing makes us healthy by easing stress, anxiety, and fear. Laughter helps to stay present, so our unfounded fears get put aside.”
5. Make Sure Everyone Can Get In On It
Some things are funny, but there is one type of laughter that I despise. I do not find it funny when the laughter is at someone else’s expense. That was one of my pet peeves when I taught in the school system. Some kids got a thrill out of making fun of other students.
Anything For A Laugh
They would do anything for a laugh, even if it hurt another student. Of course, they felt good because they got other students to laugh at another classmate.
Boiling Blood
But it makes my blood boil because it is a fact that some teenagers have committed suicide after suffering constant teasing and belittling at the hand of their schoolmates.
6. Don’t Make Someone Pay For Your Laughter
We had one situation where a parent disenrolled their son from our school. The mother said he would cry to sleep every night because other kids at our school were making fun of him. I never saw or heard it in class because I would have shut it down. But it happened almost daily in a few of his other classes, and no one stopped it. After the student left our school, I learned that it also happened frequently during lunch recess when teachers were less attentive.
Laughter Should Not Include Cruelty
I told my students that I didn’t know anyone who loved to laugh as much as I did. However, it is not funny when the “joke” is at another student’s expense. Instead, it was downright insulting and cruel.
Be Careful Because Karma Remembers
I used that opportunity to explain the power of Karma and how cyclical life can be. I asked them to imagine the day when their child came home crying because other students were making fun of them at school.
Sadly, even some adults like to taunt and make fun of people. But that isn’t funny to me. People don’t realize that God keeps good records. And that stuff boomerangs right back at them in one form or another.
7. Laughter Out Loud First Thing in The Morning
Most people don’t even want to think about being awake at 6:00 a.m., let alone trying to be perky that early in the morning. But at one former job, I went in at 6:00 a.m. daily armed with my Reader’s Digest magazine. I would share the laughs with a co-worker named Glenn. It became so routine that he would come to my desk and say, “Okay, Denise. What laughs do you have for me today?” LOL!
I’m Laughing At How Hard You Are Laughing!
Then I would whip out something from the “All In A Day’s Work” or the “Laughter, The Best Medicine” section of the magazine. And Glen and I would be in there cracking up!
I once shared a Reader’s Digest joke with Richard, one of my “work sons. After seeing how hard he was laughing, I said, “Isn’t that hilarious?”
He said, “Ms. Denise. I don’t know if the joke is funny, but I’m laughing at how hard YOU are laughing!” And that made me laugh even louder!
8. Recall Something That Made You Laugh
Since we all have different life experiences, the same things don’t tickle us. I can sit in my kitchen, recalling something funny from childhood, and then start laughing loudly. I don’t have to listen to a staged comedian to find laughter, but there is also a time for that.
Laughter Affects Every Major Organ
Laughter can stimulate your organs by enhancing your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulating your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increasing the endorphins released by your brain.
9. Putting Myself On Blast Now
One day, my cell phone was sitting on the dashboard of my car, and as I made a hard turn, it fell. (Something that has happened many times before). When I got to the store to pick up an ordered item, I needed help finding my cell phone. I assumed it had fallen to the floor. My order confirmation was on my phone, so I needed it to pick up my item. I was getting very frustrated because I knew the phone had to be in the car as I was driving when it fell.
On The Ground In The Parking Lot
I was in a parking lot, but I got on the ground and looked underneath and between the seats. I shudder when I consider what that must have looked like to people passing by. (I am covering my face as I write this. LOL).
The Officer Got On The Ground Too! LOL!
I even got a police officer outside the store to help me find it. He got down on the ground to look underneath the seats as I had done. The officer then called my phone four times, but it went straight to voicemail each time. (I later learned that it did not recognize his number, so his calls were intercepted as spam calls).
10. So Much Going On
I know that a lot in this world makes us cry or want to cry. And sometimes, there are things in our personal lives that make us cry or want to cry. Trust me. I know. I went through an emotional funk for nearly a decade. And like some of you, I have also lost loved ones whose presence I miss daily.
Global Covid deaths, political strife, racial division, and trauma make it harder to find reasons to laugh. But we have to do it if we want to survive and thrive.
“Sometimes, you have to laugh to keep from crying.” – My Mama
Looking back, I wish I had remembered to laugh more during those dark years. Sometimes, we forget to remember things. That is okay. We got it now, right?
11. The Best Laughter Is When We Laugh At Ourselves
My best belly laughs happen when I have done something embarrassing and laugh loudly at myself. At times, I had taken life a little too seriously, especially when I was in the thick of an unhappy “situation-ship” some call marriage.
Be Delibate – Laugh Every Day
Since then, I have committed to finding at least one thing to laugh at daily. Every single day. Sometimes, that means watching a short but funny YouTube clip. Other times, it could mean reminiscing about an old family story with one of my siblings.
Even A Chuckle Can Work Miracles
I am not in an environment to laugh loudly; a small chuckle is also very effective. Instead of taking everything so seriously or as a negative, we need to learn to laugh more at what we do and what others do. In other words, we can reframe our perception of the situation.
12. Everything But The Damn Cell Phone
The other embarrassing part was that we pulled a lot of pre-pandemic paper trash from under my car seats. Yet, I knew the phone was in my car because my music was still playing through Bluetooth. We were both baffled, and I told the officer that things felt a little “spooky.” LOL! The officer was very kind and apologized for not finding my phone, but of course, he did all he could do.
In The Steering Column! LOL!
As it turned out, I drove back home to use my second cell phone to call the misplaced phone. Guess what? The dang-on thing rang from inside the steering column! It had fallen into the steering column shaft, which I did not know was possible.
Like a Good Neighbor
Then I sheepishly solicited help from a neighbor who fetched it out in two seconds! With my hand covering my face and shaking my head at myself, all I could get out was, “Denise. Denise….Seriously?” And my neighbor smiled sheepishly.
13. Showing Officer Hall My Phone
That entire scenario took over an hour! So, I returned to the store to pick up my items and showed my phone to Officer Hall, who tried to help me. I told him where the phone had fallen, and he could hardly believe it. It was hilarious. But he assured me that he had seen worse. (I think he was trying to make me feel better).
Self-Embarrassment Can Be Funny, Too!
Everyday laughter works better for me than staged jokes which can go right over my head. Yes, I was a little (actually a lot) embarrassed. But I LAUGHED at myself, and somehow that made it all better.
Reframe Your Perception of Your Situation
Instead of taking everything so seriously or negatively, we need to learn to laugh at some things we do. In other words, we can reframe our perception of the situation and allow laughter to overshadow the embarrassment.
Heal All Areas of You
In closing, between deliberate laughter and expressions of gratitude, we might be able to heal all our physical, mental, and spiritual diseases. Are you willing to try it and see if it makes a difference in your life? I believe you will be happy if you do.
Keep well, everybody!
Remember, you can always comment on this or any article in the space below. Or, if you prefer, you can email your comments or questions to me at Denise@TalkGumbo.com.
Related links:
The Benefits of Expressing Gratitude
