Be Made Whole 6 | Page 26

The joy of wellness coaching is the freedom to assist individuals in identifying their very own formula for wellness and wholeness. Along with that freedom comes outside of the box thinking and trying new things. Let’s take stress for instance. Most, if not all of us, are bombarded on a daily basis by stress. Yet the major impact that stress will ultimately have on our bodies and our minds has to do with how well we cope. Taking care of ourselves on all levels is an important part of optimal wellness and wholeness. We can all agree on the importance of eating a healthy diet, engaging in regular physical activity and quiet time in prayer and meditation to ward off stress…but how about laughter? Have we considered laughter seriously enough as a stress management tool as well? Mounting research conducted over the past decade supports the idea that laughter is an excellent self care tool for coping with stress. It appears humor not only reduces stress, but stimulates the immune system and renews energy.

Stress has been shown to create unhealthy physiological changes in our bodies. The connection between high blood pressure, muscle tension, immunosupression and many other changes has been known for years. Yet there is now proof available that laughter creates the opposite effects. In addition to lowering blood pressure and decreasing tension, the experience of laughter specifically lowers serum cortisol levels, increases the number of activated T lymphocytes, increases natural killer cells and increases the number of T cells, all functions that have immune boosting effects.

As we go throughout daily life, it is important to become aware that the emotions and moods we experience and how we respond to them directly affect our immune system. Positive emotions have a positive effect. Finding humor in a situation and laughing freely with others can be a powerful antidote to stress and the improvement of our well-being. A sense of humor gives us the ability to find delight, experience joy, and release tension. We are less likely to succumb to feelings of depression and helplessness if we are able to laugh at what is troubling us. Humor gives us a sense of perspective on our problems. The key is learning how to laugh.

It’s Quite Possible Laughter Is the Best Medicine?

-Tips for Learning to Laugh

•Start with a giggle. Get your whole body involved. If you’re still having trouble, laughter training actually exists.

•Seek out individuals around you who seem to have a flair for seeing the funny side of things. Sometimes laughing at yourself right in the midst of a stressful situation can be tough, but having someone like this around could prove helpful.

•Increase your exposure to humorous material. Begin collecting cartoons, parodies, jokes, reviews of humorous books and interviews with professional humorists.

•Stay in touch with your inner clown, that playful childlike nature. You don’t have to be so serious all the time.

Mrs. Melinda Gore