My not-so-serious life with my boys. (Special thanks to Ian Houston for the photo.)
Sometimes, laughter really is the best medicine.
I recently represented the National Psoriasis Foundation at “How to Dance in the Rain: Rx for Mind, Body, and Spirit,” an autoimmune conference hosted by the Scleroderma Foundation-Michigan Chapter. There were five great conference speakers in all, but Dr. Ashraf Sadeghi-Girgis from Grand Rapids, Mich., really caught my attention.
She began her “Fake It Well” presentation by having the audience stand and fake a few deep belly laughs. Because we felt and looked so silly, our fake belly laughs soon turned into real laughter, and it was contagious! I think some of us even had tears in our eyes from laughing so hard.
And that’s a good thing!
Dr. Sadeghi-Girgis says laughter therapy has all kinds of good health benefits for those with chronic illness:
Reduces stress hormones,
Improves circulation,
Exercises muscles,
Helps to alleviate depression and anxiety, and
Decreases pain intensity.
And while a little chuckle does help, it’s those deep laughs that make the real impact.
But here’s the thing: You don’t have to truly have something to make you laugh. Fake it until you make it! Grab a mirror, start making silly faces, and fake some deep belly laughs as you throw your arms in the air. Even if your fake laughs don’t turn into real laughter, you’re still reaping the benefits. It turns out that even though our minds can tell the difference between a real and fake laughter, our bodies can’t.
With chronic illness, we look for ways to take control, especially when we feel we have none. Faking laughter is one great way to do that. If we can trick our bodies into feeling better, even for a short time, without added medicine, why not give it a try!
And, if you want to find others to laugh with you, seek out a laughter club, where people get together to simply laugh and have a good time. (Google it! It’s a real thing.)
Or maybe laughter yoga is more your style. That’s right! Laughter yoga. How cool is that!
So, watch a silly TV show, listen to some comedy radio, reminisce about a funny story from your childhood, find others to laugh with you, or just fake it. Your body and mind will most likely thank you for it.
Keep calm and laugh on!
For more information from Dr. Sadeghi-Girgis, including nutrition, lifestyle, and holistic approaches to improve autoimmune diseases, visit www.curenaturally.org.
