By Lisa Dever, Evergreen Senior Living
What did the pig say on a hot summer day? I’m bakin’. Hopefully that made you chuckle a little! Creating more humor and laughter in your life does more than bring joy and amusement. It has the potential to produce healthy physical changes in your body.
Laughter relieves tension and stress. While decreasing stress, it also boosts your immune system. Who doesn’t feel good when they laugh? It lightens the mood and makes you feel better in a difficult situation. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, and connects you to others. It keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. Between childhood and adulthood, we forget our joyful sides. The average child laughs 400 times per day and the average adult laughs only 15 times per day. Try these simple steps to bring more laughter into your daily routine and see the lighter side of life:
- Spend more time with people who laugh and make you laugh. It’s contagious!
- Laugh at yourself and share funny stories.
- Do more of whatever makes you happy and keeps you laughing.
- Read or collect material from your favorite comedic writers.
- Collect cartoons and jokes that you enjoy to share with friends.
- Be more playful, silly, and improvisational.
- Remember your personal stories that in retrospect are funny. Offer to others when they encounter those problems to help them cope.
- Create and distribute funny emails or memos.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously.
- Give silly, ridiculous cards and gifts.
- Smile… Smile… Smile!
For more information about Evergreen Senior Living or their Speaking Series, which offers Laughter: The Healthy Medicine as one of the topics, please call Cathy Lais at 309-834-2603. Evergreen Senior Living offers an affordable assisted lifestyle for seniors, both those eligible for Medicaid and those paying privately who are seeking the privacy and security of their own apartment with availability of personal assistance and support services. Evergreen Senior Living has two communities conveniently located in Normal at 801 Gregory Street and 1701 Evergreen Boulevard.
Photo credit: Plush Studios/Bill ReitzelThinkstock