Laughter Can Save You

We Made Each Other Laugh And Smile

What is laughter and why do we even do it? Some people laugh at funny things while others laugh due to pain and misery. Some also laugh due to mental illnesses such as Pseudobulbar affect, Alzheimer’s dementia, Frontotemporal dementia or even schizophrenia. Clearly, laughter is not always associated with happiness and amusement. But when it is, it’s one of the most potent treatments we have against mental illness and life dissatisfaction.

But then there are the people who are always observed to be miserable and never observed to be laughing. They hold onto their negative emotions so firmly that they become miserable inside; their fury prevents them from enjoying a few good laughs. These are the people who also develop a shorter life expectancy.

Life is not meant to be taken so seriously; if it were, we’d be doing slave labor day and night. But God gave us free will to laugh and enjoy ourselves. He already handed us our punishments since the beginning of time: women must experience the challenge and pain of childbearing and men must grind for a living.

But these punishments are not meant to exclude a good laugh here and there. It is mentioned in the bible, “drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities.” No matter the pain or mental illness which you are experiencing and suffering from, remind yourself that you have already been given one of the greatest blessings of all time: the ability to experience life.

So why go through life being miserable and depressed? Learn how to develop a sense of humor and start to search for and discover the funny side of life. By being more open to humor, smiles, giggles and laughter, you will slowly start to experience a more warming and pleasant state of mind. Learning to connect with others via humor and laughter will also open more social doors for you.

More social doors means more opportunities to alleviate your mental suffering. Experiencing positive human interactions is another natural healer of the ill mind; medications should not always be relied upon. Laughing, humor and socializing often heal the ill mind much more effectively, than a couple of pills called Prozac and Celexa.

Are you laughing yet?

Are you Ready? (This is Defeating Stigma Mindfully)