I always have a spring in my step when the sun shines, and waking up to bright mornings is inspiring.
Whether it is to have a quick walk in nature; feeding the ducks, capturing the dewdrops on flower petals, or moments of laughter.
I love to laugh in nature. Laughter plays an important part in my life because there are so many things happening globally every day, that could dampen our spirits if we allow them to.
A solitary walk in nature makes me feel good; the smell of grass, the blowing of leaves in the wind, and the earth beneath my feet make me feel rooted and grounded.
Does laughter make you happy, or do you laugh when you are happy?
Yes, read that again please.
Laughter makes me happy because laughter helps to change neurons in my brain, that stimulate brain chemicals that help to maintain my nervous system. Having a healthy nervous system is important, as it improves our ability to manage our minds.
I also feel an instant uplift in my mood when I am in green spaces of nature; Hence, my feel-good moments are magnified when I combine laughter and being in nature.
Our feel-good moments depend on how much effort we put into our self-care practices.
Stress levels within our bodies affect our muscular and skeletal systems. Stress causes our muscles to tighten and inhibit our movements. When there is a lack of mobility, flexibility, or strength in our bodies, we might experience feelings of sadness and anxiety.
No one likes to feel muscular pain, right?
The brain and the body correlate, and the signals we send to our brains play an important factor in how our body feels.
Did you know that the body produces natural morphine?
Yes, when we laugh, the brain produces endorphins, a natural pain reliever. So laughter helps me to fight pain and feel good.
You get a rush of happiness when you laugh. That rush helps with our blood circulation and our cardiovascular system, which is responsible for pumping blood around our bodies. When our cardiovascular is at its optimal performance, our blood flows better around our body making us feel more alive.
Laughing stabilises our mood by raising our blood pressure when we laugh, and lowering our blood pressure when we stop and makes us feel more relaxed.
In using Laughter as therapy, we need to know what makes us feel good.
We need to remember that the mind is powerful and that we are the only ones that have control over our minds.
Depression in long and short bouts can appear like magic out of nowhere, and it is easy to want to give in to it.
Let us find ways of doing things that make us feel good. Here are some of mine:
- I take notes of things that might make you feel down.
- I take notes of the things that make you feel good.
- I make it a habit to analyse my emotional triggers, which enables me to make changes before depression sets in.
Some of the things that might trigger happy hormones in us are simple, pleasant thoughts.
- Is it the thought of your grandmother drinking coffee?
- Thoughts about your favourite nephew or niece?
- Memories of the happiness you saw in someone when they achieved a goal that they had set for themselves?
- Or that comedy that made you feel like you could laugh yourself to death?
There are so many things that could evoke laughter.
Having moments of gratitude play an important role in our ability to laugh and see the humourous sides of things too. This helps us to shift our focus from whatever negative influences there might be in our daily lives.
Bad habits are hard to break, but we can make big changes in our lives, small steps at a time.
I hope that my post has made you feel good. Please feel free to share some of the activities, places, or things you do that feel good.
All images are mine
Photos taken in Llagollen, Wales
March 18, 2022
Wes...
