Better Than Yesterday | #9

LOL! Laughter is good for the soul.
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When is the last time you’ve laughed so hard that tears poured down your cheeks and your belly hurt? Remember how you felt afterwards? Like a weight had been lifted from your shoulders? That is just one of the medicinal qualities of laughter. Beyond stress relief, there are other beneficial qualities, as well. Laughter strengthens your immune system, releases endorphins which boosts mood and diminishes pain, burns calories, and can quickly change your perspective on a bad event or day. Further, laughter is contagious. I love the memories from school of being in class and making eye contact with my smirking best friend and feeling the irresistible urge to laugh. And as soon as one of us let the slightest giggle escape it was over. All of us have had days that just completely suck but then something silly happens causing a good hard laugh. Afterwards we inevitably say, “Ah, I needed that!”

In the past several strange, isolated months, laughter has been a bit hard to come by. With parents and students experiencing the new stress of homeschooling, the uncertainty of the months to come, and the fear of a loved one getting sick, laughter is scarce. Further, most laughter doesn’t come from hearing jokes, but rather from spending time with friends and family. While quarantining has protected us from illness, we are missing out on the social stimulus needed to experience humor.

But it doesn’t have to be all gloom and doom. Just like all the wellness challenges, sometimes it just takes a little focus! Your challenge this week is simply to laugh. Not just chuckle - but a good hard belly laugh! Understanding that it’s difficult to conjure that up out of the blue, especially if you are alone, below is a list of some things that might help. Personally, I get a huge kick out of scaring people. If you have anything to add to the list to get others laughing, list it in the comments on the Facebook post.

Here are some suggestions to help:

• Call a friend and bring out some crazy time you shared in your past
• Visit: www.mashable.com/article/funny-YouTube-videos-reddit 
• Watch some funny animal videos
• SNL skits: Chippendale Dancers, Cowbell, Debbie Downers, Spartan Cheerleaders
• Movies: Raising Arizona, Stepbrothers, Love Stinks, Just Married, Old School
• TV Series: Schitts Creek, The Office