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Joanie Marx | October 21, 2023
When you are not feeling your best, what is your go-to medicine?
There are endless remedies for what may be ailing you. But there is one particular medicine guaranteed to lift your spirits, heal emotional trauma, and have you loving more of your life.
Laughter is that medicine.
In this 3rd article in “The Healing Power of Laughter” series and the accompanying video, we will explore the soothing medicine of laughter and how it can help you create a more loving life after 60.
Is Laughter Really Effective Medicine?
Laughter has been medically proven to elicit immediate joy, reduce stress, and improve your overall well-being. That also means laughter serves as an effective medicine by reducing the intensity of negative emotions associated with trauma, such as fear, anger, and sadness.
When you laugh with others, a bond of shared experience and mutual support is established, helping create a sense of connection and community. This is important medicine for those of us who have experienced trauma and feel isolated in an ever-changing world.
Because trauma can often leave us feeling powerless, helpless, and alone, by laughing with others, you can reclaim a sense of belonging.
As for laughing by yourself, the medicine here is regaining control over your emotions and your life through self-love and self-care. When you laugh, it helps you more easily focus on the positive aspects of your life, even in the face of adversity.
Incorporate Laughter into Your Life
Another way laughter is medicine for loving your life after 60 is how it can help create a sense of self-empowerment, leading to more activities of self-love and self-care. For what better medicine or tool is there for developing a more consistent practice of self-love and self-care than laughter?
Here are five easy, yet profound ways you can incorporate the healing medicine of laughter into your life today:
Embrace Humor as a Way of Life
When you embrace laughter, you embrace life. Therefore, try to find humor in everyday situations, even if they are not initially funny. This is not about laughing at your misfortune or other people’s life challenges. It is, however, about learning to laugh at yourself and allowing life to reveal its own sense of humor.
Self-Love and Self-Care Practices
When it comes to the medicine of laughter, self-love and self-care is essential and laughter is a huge part of that. Take time for yourself every day to do something that makes you happy and laugh, such as reading a humorous article, book, watching a comedy, or spending time with someone who makes you laugh.
Spend Time with Funny People
Spending time with people who make you laugh is fantastic and immediate medicine, which lessens stress and improves your mood. Make time to see friends or family members who have a good sense of humor. Join a social group or club where you can meet new people and laugh together. You can also watch or attend comedy shows.
Engage in Playful Activities
Engaging in playful activities can be an excellent way to bring the medicine of laughter into your daily life. Tap into childhood imagination and ask your inner child what they would like to do to have more fun.
Be Spontaneous
When you are spontaneous, you are open to trying new things. Trying new things can be a fun way to open yourself up to more laughter. When you step out of your daily routine, you will often find yourself less rigid, which leads to more laughing and a lot more fun in your life.
Laughter Is Personal Medicine
Laughter may be universal, but what makes one person laugh is not the same for another. Therefore, laughter is personal medicine, and it is up to you to discover what you find humorous.
Whatever form of laughter’s medicine may ideally be aligned with you, be sure to enjoy the processing of exploring different avenues of humor and laughter.
An important part of all of this is opening yourself up to find what kind of laughter resonates with you at this stage of life. Go outside of your daily routine today and laugh your way to a new, more fulfilling life after 60.
I invite you to join me in the video where I will share additional insights on the healing medicine of laughter. I will also guide you through five, empowering journal prompts to integrate what you are learning.
