A 5/30 Laughter Challenge in September

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I’ve received so many messages from people who followed me in my challenge to laugh for 5 minutes a day at noon during the 31 days of last March that I’ve decided to take up another challenge in September! Just in time for the start of the new school year, the resumption of many activities, the end of summer and vacations… Bouhouhou!

Why laugh for 5 minutes? Because that’s the bare minimum to feel the positive effects of laughter.

Why laugh for 30 days? Because it seems to take 21 days to create a new habit in your life… and the following days allow you to install it properly! By doing so, not only have we put a new way of doing things into our day, but we also feel that it has become an essential need!

How does it work? I set up in front of my Facebook Live camera every morning at 9am (Eastern Time – Canada) and I share a few minutes before starting to laugh intentionally for 5 minutes. Believe it or not, my first observation is that it’s sometimes hard to start laughing “at nothing”, but just as hard to stop once the time’s up! For real! And because it’s live, many people come along and laugh “with me” from wherever they are – sometimes at home, sometimes at the office – and let me know they’re laughing by clicking on the laugh icons.

Would you like to read some comments? “I can’t believe how much hearing you laugh helps me trigger mine and once I’m gone, I’m laughing to tears until my stomach hurts!” “That’s my morning ‘good news’! Every day I sit down with you and have a good laugh! Nothing makes me feel happier!” “I was wondering how you managed to laugh like that… I see you’re practicing! It’s inspiring! I’ll do it with you! Thanks!” “I didn’t think we could laugh so much… you’re welcome! I see it now that I’m doing it with you!” “I thought 5 minutes was going to be long! It turned out to be short! And I can’t believe how MUCH BETTER I feel afterwards!”

Would you like to join us? I’ve created a“Défi RIRE 5/30 Laughter Challenge” group, and it’s bilingual!

Not on Facebook, but would you like to take up a challenge with me? I’ve posted all the videos from March on the School’s YouTube channel!

Do it and let me know what happens for you… it takes a few days!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in a bad mood!

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The day I said that to myself, I decided to stop letting anger and impatience take over my life. Hell no! I didn’t want to live the rest of my life “with the baboon “*!

Of course, I can’t avoid all the tricky and imperfect** situations that arise in my life, but I can decide how long they will affect me.

I’m not very good at moving quickly “from the heart to the head”. From emotion to rationalization. Sometimes the path is long and sometimes short. I definitely don’t have much talent and certainly no desire to rationalize too quickly. On the other hand, I’m finding that I’m getting better and better at not staying in a bad mood for too long. Of course, things still affect me, but for less time, and no longer to the point of obsession! Whereas I used to be able to “ruminate” on an idea or a problem for days on end (don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t ruminating all the time, but the thought too often took over my mind!), today I think about it, but I’m not a prisoner of the problem. It affects me without obsessing!

I was wondering recently how it was that I had changed in this respect.

You know what I’ve found? I laugh more often at all kinds of annoyances when I do my laughter yoga exercises! Laughing at the argument, laughing at the VISA card, laughing at the tears, laughing at the chore, laughing at the water damage… so many opportunities to laugh at something that isn’t funny at first! Even though it’s not funny, I condition my body to laugh at it.

Do you think problems have less of a hold on us when we practice laughing at them?

Well, now I say yes! I’ve got the proof!

So, if you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in a bad mood either, I encourage you to put into practice something very effective: laugh more often!

If you don’t think you can do it yourself, there are a number of tools available to help you.

Ask me which are the best!

In the meantime, practice intentional smiling, a bit like Mona Lisa if you like. And don’t let a bad mood spoil your life for too long.

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

 

*: to babble means to sulk

**: do you like the expression I’ve chosen to talk about what has the potential to make me angry or frustrated?!

Chocolate, like laughter, is really good for you!

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There’s something almost magical that happens when we savor a piece of really good chocolate. It’s like our mouths are on vacation! I like to have a small square with a good cup of coffee or tea, especially when I have a slight dip in energy in the afternoon, or when my spirits are low at the end of a long day. In fact, those who know me well know that I’ll take good chocolate any time, any place!

It’s not just the taste that’s fantastic – it’s also the fact that good dark chocolate has great benefits and “medicinal” properties. Feel free to print out the following list of benefits to remind you to eat more, because they’ve been scientifically proven! À 100%! Dark chocolate…

  • contains flavonoids, which are extraordinary antioxidants, and polyphenols
  • lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
  • increases blood flow to the arteries and heart
  • reduces blood pressure
  • protects skin from sun damage
  • improves mood by increasing endorphin and serotonin levels in the brain.

If this list doesn’t convince you to switch from your beloved milk chocolate to dark chocolate, find yourself a good chocolate shop! Once you’ve tasted some real good chocolate, I bet you’ll add it to your daily routine. The recommended dose is about one ounce (28 g), i.e. the size of a square that fits in the palm of your hand.

That’s it. Now you know why I’ve included LAUGHTER and CHOCOLATE in the programs offered by the Laughter Yoga School! You don’t know about our LAUGHTER AND CHOCOLATE for businesses and organizations? Write to us to find out more! Multiple pleasures guaranteed!

(Warning: An impromptu chocolate tasting = an immediate end to the conversation!)

Our good addresses: Miss Chocolat in Gatineau, Chocomotive in Montebello, Juliette et Chocolat in Montreal, La Cabosse d’Or in St-Hilaire, Chocolats Andrée in Montreal, les Chocolats de Chloé in Montreal… Which ones are yours?

Who says laughter isn’t contagious?

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Some people have a really infectious laugh, I’m sure you’ll agree! It’s hard to stay serious, ice-cold, impassive… In fact, it’s impossible!

Jacques Languirand has that effect on me. When he hosted his radio show on Radio-Canada (Par 4 chemins), I laughed every time he burst out laughing himself. To my delight, he did it several times a show!

Our brains are equipped with sensors that trigger our urge to laugh… just like our urge to yawn when we see someone else doing it. And laughing, like yawning, oxygenates our bodies and brains, and makes us feel relaxed.

Why deprive yourself?

Happy listening… on a loop!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

Children’s laughter… the best kind!

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I don’t know about you, but when I hear the pure laughter of children, I immediately start smiling!

My body relaxes and I feel… happy.

Children laugh much more freely and easily than us adults. And why? Probably because they play! We grown-ups lose our sense of playfulness with age and responsibility. But children teach us great lessons when we let them.

Observe children while they’re having fun… free, open, sparkling.

Now look at the adults. Serious, busy, stressed…

Let’s give ourselves the right to PLAY a little more often. To laugh. To simply sparkle!

Let’s make room for the simple things: fun and laughter!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

 

A successful experiment! Laughter helps relieve pain…

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Almost all of us girls are familiar with this type of examination table… POUAH! and we’re not usually particularly happy about having to sit on it! Even less so when we know the exam is going to be painful. That was my case today.

So, as a precaution, knowing that it wasn’t going to be comfortable, I went for a 30-minute swim – just to get my body moving and stimulate the relaxation hormones – then took two Advil tablets as recommended by the nurse.

The time came to undergo the procedure and, despite the gynaecologist’s delicacy, I found myself with a level of pain so much higher than expected that I immediately went into a sweat… (swimming as in sweating!)

Faced with this pain, I decided it was time for me to put into practice what I teach: laugh out loud to stimulate the secretion of endorphins and release my mounting stress. Fortunately, I was in the presence of an open-minded woman! She almost encouraged me to continue! hahaha!

Except that… She had to do things differently and start all over again… three times. Before she was able to remove the tissue she needed to fetch. EXCRUCIATING PAIN! So I redoubled my efforts to laugh! Linda laughed and laughed and laughed! LAUGHED AND LAUGHED!

So much so that I’m happy to report that, the last time I had to go through all this, the pain had reached the level of 8 out of 10 on my scale during this little procedure. But today, it didn’t go beyond 4 out of 10!!!!

My conclusion: the fact of laughing out loud (even if I laughed silently, I laughed very loudly believe me!) released my tensions, occupied my mind since I was laughing without thinking about what was happening “below” (I laughed to feel myself laughing whereas nothing that was happening was funny! on the contrary!) and the gynecologist was able to finish her work in peace! hahahahaha!

Now, don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t go back tomorrow! But I’m certain that the fact that I CHOSE to laugh consciously to reduce the pain and tension made my experience less… traumatic, let’s say!

It’s a pretty intimate sharing, I know. But that’s life!

Laughter, joy and HEALTH!

Linda

My surprising discovery about happiness!

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I tried an experiment a few days ago. March 20, to be precise. Why that day? Because it was International Day of Happiness.

That morning, I posted a little message and this photo on my FB wall, challenging people to write a happy story using just 4 words.

After just a few minutes, I’d already received about thirty sentences. Each one as nice as the next!

So I went and put the same image and the same challenge on the wall of a group of which

13,392 people and I are members on Facebook: BerkeleyX: GG101x The Science of Happiness.

The stories I collected were all amazing and beautiful!

And it was the next morning, reading the 280 or so posts that my publication had attracted, that I set myself another challenge: to complete these stories with 4 other words. What a great adventure!

Brilliant inspiration I received!!! All those people who had put their mark on that wall… all those stories that meant something happy to those men and women… and that I completed with my words.

I felt as if these strangers had all put a beautiful line of color in my life. And as I reached out to comment on each of these stories, I felt united with the beauty of the world! with what makes life more beautiful for others than me.

When you WANT to see beauty, you CAN see it…

This year, my day of happiness was a series of smiles, deep breaths, joy and love. And THAT made me even happier!…

It’s okay, it’s okay.

Sharing makes you happy!

What was my story? “And then I laughed! “And then I laughed!”

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

Chocolate, like laughter, is really good for you!

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There’s something almost magical that happens when we savor a piece of really good chocolate. It’s like our mouths are on vacation! I like to have a small square with a good cup of coffee or tea, especially when I have a slight dip in energy in the afternoon, or when my spirits are low at the end of a long day. In fact, those who know me well know that I’ll take good chocolate any time, any place!

It’s not just the taste that’s fantastic – it’s also the fact that good dark chocolate has great benefits and “medicinal” properties. Feel free to print out the following list of benefits to remind you to eat more, because they’ve been scientifically proven! À 100%! Dark chocolate…

  • contains flavonoids, which are extraordinary antioxidants, and polyphenols
  • lowers LDL (“bad”) cholesterol levels
  • increases blood flow to the arteries and heart
  • reduces blood pressure
  • protects skin from sun damage
  • improves mood by increasing endorphin and serotonin levels in the brain.

If this list doesn’t convince you to switch from your beloved milk chocolate to dark chocolate, find yourself a good chocolate shop! Once you’ve tasted some real good chocolate, I bet you’ll add it to your daily routine. The recommended dose is about one ounce (28 g), i.e. the size of a square that fits in the palm of your hand.

That’s it. Now you know why I’ve included LAUGHTER and CHOCOLATE in the programs offered by the Laughter Yoga School! You don’t know about our LAUGHTER AND CHOCOLATE for businesses and organizations? Write to us to find out more! Multiple pleasures guaranteed!

(Warning: An impromptu chocolate tasting = an immediate end to the conversation!)

Our good addresses: Miss Chocolat in Gatineau, Chocomotive in Montebello, Juliette et Chocolat in Montreal, La Cabosse d’Or in St-Hilaire, Chocolats Andrée in Montreal, les Chocolats de Chloé in Montreal… Which ones are yours?

What if the groundhog came out of hiding and started laughing?

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This morning, I was hearing comments from several people bemoaning the harshness of winter, which they feel will never end. Marie-France Bazzo is even quoted as saying that today is January 33, not February 2! 🙂

If the groundhog can’t see his shadow, it’s because winter will last another six weeks. Six long weeks of boots, coats, toques and scarves. Six weeks of shoveling. Six weeks of freezing while waiting for the bus or walking.

What if the groundhog came out of hiding and started laughing? Laughing to tell us that HAHAHA! Winter’s not over yet, folks! Haven’t you realized that there are still long, cold weeks ahead? But you can still laugh about it!

Tomorrow evening, I’ll be leading the laughter yoga session at the AHA! Club de rire de Gatineau. Guess what my exercise program will consist of? We’re going to laugh about winter!

What would you do if you laughed? Here are my suggestions:

  • -The laughter of cold hands
  • -Laugh at winter sports (and here, the whole gamut is on offer: skating, skiing, snowshoeing…).
  • -The laughter of a cold engine (or one that refuses to start)
  • -The laughter of shovelling… intensive because of the snow falling really fast
  • -The laughter of snowball throwing

…

What about you?

Even though we may be upset, laughing will help us get through it! No control over the weather my friends, so let’s deal with it!

You’ll feel better after you’ve laughed about it!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

Every day should be Kindness Day!

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I was reading a “friend’s” comment on Facebook this morning and found it so relevant that I decided to share it here.


Esther Pelchat writes…

November is a month of gloom and doom. This weighs heavily on the morale of many of us. But someone had the wonderful idea of declaring November 13 a day of kindness.
As you may have guessed, the reason I’ve decided to talk to you today about this event – because it is one – is because the rules of etiquette, politeness and courtesy make us nicer people. Friendliness is a highly coveted quality, but one that is greatly altered by the time pressure we all face. Relegated to second place, it gives way to impatience, intolerance and indifference.
We don’t tolerate hesitation at street corners, as if we all had to have GPS in our brains. We’re in too much of a hurry to let a pedestrian pass. We don’t offer help to a colleague who’s overwhelmed, even if we’re personally in a less busy period.
Who doesn’t dream of evolving in a world where everyone cares about others to the point of showing their esteem and consideration? Unfortunately, these days, kindness is not in everyone’s favor. Perceptions have changed to such an extent that kindness is often interpreted as “sucking up”. What a shame!
Today, if we all set ourselves the goal of making an extra effort to be kind, imagine how much more pleasant this day will be! With your best smile, tell the old lady trying to find her change at the bottom of her purse that she can take her time. “Take all the time you need, ma’am. I’m in no hurry…” You’ll be surprised at the result. Not only will she be grateful, but with the pressure off, she may even be able to complete the maneuver more quickly. Don’t hesitate to encourage a colleague or even give him a hand (if you have the time, of course), he’ll probably have the same reflex when he sees you in the same situation.
Remember that we instinctively respond to a smile with a smile, and that kindness begets kindness. It’s a win-win situation.
Dare to be kind!
Good manners and kindness precede good relationships… in fact, they lead to them!

I suggest that you make kind gestures every day. To smile more at the people around you who cross your path. Open the door for someone with a full arm. Give up your seat on the bus to someone who looks tired…


Be a little kinder… every day!


The world will be a more beautiful place thanks to you!


Laughter, joy and health

Linda