Tag Archive for: depression

Find a laughing partner

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I can’t remember where or when, but I read an article a friend was writing, in which he mentioned the importance of having a “laugh partner”. The idea may make you smile, but it’s an excellent one!

When I train laughter yoga facilitators, I always invite them to identify the people in their lives who help them to laugh.

Why?

For the simple reason that they help us stay healthy!

The social element of our lives has taken a beating since the start of the pandemic. We haven’t seen each other for months! And for the vast majority, the isolation has been more than a blow to morale.

No matter whether we’re going through a stormy, stressful time or not, the people around us who make us laugh are “essential services”! Guardian angels. Lifelines.

Take a look around you. I’m sure if you think about it, you’ll find one or more people who make you laugh when you meet or talk to them.

That’s who you need to surround yourself with. To create a positive network that keeps you in shape!

Back in 2003, when I was training to become a laughter yoga facilitator, when I was asked to “Write down three things that make you laugh”, I wrote the name of a friend in my notebook. This friend always has the gift of making me laugh (at all sorts of trivial things!!). I realized that we didn’t talk very often, but whenever we did, I always laughed myself to tears! So I resolved to multiply the opportunities to talk to him and meet him. Precisely because we’re both always laughing. I feel like I’ve recharged my battery of good humor. Even though we often make fun of each other, we always laugh heartily and leave with a lighter heart.

Finding a laughter partner can have many benefits for your physical and emotional well-being.

  1. Stress reduction: Laughter is a natural way to reduce stress and anxiety. When you laugh, your body releases endorphins, which are hormones that give you a feeling of well-being and relaxation.
  2. Improved mental health: Laughter can also improve your mental health by reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can help you feel happier and more optimistic.
  3. Strengthening social relationships: Laughing with others can strengthen social bonds and help you feel more connected to others. It can also improve your self-confidence and your ability to communicate with others.
  4. Improved physical health: Laughter can benefit your physical health by boosting the immune system, improving circulation and reducing pain.
  5. Reduced isolation: Finding a laughter partner can help you break out of isolation and engage more with the world around you. This can be particularly beneficial if you’re experiencing stress or loneliness.

In short, finding a laughter partner can have many benefits for your overall well-being. So don’t hesitate to laugh often and seek out people with whom you can share this positive experience.

Do you?

I encourage you to find one (or more!) laughing partners!

It could even be one of your grandchildren, if you have any! It’s great to show our offspring that we’re capable of being playful and laughing out loud! It’s an important lesson to teach them how to laugh for the rest of their lives.

Really, put it on your to-do list! And cherish your laughter partners.

Well, I just called mine and left him a voicemail that’s sure to make him smile! Want to know what I said? “Your text says you’ll call me back. Is that true? At what time? On what day? Are you going to call me to confirm when? In the meantime, I was calling to say hello… (pause) Hello! Ok Bye!”

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

P.S. Oh, and if you want me to be your laughing partner for a few days, sign up for the MORAL BOOST capsules!

How about a hug to reduce your anxiety?

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Yes! How about a self-treatment to reduce anxiety?

Most of us suffer from anxiety from time to time. At least, we suffer from high levels of stress. Experts agree that chronic stress causes many problems, including insomnia, depression, exhaustion… and very serious illnesses.

And right now, when our whole world seems to be falling apart, when our usual landmarks have disappeared, hello STRESS AND ANXIETY! For many, the sense of security we once felt may be gone.

However, there are some simple, practical exercises that have been around for a long time that can help reduce or even eliminate this anxiety.

I’ve discovered an exercise that can be practised at any time when anxiety strikes. It is also suggested as a daily practice to help increase our inner security on a daily basis. It not only helps us feel grounded, but also more balanced physically, mentally and emotionally.

It’s a“self-cuddling” exercise derived from a technique developed by trauma and stress expert Dr. Peter Levine. I’ve made a video here to demonstrate how it works. Click on the link to do it with me.

How to exercise self-care

Before starting the exercise, I’d like you to think of your body as a container, not just for your physical organs and systems, but also for your emotions. It’s all in our bodies. Keep in mind that if you feel anxious, it’s because your “system” doesn’t feel safe. So we aim to maintain feelings of security within ourselves through“self-cuddling“. In this way, we dominate overflowing emotions such as anxiety.

You can do the exercise standing up or sitting down.

  • Place your right hand under your left arm, just under the armpit.
  • Then place your left hand on your right shoulder.
  • Feel the loving embrace you give each other.
  • Inhale slowly to the count of four and exhale to the count of seven.
  • Note the sensations in your body.
  • How are you feeling?

You can continue to breathe slowly and deeply, or normally. Stay in this position for as long as you need, until you feel calm and more relaxed. This may take 30 seconds or several minutes. The idea is to stay present to our sensations and emotions. Without judging them.

You pay attention, you breathe, you relax and you give yourself a big dose of love. All this helps calm your nervous system.

It’s another great technique that works very gently. A self-cuddle to reduce anxiety!

Well, of course, laughter also works little miracles in the body! You don’t have to convince me of this, and if you haven’t already experienced it, I invite you to laugh intentionally and energetically for two or three minutes. Then watch your body and mind calm down. Need a little boost? Do the exercises with me here

So the next time you feel the anxiety creeping up on you, when your stress level is too high, give yourself a nice loving hug… and laugh!

It really works!

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

And when life doesn’t help us laugh…

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Precisely. When life doesn’t help us laugh, what do we do?

I’m sure you’ll understand what I mean when I talk about being thrown for a loop by events. Sometimes it’s hard to just smile. So don’t talk to us about laughing!

And yet, this simple little trick allows you to breathe, to distance yourself from the situation. And by taking a step back, it’s easier to see things differently. Taking a deep breath and “pseudo-laughing” will help you, as it did me, to avoid jumping in with both feet in panic, discouragement, anger…

It’s so simple, yet so effective!

Give it a try!

And that’s a fact!

Laughter, joy and health

Your Sister of Laughter, Linda

When I’m blue… Keep hope alive

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Quand j’ai les bleus bébé, quand j’ai les bleus… Remember Pauline Julien’s song about crunching pills to cheer herself up and see things differently? Yeah… a lot of people have no choice but to turn to traditional medicine for a little hope.

I chose another option.

It’s not that traditional medicine is bad, but I’m lucky enough to have several tools in my trunk for those days when the sun is behind the clouds.

Because, you know, that’s exactly what’s happening. Clouds momentarily block out the bright sunlight. I know, having seen it as a teenager at summer camp.

We had climbed a mountain at sunset and had to spend the night on the summit sleeping under the stars. All night long, people took it in turns to stay awake to make sure the campfire stayed lit to keep “unwanted” animals away and to allow us to cook a hot breakfast. Surprise, surprise! Everyone was asleep and the fire had gone out.

It was the warm rays of the sun that roused us from sleep very early. Tempted to grumble about this early wake-up call, I was about to pull my sleeping bag back over my face when I was struck by the beauty of what I saw. The blazing sun was in our eyes, yes, but just a few meters below us was a line of thick, fluffy white clouds. It was as if we were standing on top of the world! Clouds as far as the eye could see, the mountain peak, the sun, and us! It was magical! Nothing else existed! The horizon was white and distant.

As we had to get back down to a meeting point by midday, we all savored the moment and recorded these images before starting our descent.

The further we descended, the more we were in the liquefying clouds! A heavy rain fell at the bottom of the mountain. My companions and I couldn’t help but marvel at it, for we KNOW from having seen it that above the clouds, the sun shines brightly! Even if we couldn’t see it! Even if it was pouring buckets of water down on us, above it all, the weather was magnificent…

That trip taught me a great lesson about life. I wasn’t even 15 and I remember it like it was yesterday. I look back on it with the same sense of wonder.

Whenever I feel like I’m moving forward under a deluge of worries, cares, pitfalls and challenges, when my life gets “heavy” and events get me down, I KNOW that if I put myself somewhere else, like that day that gave me faith that the sun is still shining up there, I’ll be able to hold on to hope and keep moving forward (or wait patiently for a while). I KNOW that this is just a passing thing and that things will eventually get better. It’s all a question of perspective. Where I am right now is crisis and trouble! But if I climb the mountain, get past the rain clouds, I’ll see the sun again!

Today was kind of a day like that. The weather outside is heavy and gray. Inside, I’m feeling a little melancholy, and I find myself wanting to hug myself, rock myself, and cry softly… Nothing serious. Just like that, for all sorts of reasons… that will pass. It’s not that I’m denying I have the blues. Nor am I trying to snap out of it any faster. I observe things as they are, I breathe, I’m grateful to be aware of it, and I simply smile. The sun continues to shine above the passing cloud. And besides, rain is wonderful! It’s essential for life!

Have you ever experienced something similar? Does it give you hope too? Tell me… I’m very interested.

Laughter, joy and health

Linda

P.S. I am fortunate to be part of a wonderful group of extraordinary and generous women. The HAHA Sisterhood. Luckily, our weekly meeting was just this noon! Guess how much better I felt after sharing and laughing with them! You’re a woman (or you know one!) and you’re looking for meaningful and inspiring contacts? This community is for you! Come and join us on Facebook – a private group for women only (sorry for the gentlemen we love).

 

Tag Archive for: depression