To Your Health
June 2007

Healing Laughter for Stress Relief
by Linda Hall L.M.P.

A few of my clients have asked me to write an article on stress relief, the problem is, that there are many stress relief techniques. I have decided to start with Laughter, since this kind of a fun topic. Why do massage therapist care about stress relief techniques? Well, unfortunately, a lot of injuries and tightness in the muscles are a result of our stressed out lives.

My background before becoming a massage therapist, was business, I was a trainer for a company in Seattle and Spokane. I taught customer service in Washington, Idaho and Montana. It was soon clear to me that part of poor customer service, was that stressed out employees were serving the public. That is how my stress relief classes originated. My husband, who has been a psychologist and child counselor for school systems for 30 years, joined me in teaching. He actually was the one that added the humor to our class. I am an East coast gal, born and brought up in New Hampshire and well, they have a more serious demeanor and very private on the east coast with a dry sense of humor, or at least in my small town that was the way we were. Years later after moving here to Washington, I met my husband. It was East meets West. He is outgoing full of fun with a great sense of humor. He makes me laugh daily and has a very positive attitude. He has changed my life with his laughter and positive attitude. One day, early in our marriage, he looked at me and said "Honey, if there is one thing that I could give you, it would be a sense of joy!" Wow, that was nice, but hard for me to hear! I really was happy in my life, but in my job at that time I had huge amounts of stress, and being the serious person that I was, I did not know how to let go of that stress. I didn't realize that I came across so stressed and uptight. I looked up Joy and happiness and the difference according to one source, **was that in contrast to "happiness", "joyfulness" is the unconditional commitment to have fun despite all of the possible problems that we are faced with in life. You fake it until you get it. The decision comes from the brain; the process comes from the body. Because the body and the brain are so closely inter-connected, when you "do good " you "feel good".

"Motion creates emotion". Being joyful ("doing good") actually changes the body chemistry and fosters a healthier state of being. I started looking at ways to let go, and laugh more. It was about that time that I decided (with support from my cheerful hubby) to pursue a career in Polarity and Massage therapy. This really changed my life and how happy I am in my career. We decided once I started my practice, I would continue to do the stress relief classes for companies and my clients.

Laughter makes us feel good because it defuses three of the most painful emotions, (fear, anger and boredom) by releasing them. That release, prevents conflicts, eases tension, and helps people to see each other's point of view. Laughter helps you experience that state of relaxation. It makes us stress less and enjoy life more.

Laughter helps put anxiety on the back burner. We can't laugh and worry at the same time. It helps us cope with challenge and conflict better because it gives us a better perspective. It helps shrink the hurts of everyday life to a smaller size that we can handle and treat more lightly.

Laughter helps break down the barriers between people and helps us feel safer in the company of others. When we laugh with others we are ourselves are more fun to be with.

Laughter releases those feel good endorphins, which in turn takes us out of that good old fight or flight syndrome that stress puts us in. That fight or flight syndrome is what causes our muscles to tense into painful knots, makes our stomach churn, our head ache, our nerves to be raw, etc.

I was at my son's house a few years ago. We were talking and he teased me about something that a few years before that I would have come back at him with anger. I laughed and made a joke back about it. He stopped and looked at me, started laughing and said "Mom, when did you get a sense of humor"? I realized then how much more joyful life has become.

Most healing humor arises spontaneously out of situations. But at times it is helpful to have on hand things that are intrinsically funny. Some of these are humorous poems, greeting cards, bumper stickers, puns, ironies, riddles, cartoons, conundrums, anecdotes, exaggerations, jokes, books, tapes, toys, objects, masks, puppets, games, magic, charades, cartoons, costumes, greeting cards, mirrors, etc.

Find a funny movie that makes you laugh out loud. We have about ten that we keep for days when we just need to de-stress. What you don't want to do is to watch something that stresses you out even more. I like some of the forensic shows on TV, but, I realized one night that I was particularly stressed out about something and when I sat down to watch this show, I ended up that night very uptight and seemly more stressed. I could not let go of the crime that had happened on the show, my breathing was shallow and my chest was tight. When we watch scary or intense movies or shows it puts us into that survival mode of fight or flight and that causes us to tense up. So---- we could instead watch a funny show that would make us laugh and release built up tension and stress! You can always watch that drama or suspense movie on a stress free day.

Funny books are also a way to laugh. It is hard to find truly funny laugh till you cry book, but they are out there. I actually found a whole series that unbelievably made me laugh out loud. I was reading in bed, and started laughing out loud until tears ran down my face. It woke my husband up; he turned over and said, wow, I am going to have to read that one. (He did, and it made him laugh out loud too). Needless to say, I am saving the whole series for other stressful times when we need some laughter.

I found this in Readers Digest: A doctor wrote out this prescription: "Smile before meals and at bedtime."

I recently received some yummy chocolates and inside the wrapper of each chocolate is a saying. A particular wrapper said "Laugh uncontrollablyäit clears the mind." What great advice!

Remember: Laugh to reduce stress, Laugh to be happy and Laugh to stay healthy!

Linda Hall is a Licensed Massage Practitioner whose practice, Alternative Pathways to Health, is located at the Colville Naturopathic Clinic, 234 N. Oak in Colville. For more information, call 684-1104. (This article is not intended to replace professional medical advice. If you're ill please consult your physician.)

Care to comment? Please direct your comments to editor@ncmonthly.com.

The North Columbia Monthly provides news, views, humor and a calendar of events for an area that stretches from Nelson in British Columbia south to Spokane in Washington State and covers all points in between. A free (and free-thinking, progressive) magazine, The Monthly is available at several hundred spots throughout the region and now is also available on-line at www.ncmonthly.com. Published once a month since 1994, The Monthly is an independent magazine that often challenges contemporary wisdom by encouraging critical thinking about issues and attitudes in the region and beyond.

Featuring our one-of-a-kind "What's Happening" department, The Monthly provides the region's only all-inclusive, free listing of community events and is the first place many people check to find out about area arts, crafts, music, fairs, services and events of all kinds. Our free listing policy for the "What's Happening" department promotes diversity, cultural interaction, and the exchange of ideas and free expression. Also featured in the magazine are people, food, health, humor, and feature articles that keep readers coming back for more each month.

We can be reached by mail at The North Columbia Monthly, PO Box 541, Colville, WA 99114; by phone or fax at 509-684-3109; by email at editor@ncmonthly.com; and on the Web at www.ncmonthly.com.

©2006. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the contents or use in whole or part without written permission from the publishers is strictly prohibited. Views and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishers.