Have you laughed today?

Have you laughed today??? Was it a snigger or a joyful laugh that rose up from deep within you? I could have asked how many times you have laughed today, but post-earthquake maybe it's more a question of have you laughed at all?
Joyful laughing is fantastic for your health. It relaxes you, relieves stress, eases pain, lets go of tension, allows you to enjoy the moment. Laughter shared helps relationships develop with a feeling of connection. It needs to happen several times a day.And not as a cover up for expressing whatever is making you nervous. When life is serious, the mind is very busy creating doubts and worries about the future. It is also busy dissecting the past, until the whole body becomes a tense ball of muscle. This can lead to all sorts of unease and illnesses. When your body is tense it cannot function at its best. When the tenseness continues for some time then problems are likely. Many people are stressed and tense since the earthquake. The sudden aftershocks send adrenaline shooting round the body, creating tightness in arteries and muscles. Living with the unpredictable movements of the earth can lead to a real sense of lack of control of life. The earth is such a basic and all-embracing part of life, often taken for granted. Now, we feel like nothing can be trusted - we have to be vigilant anbout everything in life, everyday. How exhausting!
So think about having a laugh. Get together with friends or neighbours, or just yourself and have a go.
Suggestions for encouraging yourself to laugh include:

• Watch a young child exploring the environment and being playful.
• Listen for the humour in people's comments.
• Play with the cat or the dog.
• Be lighthearted about your own mistakes. Laugh at your own, and not other's mistakes.
• Watch the leaves dancing in the wind.
• Listen to the ambiguities of the English language.
• Watch a funny movie.
• Pull faces at a friend and have a game of trying not to laugh.
• Observe the children who laugh.
• Start a false laugh. Making yourself physically laugh can lead to real laughter.

If you are unable to find a way to laugh and be lighthearted for at least part of the day, consider enlisting help to uncover the cause. There will be some emotional issues that need clearing.