There is nothing more moving to a mother than seeing all of my children smiling, laughing and enjoying each other.  There are so many benefits to laughter.  Lately, we haven’t had as many laughs together and after a spontaneous marshmallow fight as a family, I was reminded of the power of not taking ourselves too seriously.  I was reminded to not let the daily routine become so much a routine that you forget to live and enjoy.  I always feel better after laughing, so is there something to it?!

Research has shown health benefits of laughter ranging from strengthening the immune system to reducing food cravings to increasing one’s threshold for pain. There’s even an emerging therapeutic field known as humor therapy to help people heal more quickly, among other things.Humor also has several important stress relieving benefits.

The following benefits are taken from an article called, The Laughing Cure written by Elizabeth Scott, MS and has been reviewed by the Medical Review Board :

Stress Management Benefits of Laughter:

• Hormones: Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine and growth hormone. It also increases the level of health-enhancing hormones like endorphins, and neurotransmitters. Laughter increases the number of antibody-producing cells and enhances the effectiveness of T cells. All this means a stronger immune system, as well as fewer physical effects of stress.
• Physical Release: Have you ever felt like you “have to laugh or I’ll cry”? Have you experienced the cleansed feeling after a good laugh? Laughter provides a physical and emotional release.
• Internal Workout: A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterward. It even provides a good workout for the heart.
• Distraction: Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.
• Perspective: Studies show that our response to stressful events can be altered by whether we view something as a ‘threat’ or a ‘challenge’. Humor can give us a more lighthearted perspective and help us view events as ‘challenges’, thereby making them less threatening and more positive.
• Social Benefits of Laughter: Laughter connects us with others. Also, laughter is contagious, so if you bring more laughter into your life, you can most likely help others around you to laugh more, and realize these benefits as well. By elevating the mood of those around you, you can reduce their stress levels, and perhaps improve the quality of social interaction you experience with them, reducing your stress level even more!

What’s your laugh therapy?

What is it that I love so much about a pair of dirty tennis shoes or jeans with grass stains for my tween?  To me, it is a symbol of an active, happy boy.  Don’t get me wrong, I love when my kids look nice.  When we go out it is pretty important to me that they are pulled together.  But when it is play time……I let all of that go.

My tween loves playing video games, but I do all in my power to keep him outdoors playing as often as possible.  On many of these summer days, you can find us in our backyard with a baby pool or sprinkler running.  I try to have friends over as often as possible for my tween so he can be off playing.  He has two sisters and they can’t always keep up with his active little spirit. 

When I was a kid, we would spend the summer days down at the creek close to our home.  It was such a fun place to be.  Unfortunately, times have changed and I struggle to even let my tween ride his bike around the block with his friends.   I am a very protective mother this way.  Because of this, I try and do all in my power to create fun memories for my tween.  I can’t let him ride down to the creek with his friends, but I can have lots of fun activities planned to let him get his shoes dirty, get big grass stains oh his knees and have his cute face covered in happy, messy memories.

What are your kids doing this summer?