10 reasons to LOL

"A day without laughter is a day wasted"

Charlie Chaplin

I watched a silly movie last week with my seven year old son. At one point he was rolling around the carpet, clutching his stomach, while tears of laughter rolled down his bright red face. 

In contrast to this I went to the cinema last night to see a new comedy with my partner. I found one part really funny but noticed when I started laughing out loud I immediately toned it down. Looking around I could see I wasn’t the only one stifling my natural urge to exude a huge belly laugh. My fear of drawing attention to myself sadly outweighed my natural instinct to nosily share my happiness.

I am not sure when I lost the ability to unselfconsciously roar with laughter but now I am aware of it I am claiming that right back straight away. To be able to express pure joy without any inhibitions is not only our birthright but is also darned good for us. Here’s 10 reasons why: -

1)  Laughter releases feel good endorphins into your system which can help to relieve pain.

2)  Laughter contracts your abdominal muscles and gets your shoulders moving giving you a mini-workout. 

3)  Laughter increases blood flow and improves the function of blood vessels which can help protect the heart. 

4)  Laughter has a relaxant effect on the whole body for up to 45 minutes afterwards. 

 5)  Laughter initially raises blood pressure but then reduces it leaving a lower blood pressure than normal. 

6)  Laughter can be contagious increasing happiness and intimacy thus enhancing relationships. 

7)  Laughter speeds up metabolism and heart rate which could help you lose weight. 

8)  Laughter expels more air than usual breathing which has a cleansing effect on the lungs. 

9)  Laughter reduces anxiety and helps relieve depression by reducing stress and releasing pent up tension. 

10) Laughter increases the number of T cells (antibody producing) giving your immune system a boost. 

 Wow. Next time I won't be afraid to publicly acknowledge my amusement :-)

Lessons from a robot

"Once you have learned to love you will have learned to live".

My dad, who is 66, is so conscientious he has never had a day off work (other than annual leave) in his whole life. Even if he feels under the weather he goes in as he worries about letting people down.

I was really shocked to receive a phone call from his boss this lunchtime to say he hadn't turned up and they couldn't reach him on the phone. Naturally they realised this was really out of character and were worried. Thus commenced a frantic half hour trying to trace him (he is fine) but my heart rate is still returning to normal.

I had watched the Transformers movie not long ago with my son and Optimus Prime said "the greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how they love them while they're alive". I instantly loved this quote and it made me wonder when I had last told my family and friends how much they mean to me. I mentally resolved to remedy this as soon as I could. With some people it was easy to have a hug and tell them how important they are to me, but with other, non tactile friends, I have to admit I didn't say anything as I felt, well, slightly ridiculous. What this afternoon has taught me though is that it is ridiculous not to express how you really feel while you have the chance, as ultimately we never know when we may get another opportunity.

So if any of this resonates with you please seize the moment and be honest about how you feel. If we are lucky enough to feel love and gratitude we should shout it from the rooftops.

What's your 'prozac playlist'?

“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain”.

Bob Marley

I have always loved music, indeed I wrote an article a while back explaining why I incorporate sound healing into my practice, (http://www.thehappystarfish.com/health002.html). 

 I enjoy nothing more than curling up and listening to songs that transport me off to another place. As an artist, it must be phenomenal to be able to touch people with lyrics and melodies. To provoke such deep emotion that you can gently guide people through their best and worst times offering joy, comfort and understanding amazingly all through a cd.

I adore tunes that evoke happy memories, in a flash I can be experiencing the same feelings I felt when I was on holiday or with my family, just by selecting a track associated with that time.

Neuroscientist, Dr Jack Lewis has recently conducted research into why particular songs make us happy for an online streaming site, finding high pitched voices are best at boosting our mood.  He looked for music that stimulates the limbic and reward systems - areas of the brain responsible for generating emotions and sensations of pleasure, and looked for songs that invigorate both these areas.

Dr Lewis came up with the ultimate feel good playlist (below) for a natural high.

THE 'PROZAC PLAYLIST'

·         Prince - Sexy Dancer

·         BB King - Let The Good Times Roll

·         Beachboys - Surfing USA

·         Curtis Mayfield - Victory -

·         Norman Jay remix

·         Bob Marley - Three Little Birds

·         Muddy Waters - Got My Mojo Working

·         Boney M - Sunny

·         The Darkness - I Believe In a Thing called Love

·         Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama

·         Outkast - Hey Ya

·         Future heads - Acapella

·         Harder Better Faster - Daft Punk

·         M People - Moving on Up

·         Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture

I am going to be going through my cd’s later to make up my own playlist of songs that I know always put a smile on my face.

We all have at least one song that has a positive effect on us. ELO Mr Blue Skies is mine, what’s yours?