An old adage that we\u2019ve all probably heard a million times\nis that laughter is the best medicine. It\u2019s one of those phrases that we may\nnot even pay attention to, or maybe think about briefly when we feel better\nafter a good belly laugh. But there is more to it than just an old saying.\nLaughter is a way for our bodies to release tension, stress, and fear. It\u2019s why\nsometimes we laugh when we\u2019re angry, sad, or confused. It isn\u2019t always about\ndirect happiness, although it often is. It\u2019s about the correlation between\nrepression and release\u2014the way we feel healed to some degree when we allow\nourselves to laugh. It\u2019s hard not to feel better after laughing, even if\nnothing has fundamentally changed, or you\u2019re still wiping away the same tears\nthat fell from grief or sadness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this week\u2019s Daily Focus, I want to look at laughter; at\nthe different ways in which it is the best medicine, why we need it, and how we\ncan utilize humor, release, and connection to move forward and out of our\ndarker moments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAmong those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>W. H. Auden<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I feel like friend groups are often built around a shared\nsense of humor. If we have people in our lives who can lighten the mood, bring\nus out of our own thoughts, and make us feel good, we\u2019re going to naturally be\ndrawn to them. But for me, when I am really down, I tend to hide away from the\npeople I know can bring me out of it. If you\u2019ve been feeling down lately, try\nreaching out to someone you know will make you laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Catherine Rippenger Fenwick<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n What does medicine do? It heals us. Chemistry, nature, and\ncommunity\u2014all forms of medicine, all forms of healing. Laughter heals the mind\nlike joy heals the soul and play heals the body. When your mind is unwell, it\ncan feel like you\u2019re stuck. Trapped in thoughts you don\u2019t want to have, or\nunable to reach the thoughts you really do want to have. Laughter heals this,\nif only temporarily. It allows us to break free from our own neural patterns\nand refocus our energy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLaughter is a form of internal jogging. It moves your internal organs around. It enhances respiration. It is an igniter of great expectations.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Norman Cousins<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I wouldn\u2019t take this quote literally<\/em>, but I do think\nthere is something spiritually correct about the way that laughter does feel\nlike it moves through your body, shaking things up and reinvigorating our\npassions. Sometimes you need a good laugh to get unstuck on a work project or\nsome other pedantic endeavor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLaughter lets me relax. It\u2019s the equivalent of taking a deep breath, letting it out, and saying, \u2018This, too, will pass.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Odette Pollar<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n When I read this quote, I think about the feeling of relief that comes after laughter. When you\u2019ve confronted your own fears and turned them into humor, you can finally sit back and say, \u201cOkay, I can handle this.\u201d I think that\u2019s one of laughter\u2019s best qualities, it strengthens us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLaughter serves as a blocking agent. Like a bulletproof vest, it may help protect you against the ravages of negative emotions that can assault you in disease.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Norman Cousins<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can keep your sense of humor, it helps a lot through\ndark times. As someone who has faced myriad intense health issues over the\nyears, I know firsthand that when you\u2019re facing something scary, something sad,\nsomething that feels insurmountable\u2014the best thing to do is laugh. Being able\nto laugh really allows the harsher shots to bounce off you, so you feel their\nimpact without feeling their full damage<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people \u2013 that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature. The wellspring of laughter is not happiness, but pain, stress, and suffering.\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>James Thurber<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Beneath our laughter lies pain. Even in mild humor, often\nthe joke is someone doing something embarrassing and relatable, something very\nhuman. The things we find humorous reflect our own shortcomings, our own fears.\nWhen we see someone else make light of something that when we did it ourselves\nwas a shameful secret, we feel an immense weight lifted. That\u2019s community,\nthat\u2019s connection, that\u2019s humor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf laughter cannot solve your problems, it will definitely dissolve your problems; so that you can think clearly what to do about them\u201d<\/em><\/strong> –<\/em>Dr. Madan Kataria<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the core of it, I believe. Laughter is medicine, but\nit\u2019s a bit like Tylenol. It won\u2019t fix the root cause of your pain, but it does\nallow you a reprieve in which you can think clearly and look at things without\nbeing overwhelmed by the pain of stress, shame, and fear. It won\u2019t solve\nanything long-term but keeping humor and laughter as part of your daily life\nwill make each day a little easier, and give you time to sort through bigger,\nscarier feelings. <\/p>\n\n\n Want to build a better future? A life path reading<\/strong><\/a> with one of our talented life path psychics<\/strong><\/a> can tell you where you\u2019re headed. And if you don\u2019t like where you\u2019re headed, your life path psychic<\/strong><\/a> can steer you down a better path.<\/p>\n Find a life path psychic<\/strong><\/a> or learn more about a life path reading<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n About California Psychics<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n California Psychics is the most trusted source of <\/span><\/i>psychic readings<\/span><\/i><\/a>. We have delivered over <\/span><\/i>11 million<\/span><\/i> discreet and confidential psychic readings by phone since 1995. More than a prediction, we are your guide for life\u2019s journey. Learn more about <\/span><\/i>how psychic readings work<\/span><\/i><\/a> and explore the <\/span><\/i>California Psychics blog<\/span><\/i><\/a>. With over<\/span><\/i> 500 <\/span><\/i>psychics online to choose from with <\/span><\/i>real customer reviews<\/span><\/i><\/a>, you\u2019re sure to find the best psychics for you. Call one of our trusted and accurate psychics today! Confidential and secure, real psychics, accurate predictions, 100% guaranteed. <\/span><\/i><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Understanding Your Daily Focus An old adage that we\u2019ve all probably heard a million times is that laughter is the best medicine. It\u2019s one of those phrases that we may not even pay attention to, or maybe think about briefly when we feel better after a good belly laugh. But there is more to it than just an old saying. Laughter is a way for our bodies to release tension, stress, and fear. It\u2019s why sometimes we laugh when we\u2019re angry, sad, or confused. It isn\u2019t always about direct happiness, although it often is. It\u2019s about the correlation between repression and release\u2014the way we feel healed to some degree when we allow ourselves to laugh. It\u2019s hard not to feel better after laughing, even if nothing has fundamentally changed, or you\u2019re still wiping away the same tears that fell from grief or sadness. In this week\u2019s Daily Focus, I want to look at laughter; at the different ways in which it is the best medicine, why we need it, and how we can utilize humor, release, and connection to move forward and out of our darker moments. Saturday, March 5 \u201cAmong those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh.\u201d –W. H. Auden I feel like friend groups are often built around a shared sense of humor. If we have people in our lives who can lighten the mood, bring us out of our own thoughts, and make us feel good, we\u2019re going to naturally be drawn to them. But for me, when I am really down, I tend to hide away from the people I know can bring me out of it. If you\u2019ve been feeling down lately, try reaching out to someone you know will make you laugh. Sunday, March 6 \u201cYour body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.\u201d –Catherine Rippenger Fenwick What does medicine do? It heals us. Chemistry, nature, and community\u2014all forms of medicine, all forms of healing. Laughter heals the mind like joy heals the soul and play heals the body. When your mind is unwell, it can feel like you\u2019re stuck. Trapped in thoughts you don\u2019t want to have, or unable to reach the thoughts you really do want to have. Laughter heals this, if only temporarily. It allows us to break free from our own neural patterns and refocus our energy. Monday, March 7 \u201cLaughter is a form of internal jogging. It moves your internal organs around. It enhances respiration. It is an igniter of great expectations.\u201d –Norman Cousins I wouldn\u2019t take this quote literally, but I do think there is something spiritually correct about the way that laughter does feel like it moves through your body, shaking things up and reinvigorating our passions. Sometimes you need a good laugh to get unstuck on a work project or some other pedantic endeavor. Tuesday, March 8 \u201cLaughter lets me relax. It\u2019s the equivalent of taking a deep breath, letting it out, and saying, \u2018This, too, will pass.\u2019\u201d –Odette Pollar When I read this quote, I think about the feeling of relief that comes after laughter. When you\u2019ve confronted your own fears and turned them into humor, you can finally sit back and say, \u201cOkay, I can handle this.\u201d I think that\u2019s one of laughter\u2019s best qualities, it strengthens us. Wednesday, March 9 \u201cLaughter serves as a blocking agent. Like a bulletproof vest, it may help protect you against the ravages of negative emotions that can assault you in disease.\u201d –Norman Cousins If you can keep your sense of humor, it helps a lot through dark times. As someone who has faced myriad intense health issues over the years, I know firsthand that when you\u2019re facing something scary, something sad, something that feels insurmountable\u2014the best thing to do is laugh. Being able to laugh really allows the harsher shots to bounce off you, so you feel their impact without feeling their full damage Thursday, March 10 \u201cThe wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people \u2013 that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature. The wellspring of laughter is not happiness, but pain, stress, and suffering.\u201d –James Thurber Beneath our laughter lies pain. Even in mild humor, often the joke is someone doing something embarrassing and relatable, something very human. The things we find humorous reflect our own shortcomings, our own fears. When we see someone else make light of something that when we did it ourselves was a shameful secret, we feel an immense weight lifted. That\u2019s community, that\u2019s connection, that\u2019s humor. Friday, March 11 \u201cIf laughter cannot solve your problems, it will definitely dissolve your problems; so that you can think clearly what to do about them\u201d –Dr. Madan Kataria This is the core of it, I believe. Laughter is medicine, but it\u2019s a bit like Tylenol. It won\u2019t fix the root cause of your pain, but it does allow you a reprieve in which you can think clearly and look at things without being overwhelmed by the pain of stress, shame, and fear. It won\u2019t solve anything long-term but keeping humor and laughter as part of your daily life will make each day a little easier, and give you time to sort through bigger, scarier feelings. Want to build a better future? A life path reading with one of our talented life path psychics can tell you where you\u2019re headed. And if you don\u2019t like where you\u2019re headed, your life path psychic can steer you down a better path. Find a life path psychic or learn more about a life path reading. About California Psychics California Psychics is the most trusted source of psychic readings. We have delivered over 11 million discreet and confidential…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5961535,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7360],"tags":[33908,13736,3060,88],"cp_author":[34322],"class_list":["post-5961115","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-destiny-life-path","tag-daily-focus","tag-daily-meditation","tag-mantra","tag-meditation","cp_author-juliet-demarco"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSunday, March 6 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Monday, March 7 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tuesday, March 8 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Wednesday, March 9 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Thursday, March 10 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Friday, March 11 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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