Holidays can produce joy OR stress, or both! Laugh and smile your way through the holidays by taking control of your emotions using smiles and laughter. Your body will respond immediately with happy feelings when you smile – and if you want to make other people happy, follow the same recipe – smiling and laughter. Here are ten reasons to Smile and Laugh your way through the holidays, including some great youtube links to laughter-inducing funniest home videos!
- Smiling Triggers the Release of Endorphins
The more endorphins you release, the happier you are! When you smile, the muscle movement in your face triggers your brain to activate neurotransmitters that release endorphins. Endorphins like dopamine and serotonin are our feel-good chemicals.
- Smiling is a free anti-depressant!
Do it frequently, and watch your mood get lighter and happier with every smile! Smile for absolutely NO reason at all. Watch funny films, TV, and theater productions.
- Smiling Lowers Stress – both for you and those around you
Since we’re talking about smiling as the trigger for the release of endorphins, the flip side is that by triggering the feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin, we are simultaneously LOWERING our cortisol levels. When are stressed out, cortisol is secreted, which continues to pile on more unpleasant feelings, anxiety and stress.
So, if a situation is starting to get stressful, SMILE. Next, take a brief moment to think of someone you love deeply and take three deep breaths. Your calm can be infectious. Even better, if you can get the other person to laugh, you can pat yourself on the back for reversing negativity.
- Smiling and Laughing act as natural painkillers
Did you know that endorphins are natural painkillers? If you are in pain, laughing and smiling will help you manage your pain and add more joy to your life. If you spill your coffee or make a mistake, let out a good laugh, take that deep breath and feel your tension melt away! Spend time with friends and family that make you happy.
- Smiling lowers your blood pressure
When my husband, Dr. Brown, was doing an initial exam with a patient, I always knew when he was about to take their blood pressure. I’d hear guffaws of laughter from the exam room. He always preceded taking blood pressure with a good joke because he knew most patients were not at their most relaxed when visiting a doctor. He said the blood pressure readings were always lower and more accurate after the patient had just laughed. Smiling can even help you live longer.
- Smiling and laughing reduce anxiety
Going to visit the in-laws for the holidays? Keep that smile going. The endorphins that you can generate will replace cortisol with serotonin and dopamine. These stop the “Stress Cascade” from gaining momentum and reverse the downward spiral.
- Laughing is a great way to release emotions
Find things to laugh about – and have very low standards for what makes you laugh. Our dog makes us laugh daily. He’s just a funny little guy. Watch YouTube videos of funny kids or funny animals. Five minutes of this can change your day! (Funny dog videos)
Get a laughter buddy. I have one, and I swear she’s helped save my sanity so often. We can call each other, complain about everything, and make fun of the things we’re stressed about. Within minutes we can see how minor these issues are and find the funny side. If making fun of ourselves doesn’t work, we make up a silly story or even a fairytale about how our day should have gone. The more ridiculous, the better. We always hang up laughing.
- Smiling and Laughing can draw people to you and make you more attractive
Try an experiment. Stand in front of a mirror and look angry and upset. Feel how that makes your own body feel. (not so great, right?) Take a breath, and change your expression. Put a huge smile on your face and send love out from your eyes. Feel how your body has shifted. How does it feel to be radiating that smile and love? Now I ask, which person would you want to hang out with this holiday season?
- Laughing expands your lungs
Laughing expands the lungs and replenishes your cells with a huge dose of fresh oxygen. It’s a form of exercise that requires no gym or yoga outfits! It’s free. It’s available 24/7. After you laugh, be aware of how your body feels after the laughing feast. (Link to Funny Cat Videos)
- When you smile, you have a more positive effect on the environment
Have you ever walked through a store and encountered someone who has a big smile on their face? Your reaction was probably to smile back! When we go through our day, even on the phone, with a smile, we give the other person a gift. The gift is a “good vibration” of joy and well-being. At family gatherings, smiling frequently can positively impact everyone in the room!
We wish you a delightful, smiling, laughing, loving holiday and the upcoming year!
Bonus Tip – Wearing a Level 3 or 4 BioElectric Shield can help you Laugh more
I’m Happier and woke up laughing
“I’m a much happier person since wearing the shield. It’s what I noticed most about it. Last night I left it on while sleeping for the first time and woke up laughing. I dreamed I was a stand-up comic and laughing at my jokes. Would that of happened if I had left the shield off? I tend not to think so!”
Daryl Indes, Irvine, Ca – Level 3 Shield wearer.
Empath – Not sucking in the negativity, laughing more
“I have been doing deep tissue therapy for 34 years, so the clients who come to me are usually in pain. As an empath, I become a recluse on my days off to recharge my system, and I tend to stay away from large crowds because of the energy drain on my body. I ordered the level 3 sterling silver with gold tabs about a week ago and have worn it since I opened the box.
I sleep about 3 hours less at night and am ready to go. I have been in a couple of situations with extremely negative people and didn’t suck it in as I normally do. My shoulders feel like they have dropped about 3 inches, and I laugh a lot.
I have tried many natural holistic things over the years, but this is one that made a difference from day one. I know it sounds early to make a statement about this product, but I noticed the difference from day one, and every day gets better. Thank you for such a wonderful product!
Debbie Bowers, owner SLO Massage Therapy at the Pismo Beach Athletic Club, Pismo Beach, Calif. – Level 3 Shield Wearer
Silly laughter tip
Click all three videos at once, opening each in a separate window, and it makes a crazy chorus of Laughing Jingle Bells. (this probably works only on a computer, not a phone or tablet) I did it by accident the first time, and was laughing and crying it was so crazy. Then if you let it run, YouTube often serves up yet another silly laughing holiday video.
Have a Very Merry Laughing, Smiling Holiday
Santa Jingle Bells laughing video
Tshirt Guy laughing Jingle Bells video
Two Guys laughing Jingle Bells video
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