Step Five - Laugh a Little

"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter." -Mark Twain

Now, I do not know how this Mark Twain guy came up with this stuff, but it is brilliant (at least in my opinion). Think about it for a minute. You are in a heated argument, debate, whatever and you start to smile and maybe even start laughing. At first, the other person/people might get even more indignant, but usually they start to cool off. This tactic does not always work, but it can be incredibly effective if used properly.

Think too about when you are feeling really depressed. Your job is sucking, your house just sprung a $500-to-fix leak, your pet littered on your laptop, your hair is falling out, you did not win the lottery...again, etc. Then you turn on a funny movie or hang out with your friends and immediately start to feel a little better. You forget about why you were depressed. In some cases, especially with good friends, you may start laughing so hard that your abs get a 10-minute workout by default. Your eyes start tearing and every little thing someone says thereafter is somehow funny. Those are the best laughs. The ones that hurt for a full day after. They are those rare ones that you wish could happen more often.

Laughing is especially helpful (and unfortunately rare) when we lose someone we love. It might be that you broke up with a significant other, maybe a great friend moved far away, or possibly even you "lost" a loved one to a disease of some sort. Especially with the last case, it is really hard to laugh. However, if you can muster up a smile and even a chuckle or two, you will feel better. Thinking of all of the great times you spent with each other and shrugging off the bad ones will elicit that sort of satisfying feeling like when you eat a spoonful of really rich chocolate mousse (or your favorite craving). Similar too is when you take a sip of really warm tea or coffee on a cold and damp day. You feel it warming up your soul and bringing a calmness to your life. So too can a good laugh.

The best way, in general, that laughing helps is to make you feel less stressed. It is well known that stress is very bad for your health. It is neither good for your psychological wellness, nor your physical condition. When you are stressed, your brain releases "stress hormones" to your body, indicating that you are in trouble. Your heart may beat faster, you may start to sweat, etc. Over a long period of time, you can see how dangerous this can be and how much laughter is needed as a prescription to this self-induced disease. Life will often throw you curves that you may feel are too much to handle and make it all seem unfair and you get stressed. Take control. Make it fair. Laugh a little.