Laughter and Stress Management

Laughter is still the best medicine, and the only one perhaps that has no side effects, at least as far as addressing stress is concerned. Laughter is free and contagious. It connects us closer to the people we hold dear. Likewise provides us the means to see the other side of a person. Just hearing people laughing at about anything can certainly bring us to burst of laughter too.

Though, it has not been proven by western medicine yet about the scientific aspect of laughing as a healing technique, still many believe and would agree that to a certain extent laughter is as good a therapy in relieving stress as those recommended by the experts.

Some doctors believe that laughing is not a way of coping but rather a defense mechanism in given stress. They posed their argument as to how can a person possibly laugh at something when in a state of being sad, which according to them very impossible to do. However some still believe that when we laugh, the process can make our stomach and our lungs expand, which also improves our blood circulation, boost the immune system, strengthen the heart, lowers the blood pressure, and give the nervous system a good stimulant.

The creator of a Robin Williams starrer, Patch Adams, a movie about a doctor who believes that making people laugh can somehow alleviate their present health condition, must have been a staunch supporter of the healing power of laughter. True enough just watching the so-called flick can help us understand also the connection of laughter and stress management.

Today with the aim to immediately respond to stress before it wears us down, we are bombarded with so many mechanisms as to how to cope with stress, let alone manage it. Seldom do we hear about laughter and stress management being talked about together, though there already exist groups that purvey the essence of laughter and stress management.

Laughing can release a chemical in our body known as endorphin, which is a proven natural high stimulant. In like manner it decreases the cortisol level in the body, which is a chemical that tell us the level of stress a person is going through. Understandably laughter and stress management can complement the lack of each other. Laughter many not be the ultimate answer in addressing stress but it has proven its use in many stress management courses as one of the better alternative.

No one can ever question the benefits of laughter to a person. It has been proven that laughter can surely help us feel better when we are sad and down. Truly laughter is still the best medicine for stress.