Laugh Easily and Often (and for no good reason!)

Do you remember when you were a kid and you would start laughing with your friends…then someone would say ‘what are you laughing at?’ and the laughter would redouble…because you didn’t know what you were laughing at, you were just laughing. For no good reason. Which makes the puzzled person standing opposite you, asking what you’re laughing at, incredibly funny.

I love a good laugh. Laughing is one of my favourite things. Laughing for no reason is one of my favourite favourite things. I can still remember occasions when I laughed and laughed and laughed with friends and we had no idea why we were laughing. (on one memorable occasion it took days to apologise to the friend who thought we were laughing at her – we weren’t, it was just so funny that we didn’t know why we were laughing that we couldn’t tell her for laughing!)

Laughter is also very good for you (I don’t think you hear enough about the health benefits of laughter). It lowers stress, boosts immunity, gives your tummy and lungs a good workout, triggers the release of endorphins, it’s fun and you feel good. What’s not to like about it?

But, of course, when we become mature, sensible, adults, we stop laughing. Children laugh easily and often (and for no good reason). Adults laugh less in comparison. Which is sad. There’s nothing better than a good laugh, so why would you stop doing it? I know it’s not a deliberate thing for most of us – we don’t wake up one day without a sense of humour. We just become a bit bogged down by life and forget to laugh.

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” – Charlie Chaplin.

I couldn’t agree more! Don’t waste a day of your life – laugh easily, often and for no good reason. A couple of years ago I did a daily practice of laughing for a month (here’s the link to the round up blog post) and dedicated myself to the practice of laughing every day. Deliberately and purposefully.

I sought out things that made me laugh. I tried laughter yoga (brilliant), I looked up silly jokes and comedians I like. I looked for quotes on laughter. I made it my mission in life to laugh. And that month was fun, and light, and easy. My days were easier, my work went more smoothly, I was less grumpy, I felt better. Just because I spent 10 minutes or so a day seeking to laugh.

It’s that easy. Don’t wait for the comical to come and find you – go looking for it. Share your favourite jokes (send them to me, I love jokes) and your favourite silly YouTube clips (youtube is comedy gold!), look up your favourite comedians and comedy shows, spend more time with people who make you laugh. Put laughter at the top of your to do list.

Love

Donna.x

PS This article is an excerpt from my fabulous book “Fall in Love With Life” – for more details and to buy, click here.