My wife, Kris, says I am a jokester. I tell her that laughter is good for my health.
It tones my abs as my stomach muscles expand and contract, similar to working out at the gym. Or, I tell Kris, it’s like when she picks up a 50-lb. bag of horse feed or cattle mineral.
I also suggested that living with a jokester like me could help her enjoy the other benefits of laughing1:
- Lowers blood pressure and stroke risk
- Reduces stress hormone levels
- Works abs, as I described earlier
- Improves cardiac health. Laughter provides a great cardio workout.
- Boosts T-cells, which are specialized immune system cells that fight off illness
- Triggers the release of endorphins, which are natural painkillers, making you feel good
- Produces a general sense of well-being
Truth be known, Kris was mad at me when I shared this information with her. While she didn’t refer to me as “jokester,” she may have used the word “joke.”
The one thing about Kris that I love above all else is that when she gets mad at me, she will be over it in 15 minutes. That is, if I’m able to stay out of her sight for that long. I can wait then come out from behind the barn and know that I am not in any danger.
I normally wouldn’t tell you this, but Kris is “dead-eye dick” with a pistol. This is why I secure the guns in a cabinet, with a lock that has a long combination. I am banking on the hope that by the time she gets the combination twirled seven ways from Sunday, she will be over being mad at me.
Laughter also comes in handy as home therapy for seasonal affective disorder (SAD)2. This is a condition where an individual becomes moody and depressed in the winter when daylight becomes a scarce commodity.
I know of individuals that have SAD every year. The symptoms include feeling depressed nearly every day, losing interest in the activities that normally bring you joy, being unmotivated and being unable to concentrate. It can become extreme with a feeling of hopelessness, and maybe guilt. Some individuals with SAD border on being suicidal.
Rather than focusing on how depressing wintertime can be, let’s refocus on what we can do to make our lives better.
I’ll leave you with an analogy about life I often shared with my Ohio State vet students. I would sketch a three-legged stool. One leg of the stool, I said, represents our vocation or profession. The second leg of the stool represents our personal well-being, friends and family. The third leg of the stool represents our spiritual life. I would tell my students that if you are giving one of these legs of your life short shrift, your stool will be off balance. It is important to continually be aware of your life’s balance – your career, your personal relationships and your spiritual life.
Life got you down? Certainly, get professional counseling if you ‘re feeling depressed. Plus, continually work on maintaining balance in your life. And take time to enjoy the healing quality of laughter.
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