Humor: A Vital Daily Supplement

 
My tablet intake rivals the pill minders of folks twenty years my senior. Collagen and fish oil improve joint function. CoQ10 claims cellular repair features. My physician recommended calcium for bone health. Probiotics assist with digestion and boost immunity. I hope lecithin helps brain function. Royal jelly and bee pollen should increase my energy levels. I top it off with a multivitamin, in case I missed anything.
There’s one daily supplement few people recognize as a vital resource for physical, emotional, and cognitive well being. No pill to swallow, but the aftertaste is always divine. I can’t get enough of this secret super-boost. Doctors, holistics, and mental health professionals concur regarding its amazing benefits.
Humor. Seems so ordinary and simple, you’d be tempted to laugh me off for recommending it. Before you stop reading, consider the research. Bernie Siegal’s Peace, Love, and Healing cites scientific evidence revealing the impact of positive thinking and, yes, humor on the body’s ability to heal as well as to retain good health. Cancer patients shown Three Stooges films showed vast improvement over those who were not exposed to humor, for example.
Laughter releases endorphins and elevates serotonin. This boosts immunity and reduces toxic stress and anxiety. Mental health often improves significantly when clients dose up on regular comic relief. Though no one should stop taking medication without their physician’s approval, some patients can reduce or eliminate psychotropic prescriptions after a (professionally supervised) transition to a fun-infused daily lifestyle.
Humor offers greater value per investment than other treatments. Especially when you consider it’s often available at little or no cost. Note the abundance of comic relief in our natural environment. Otters, monkeys, and kittens testify a core thread of silliness weaves this world together. The Creator designed humor into our habitat and advertised its free health benefits. “A merry heart does good, like medicine” (Proverbs 17:22).
Need help getting a daily dose? Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

1. Baby giggles are contagious, and nurseries need volunteers.
2. Subscribe to social media joke posts or silly meme sites.
3. Create art in your yard with a tarp and watercolor-filled balloons.
4. Invite friends or family to a shaving cream covered Frisbee game.
5. Borrow a joke book from the library and share your favorites online.
6. Ask your friends what animal they identify with most. Find the goofiest photo of each animal and tag your friends. If you’re tech-savvy, you can take it a step further and photoshop the animals mouths moving to match respective friends’ voices.
7. Whenever tempted to criticize your mistakes, always laugh at yourself instead.
8. Check out this BBC video, capable of triggering a giggle even on several views. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ssXJtzFOjA

What makes you giggle? Share your ideas with us. I look forward to reading your comments.
Be Encouraged,
Tina