"Laughter is the best medicine" is not a saying that developed out of nowhere. The medicinal qualities of laughter are real, and can help ease the pain and stress in your body and mind, according to the Mayo Clinic. Laughing, whether you are genuinely amused by something or forcing a smile, can help people achieve pain relief. Laughter yoga is one form of spiritual and physical healing that uses slow body movements and child-like silliness to create a lighter mood that may lead to pain relief.
Step 1
Get pain relief from laughing by performing breathing exercises that at first will simulate laughter, and may lead to authentic laughter as well. The Laughter Yoga International organization suggests a series of forceful exhalations from your diaphragm. With each exhalation, say "ha ha ha" or "ho ho ho." Deep breathing fills the lungs with air and can promote better circulation, which can help with pain. People whose pain does not interfere with their energy levels or movement may choose to clap along or swing their hands and feet along with the breathing and chanting.
Step 2
Force yourself to smile and laugh even if you don't feel like it. Physically rearrange your mouth into a smiling position if you are in too much pain to smile naturally. Do a fake laugh. The Mayo Clinic explains that even a fake laugh can help relax your body and lead to some pain relief. At some point, you may find the fake smiling situation absurd enough that you'll be laughing for real.
Step 3
Surround yourself with people who are positive and can bring some laughter to your life. Speak in "gibberish" to each other, another act in laughter yoga that few people can continue for too long without finding it funny. Laughter Yoga International stresses the importance of letting go of your inhibitions and acting with child-like exuberance in order to reap the pain-relieving benefits of laughing.
Step 4
Read a joke book or watch a funny movie when you are ailing. Laughing releases endorphins that are nature's way of dulling the pain.
Things You'll Need
- Breathing exercises
- Joke book
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