Join the Laughing Club

Laughter is good for your heart! Laughter reduces stress levels! Laughter is good for your health.

I just read about a new laughter club in a jail in Pune, India. Yes, prisoners are learning how to reduce stress with meditation, breathing, yoga and laughter. Daily sessions to get a good belly laugh. If it works for people who are stuck in prison, it should work for you too!

Don’t be a prisoner of your seriousness.

If you’re feeling stressed, chances are you’ve gotten serious. You might not even have noticed how and when. But, I bet if you ask your friends and family, you’ll get the real honest feedback. They’ll tell you, “Yeah, you never laugh anymore!” And “Everything is so significant.” Or “It’s all about work!”

Oops…you forgot about taking things lightly. You forgot to look on the bright side. You forgot to pick up the banana peel you slipped on. You’ve gotten Serious … with a capital “S”…you’ve forgotten how to laugh.

Think about those prisoners. They are discovering how to reduce intense stress with a skill that we all share: laughter. It’s natural. It’s portable. It’s free.

Those prisoners are finding relief. You can too!

Even if just for a few minutes. A good deep belly laugh is distracting in a good way. It takes your mind off of your problems. It changes your perception. It helps you see the world in a different light.

Check out the daily cartoon at Better Stress Advice for some comic relief: www.better-stress-advice.com

To read the full story about the Laughter club at Yerawada Central Prison: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=129193

Milly is author of Beyond Words: A guide to Drawing out Ideas. She is co-author with Thomas Sechehaye of just-released Design Yourself and SOS: Stress Options and Solutions available at http://www.better-stress-advice.com

Milly and Thomas translate field-tested methods, from 17 years at Hands•On Graphics corporate trainings, to practical tools to help you reduce stress today!

Discover the newest visual and holistic approaches to manage stress and reduce information overload.

http://www.better-stress-advice.com