Laughter and Hugs - 25 Day Challenge

“Laughter is wine for the soul - laughter soft, or loud and deep, tinged through with seriousness - the hilarious declaration made by man that life is worth living." ― Seán O'Casey

Each day leading up to Christmas, I will provide you with one or two things to do during the day. Call them acts of kindness or call them acts of just being nice. Each will only take a few minutes and are very easy to accomplish. Try them and then let me know what you did and how it went by leaving me a comment.

Day One - Hope On A Lamp Pole
Day Two - Allowing Others First
Day Three - Calming Automobile Rides
Day Four - Picking Up Litter
Day Five and Six - It was your weekend, what did you do?
Day Seven - Smile, You're on Life's Camera
Day Eight - Holiday Treat For Others
Day Nine - Charity Begins With You Giving
Day Ten - Penny For Your Kindness
Day Eleven - Who Is Your Neighbor
Day Twelve and Thirteen - It was your weekend, what did you do?
Day Fourteen - Tell Someone Something Good
Day Fifteen, Sixteen and Seventeen - All Wrapped Into One

Day Eighteen - Laughter and Hugs

So how much laughter fills your day? How many hugs do you get throughout the week? You do remember how to laugh and hug another person correct? If so, then your challenge today is to laugh and make someone else laugh. Your challenge is to hug and be hugged by another person.

The benefits of both are real and have an impact on our well being. A nurturing touch of a hug can build trust and a sense of safety. A hug can instantly boost oxytocin levels, which help to heal any feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anger.

Laughing on the other hand has scientifically been proven to boost your memory. It can also improve your health by lowering stress, make you a better learner and make you more attractive. Recent studies confirm that humor and playfulness are highly valued traits in potential romantic partners.

In the grand scheme of things, laughter and hugs simply make the world a better place.

Let me know how it went and stay inspired my friends!

Family Ties

"Family is not an important thing. It's everything." -Michael J. Fox

Families come in all shapes and sizes. They come in ways you may view as non-traditional. To others, your traditional family might very well be considered non-traditional. It could be considered matrilocal (a mother and her children); conjugal (a husband, his wife, and children); or even consanguineal (extended family) whereby parents and children live together with other members of one parent's family.

There have been studies showing that:

- Having social support is greatly related to psychological well-being. What this means is the more one feels they have family and friends that will be there for them, the less likely one will become depressed and anxious.

- Having high levels of social support is a predictor of greater job satisfaction and a higher number of years staying within a particular job as opposed to those without the social support.

- Healthier living is much more likely with greater social support which translates into greater odds of living longer and much more productive or active into older age.

We each understand that there can never be the "perfect" family, regardless of the style or makeup of that family. We have our differences and friction can take place. But the family environment should allow for that friction to take place in a safe place. Being able to express, learn, laugh and love is what the family can do for us.

Your family is not always contained to "blood" relationships. Families can grow to be close friends, a community family or a church family. Each are in support of one another, in good times and in troubled times, each are there to support one another.

Find your family to be a part of. It is a two-way street in which you give of yourself to but also get to receive in times of need. There will be disagreement, but there will also be laughter...and there will always be love.

Stay inspired my friends.

Laughter

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Ears!
Ears who?
Ears some more knock knock jokes for you!

or how about;

Q: Why did the man put his money into the freezer?
A: He wanted cold, hard cash.

Okay, so maybe it didn't make you roll over with laughter, but there was a small smile within your grimace. And it did make you feel just a little better didn't it?

In fact, chances are it did make you feel a little better. In an article on HelpGuide.org with the help of Melinda Smith, M.A., Gina Kemp, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D, "in addition to the domino effect of joy and amusement, laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body."

- Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes after.

- Laughter boosts the immune system. Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

- Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

- Laughter protects the heart. Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

There are studies performed by others. William Fry, M.D., professor of psychiatry at Stanford University Medical School and an expert on health and laughter, reports the average kindergarten student laughs 300 times a day. Yet, adults average just 17 laughs a day. Why the difference? Are we too uptight, too tense? Do we take life too seriously? Isn't it time we learned how to relax?

Are we too serious in life? I'm not here to say that we shouldn't be serious. But we should learn to lighten up a bit. The tension in our politics, in our jobs and flowing down into our family life is tremendous.

All of this tension can lead to an unhealthy heart condition according to Michael Miller, M.D., director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

So maybe we should laugh just a little more often each day. Maybe the laughter will be music from our heart. Just maybe a dumb joke will save your life.