Healing Powers of Laughter

It seems morbid to think of having a funny moment with cancer, but there has to be some room to laugh about the business it presents. The tears I have endured towards the process of being a caretaker in lung cancer have been devastating. Yet, I’m very fortunate to say I’ve had some pleasurable memories with my mother that involved a lot of laughter in spite of lung cancer. So what’s in laughter for a person going through cancer?

Laughter and cancer

Well, it’s about living and readjusting your life. Laughter has a way of allowing us to live and forget, whether it’s for just a little bit. If a good laugh can take away any thoughts of planned scans in seeing how far off are with your disease, well bygone, let the laugher begin, let this ease my soul for what is about to come.

Laughter is the best medicine, as it has a list of healing powers...really:

• Boosts the immune system: laughter can help boost hormones that can trigger an ill and slow immune system.
• Triggers endorphins: Endorphins are listed as the feel-good hormones that allow for an overall feeling good.
• Calorie burn: exercise is still the key in burning calories, but laugher can also make a slight dent in laughing off those calories.

Readjusting to find the good

Finding humor in your day to day is about handling some of life’s, at times, interesting boomerangs. Again though these rebounds are no laughing matter and readapting your thinking is encouraging in moving ahead.

Our days should not be taken for granted and part of living the best you are following the flow of the good things. Remembering and living in those funny moments that can take you away from any despair and negative thoughts can be comforting. Readjusting steps ahead by adding a funny a day should not be hard to do; if it means pulling out that old picture with you looking a laughable mess, to picking up the phone and calling a buddy that always brings you to funny tears then do so.

Reflection and balance

Laughter allows us to reflect and that is perfectly okay for that moment. I can remember at one of my mom’s appointment her stating well I guess “I’ll now get some of that weight off”, though I didn’t find that so funny, it was her way of removing the seriousness of the situation and living in that moment of humor.

It can be a buzz kill; however, once that reflection is made the laughter by whatever means is appreciated. In no shape or form should you feel you have to lose your sense of humor. Actually, this should allow you to be even more open to not taking things too seriously, and enjoy all that life has for you. I have a picture in my office with my mom cutting up joking at her job, while someone snapped the shot. It’s clear she was the jokester in her “Mae” fashion, but that smile and having this forever memory means so much.

So yes, a laugh helps to forget and explore the possibilities...How dare we.

The time to fight is now, with integrity, grace, hope, and a smile...when you feel like it