Laughter Could Save Your Life

-by Matt Leedham

Last year, Jaime wrote about the power of positivity on your health. She shared the story of her grandfather who at the time was fighting cancer. While Grandpa Willis courageously battled, Jaime discovered some research proving that optimism can save your life.

On Friday, I was reminded of this. In the morning, I had the great opportunity to speak to Deloitte Consulting in Virginia on the topic of Stress Management. I stressed (no pun inteneded) the importance of choice management and specifically, choosing new thoughts in a high-stress environment.

After the workshop, I rushed home to meet 3 friends as we had planned a one-night excursion to Atlantic City. I hadn’t packed yet, and was feeling a little pressure – you might even say I was feeling stressed.

But as soon as we hopped in the car, there was laughter. Whether we were recounting funny stories of the past week, or simply ripping on each other like guys do, I found myself laughing. I noticed how much better I felt immediately.

Our primary purpose for going to Atlantic City was to see Bill Burr. Bill was on the Chappelle Show and has hosted his own HBO special. He’s hilarious – probably my favorite comedian right now. After an hour with Bill on the stage, I was in a great mood!

On the ride home, I thought, there has to be something to this laughter thing, right? I mean, I was always told that “laughter is the best medicine.”

As it turns out, laughter helps you oxygenate the cells in your body, resulting in lower blood pressure, reducing pain levels, and even helping your cholesterol. According to research, you’re actually changing your brain chemistry to feel better, and are halting the production of chemicals that make you feel anxious and tense.

And the crazy thing is, you don’t have to laugh spontaneously. It actually works the same even if you fake it. Seriously!

Check out this new phenomenon that’s catching on around the globe. It’s called Laughter Yoga (or Laughter Therapy). Laughter Clubs are popping up all over the place. Do they work? I’m not sure, but after watching a few videos on YouTube, I feel fantastic!

What do you think? Is laughter something that helps you reduce stress? Ever try to be intentional with your laughter to live more stress free?

P.S. Grandpa Willis has since left us, but his spirit lives on with all who remember his positive impact.

Staying Balanced

-by Matt Leedham

Do you ever feel unbalanced? Not chemically imbalanced, but like your life is too heavily weighted in one direction? Like all of your time and energy is going to one area of your life at the expense of all other areas?

There are many areas of life that need to be in balance. When one area is neglected, it begins to affect the whole system. Here are the major areas of life to be considered. How would you rank your personal satisfaction with each?

• Family Relationships
• Professional Satisfaction
• Financial Health
• Health & Wellness
• Social/Intimate Relationships
• Social Life
• Spiritual Awareness
• Personal Growth

Is there anything in your life that you are letting slide? For me, I tend to let health & wellness, relationships, and social life fall to the wayside when things get hectic. And when I think about it, these are precisely the last things that should be sacrificed.

What are common causes of personal imbalance?

1. Sudden or gradual increase in stress
2. Trauma or sickness
3. Travel for work or pleasure

What each of these causes amount to, typically, is a disruption to your daily routine. Personally, I find that a disruption to my routine is the biggest cause of a downward trend. As much as I hate to have a routine, it’s essential to maintaining consistent balance for me. Given that a routine is very difficult for me to maintain right now, I’ve become quite adept at predicting a possible disruption, or at least immediately identifying the disruption when it happens. I find that awareness of the issue is half the battle. If I can see what is happening, I can intervene.

Take the time now to take stock in your life. How are things going? What have you been neglecting that is likely causing you pain? Bring this into awareness and start to take some small steps toward addressing balance.

As always, Jaime and I are available for consultation for you or your friends and family. Email us and we'll set up a time to do a brief introduction to coaching and balance to see where you're at.