Fake laughing still counts

I’ve decided that I’m not really an introvert or an extrovert I’m a kidOvert. I get my energy from children!  I honestly feel better when I’m around children. The spasticity my body experiences from the lesion on my spinal cord, caused by my MS, decreases. Well now I know why. It’s laughter! When I’m around children I laugh!  That shouldn’t be very surprising because children laugh more than adults do. And when you’re dealing with yucky stuff such as a body that doesn’t work it’s pretty easy to fall into the trap of laughing less than 20 min a day. So thank you children for making me laugh!

When I don’t have children around I have been known to fake laugh. Your body doesn’t really know the difference between real laughing and fake laughing. Both create endorphins, reduce stress hormones, increase oxygen intake to lungs, heart and muscles, strengthen your immune system and your abs. (My son used to tell me I could have abs of steel if I would laugh for an hour a day.  I’ve never been able to sustain that length of laughter so I haven’t been able to test that theory and quite honestly I don’t even need abs of steel. I would just like my stomach muscles to keep me sitting up straight in my power wheelchair.) I have now learned that laughter also reduces muscle tone or spasticity for up to 45 minutes after the laugh. Honestly, some of my prescription medication doesn’t last that long. But I would say I’m not a typical responder to medication so for me laughter truly is the best medicine.  

Along with all of these physical benefits laughter increases our ability to put things into perspective and helps us to connect with others, both of which benefits our psychological health.  A caution: make sure we are laughing to connect not to separate or divide…Once I had a patient tell me that in their family they were allowed to tease up but not tease down. I think the same can be said of laughter. Don’t use it to put others, or yourself, down but use it to build others, including yourself, up. 

Obviously I try to laugh spontaneously first. That happens when I’m with people I love like my family, children who are just honestly curious. or just a lot of funny things. Below are a couple of my favorite online laughs. Please feel free to send me more! I need a lot of laughs!  

I usually pair my fake laughing with some road I frequently travel on.  Pairing Is a great behavior change strategy. You can pair a routine behavior, such as dailly road, with a desirable behavior you’re trying to increase or add to your life, such as laughing. When I turn onto that certain road I know I need to start laughing and so I do. Pretty soon I’m laughing for real because it’s honestly quite ridiculous. So laugh on! .