When I sharing ideas met with Jenny Walker the other week we got on the subject of joy. Jenny says that she makes it a policy to laugh at least two times a day. She started this habit some time ago and she said that at first it was a bit of work to make herself laugh when she wasn’t having the best day but after a while it just became more natural. It helped her tap into her joy. Believe it or not there are actually a lot of laughter exercise you can do. I was shocked at how much is out there. Here are a few examples you might want to try. 1) The Beginners Laugh Exercise: Laugh non-stop for 30 seconds. You could shrug your shoulders and even say, “I don’t know why I am laughing!” 2) This is called the Gradient Laugh: Smile, then start to giggle, slowly turning those giggles into a laugh. Build it up. Gradually increase your laughter in tempo and volume until you are laughing uncontrollably. 3) The Memory Laugh: Think back and find a truly happy memory, typically of a time when you felt safe, loved, surrounded by people you loved, and when you laughed like crazy. Take time to connect to your memory. Laughing now as if you were back then. I’ve been doing what I’ve called the ‘Beginners Laugh’ and I have to say, it does make me authentically chuckle after not to long. Don’t give up too quickly. It normally takes 2 to 3 minutes to start to go from the act of laughing to feeling the real funniness of the situation. Thanks Jenny for the idea! If you have any muscular tension issues Jenny is a super knowledgable Advanced Clinical & Restorative Massage therapist in Godalming town centre. Here are more laughter exercises you can do: https://www.laughteronlineuniversity.com/laughter-wellness-workout/
It’s that time again – Laughing Hour!
