Funny Things

You know I’m all about bringing health and joy to the world, sharing tools and ideas for all of the above. Lately we’ve worked on sleep during the sleep week series, we’ve gotten ourselves high-fiving every morning, sharing three good things, practicing gratitude, etc. Today I’m adding another layer with a practice called Three Funny Things.

We Need More Funny Things

Did you know that adults laugh an average of 17 times a day? Children laugh an average of 300 times. Looking at how that seems to work in my house, I’d say that 300 is skewed towards early childhood and teenagers should be lumped in with the adults. Either way, this is sad.

Your body cannot heal without play. Your mind cannot heal without laughter. Your soul cannot heal without joy.

– Catherine Rippenger Fenwick

Laughter As Medicine

Anatomy Of An Illness, by Norman Cousins, MD is the story of the author’s battle against a crippling disease using laughter as medicine. This is from 1979 – laughter as medicine is not new. This forged the path for using laughter as medicine as a mainstream practice. Laughter activates the chemistry of our will to live and heal, increasing our capacity to heal. It also elevates our courage, tenacity, and allows us to zoom out and have better perspective.

Funny Things

I can tell you from personal experience, going through my 11 surgeries and her 7, my BFF and I laugh at every turn of our journeys. We go to each other’s surgeries whenever possible and turn our PACU experiences into a veritable Laugh Factory session. Just yesterday she had her final surgery. When she woke up, in her drug addled state, she called me FIRST. Why? Her not fully conscious brain knew to ignite the healing process with our connection and laughter. We’re talking laugh until we cry type of funny. She barely remembers the call but the seeds were planted and she’s on her way to a brilliant recovery, thanks to our connection, laughter as medicine, and funny things. GO GET IT, JEN!!!

Studies from around the world have shown that an atmosphere of humor results in better patient cure, less anesthesia time, less operating time, and shorter hospital stays.

– Carol Whipple, MS. Former Extension Specialist for Social Work at University of Kentucky

Three Funny Things

Ok, so onto the practice. This one comes from Greater Good Science Center. Click HERE to see the full exercise including the WHY and three podcast episodes of the practice in action. Here is the HOW:

Are You In?

I hope so! I know I’m in need of more laughter, so I figure most everyone else is, too. I’m CERTAIN we can all find at least three funny things each day. Please send me your funny things and I’ll share mine with you!

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