Habits To Enhance Your Mood And Success

Your daily habits ultimately determine the quality of your life. Happy and successful people do more different things each day than the average person. And they do those things consistently.

A few small changes can transform your life, but patience is required. Instead of focusing on big changes, consider making a few minor adjustments.

The odds of successfully making a change are much higher when that change is small.

Effective Habits Result In A More Productive Life

 Make yourself a priority. We have all been taught to worry about others. Self-sacrifice is viewed as altruistic and noble. But you are important, too. Give your emotional and physical health the priority it deserves. You will then be in a better position to help yourself and others.

Set one or more goals each day. If you do not have an objective for the day, you are much less likely to make the most of it. It feels good to wake up with a purpose. You will also get a lot more accomplished. Give yourself the gift of feeling a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day.

 Communicate effectively. Communicating well with others enhances relationships, both personal and professional. Poor communication creates misunderstanding and unhappiness. Ensure you understand others and that they understand you.

Meditate. A few minutes of meditation each day can provide significant results. It is relaxing, provides a mental break, and clears the mind. Think of it as exercise for your mental muscles.

Spend quality time with those you love. Is that not what it is all about anyway? Many of us spend all day toiling at work, only to come home and sit in front of the TV. Spending meaningful time with others will make you happier and provide the motivation necessary to reach higher levels of success.

 Learn at least one new thing. Imagine how much you would know in five years if you learned something new each day. Ideally, you will learn something that is both interesting and useful to your future. You will be proud of your personal growth. You will also be more effective in the workplace.

Be grateful. When life is challenging, it is easy to forget just how much you already have. Spend a few minutes each day and make a list of all the things that fill you with gratitude.

Use time effectively. Time is the one thing you cannot get back. Whether you are a billionaire or the average Joe, everyone has 24 hours to navigate each day. The most successful people use that time more effectively. Whether working or having fun, try to make your hours as productive as possible.

Exercise each day. Exercise is great for your health, both physical and mental. It is a great time to think and unwind. Try to squeeze in at least 30 minutes of physical activity each day. You will benefit in many ways.

It can be that easy to feel better and accomplish more. Enhance your daily rituals and you will enhance your life.Small changes can bring big results over time. Develop habits that guarantee a better mood and greater success.

With thanks to Sean May https://www.scienceofimagery.com/top-10-habits-enhance-mood-success/

I would like to thank my blog readers for their support throughout the year. WIshing you all

a Merry Christmas and a happy, peaceful Festive Season.

Build And Maintain Meaningful Relationships

Meaningful relationships are a necessity of  life.

Relationships can be challenging. The quality of our relationships has a big influence on the quality of our lives.

Relationships are like a living organism. They require attention and energy to thrive.

When they are ignored, they degrade and wither away.

How many friends have drifted away from you over the years?

Enhance Your Relationships And Your Life

“Fix” yourself. The people we bring into our lives are often attempts to patch our own shortcomings. We often use others as distractions. When you raise up your own life, you will naturally raise your standards.

Our friends and lovers are often very much like us. If you are routinely having challenges in your life, you will feel comfortable with others who are similarly challenged. When you have your own life together, you will find similar people are attracted into your life.

 Focus on what you can provide to the other person. It does not take much to make most people happy, most of the time. When the other person is happy and content, they will be in a better position to make you happy, too.

Do meaningful things together. If you love art, it is much more meaningful to share it with someone. You will find that you enjoy watching others enjoy themselves, even if the activity is not interesting to you. Share meaningful experiences, and those emotions will spill over into your relationship.

Have deep conversations. If all you talk about are work and the weather, the relationship will never have any depth. While all friendships and romantic relationships start out at a casual level, things must become deeper over time if the relationship is going to become more meaningful.

Consider important details in their lives. We all dislike it when someone forgets our birthday or does not ask us about our first day at a new job. Take notes if you have to, but stay on top of the important items going on in the lives of your friends and family.

People always remember how you made them feel. They might forget what you said, but they never forget how you made them feel. If you can make the other person feel good, your relationship will grow.

If you make the other person feel guilty, lazy, ashamed, or any other negative emotion, you are losing ground. Address behaviours and avoid attacking anyone.

Be good to yourself. If you do not love and respect yourself, others will be less likely to. When you are good to yourself, others will respect you and treat you well, too.

Get back to others quickly. We all have the friend that ignores our emails, phone calls, and texts. Avoid becoming known as the person that rarely returns messages.

Be patient and forgiving. Every once in a while, you are going to take some damage from a friend or family member that is having a bad day. Learn to forgive and forget the occasional outburst. Hopefully, you will receive the same consideration.

Get personal. Social media, text messaging, and emails are amazing inventions. However, these are poor substitutes for real conversation. Make the effort to talk to someone in person or on the phone. If you want to make good use of technology, try Skyping. It is free and you can see each other.

Are your relationships everything you would like them to be? Meaningful relationships are one of the key components of happiness. Give your relationships the time and energy they require to blossom and flourish. Great relationships can bring new meaning to your life. Be a great friend, family member, and partner.

With thanks to Sean May  https://www.scienceofimagery.com/10-ways-build-maintain-meaningful-relationships/

Turn Your Fears Around To Work To Your Advantage

If you are not afraid, you are not human. Everyone is afraid of something. Fears tend to evolve and change over time.

A young child might be afraid of the dark. A middle-aged man is afraid of embarrassing himself during a speech. A newborn is afraid of loud  noises. All other fears are learned.

What have you learned to be afraid of?

Turn the tables and use fear to your advantage:

Determine why you are afraid. If you are afraid of falling off a cliff and dying, your fear might be justified, and further evaluation is required. If it is just your ego talking, you know that the fear is not in your best interest. That is the type of fear that keeps you in your current situation.

Reframe the situation. The fact that you are physically uncomfortable does not have to control your thoughts or actions. When you are feeling anxious, take that as a sign that something great might be getting ready to happen. Step outside your comfort zone and take advantage of the opportunity.

Use fear to your advantage. It is a good thing. Not something to be avoided. Embrace it.

 Make a list of all of your fears. You will notice a pattern. It might be a fear of embarrassment, success, or becoming isolated. By understanding the core of your fears, you can better deal with them. By addressing the core issue you may be able to eliminate many of your fears at the source.

Use fear to propel you forward. The most successful people have been those that faced their fears successfully. Conquering one fear makes you more capable. The next fear will be even easier. Defeating a small fear makes the more significant fears more manageable. The confidence you gain can be applied to all areas of your life.

Recognise that fear is self-induced. It is only your perception of the event that creates your fear. Fear is just a feeling. It may include physical symptoms, but it is a feeling nonetheless.

If your life is not in danger, your fear is just a guess. When you can realise this fact, you will also realise that all of your other feelings follow the same rules. If you can make yourself feel bad, you can also make yourself feel good too.

Use fear to enhance your discipline. Fear occurs when your brain tries to stop you from doing something. It makes you uncomfortable until you run away from the source of your fear. Use the opportunity to exercise your ability to push through the anxiety.

Discipline is the ability to do things you do not feel like doing. You do not need discipline to do the things you enjoy. Does it take discipline to eat a potato chip? No. It takes discipline to stop. You need discipline to face your fears. Begin cultivating it.

Get the help you need. Perhaps you need help getting over deep-seated fears. There is probably a good reason why they are deep-seated. Use your fear as a motivation to get help. You might find you need help with a few other mental health issues too. Getting help for your fear could help you move forward with a myriad of new benefits.

Fear is not something to be avoided. Use fear to your advantage. Fear is a wonderful opportunity to learn about yourself. Fear can also be used as chance to grow on a personal level. If you are not afraid, you are not living.

With thanks to Sean May https://www.scienceofimagery.com/8-ways-take-advantage-fears/

Is it really possible to place an order with the Universe?

Live A More Fulfilling, Happy Life

Are you looking for answers to making life more enjoyable? If so, you are not alone. In fact, people everywhere are seeking out the best ways to create happiness in their lives.

There are a lot of techniques to choose from, some are better than others.

If you are tired of searching site after site trying to find the best way to create happiness, you are in luck because your about to learn the best ways to make happiness a regular part of your life.

Here are a few lessons to help you live a more positive and fulfilling life.

Be the hero of your own story

Whatever mistakes you have made up until now are off the table – the only thing that matters from this point on is how you move forward starting today. Imagine you are the main character in a video game, or you are playing the starring role in the supremely megafantastic movie called YOUR LIFE – act accordingly.
What would you do? What choices would you make? Do not wait around or expect anyone else to create your own success or happiness – that is entirely yours to make.

“Be your own hero, it is cheaper than a movie ticket.” – Douglas Horton

Action step: Watch your favourite movie montage, video game scene or TV moment. Find out what drew you to it (was it the character’s intensity, confidence or charisma? What about their ability to handle a tough situation or stand up for themselves?) then apply it to your own life in any situation that you can.

Fail often, Fail better 

“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

Action step: Pick yourself back up (or start) something that failure, or fear of it, kept you from pursuing.

Empty Your Mind

Whether your goal is to look like Hugh JACKEDman or simply get rid of the extra fluff that has taken up residence on your body, odds are you are holding on to some beliefs that do nothing more than hold you back.

It could be “knowing” that you have to eat x amount of meals a day, or “knowing” that if you eat certain foods you will never get the body that you want.

Open yourself to different possibilities. There are no absolutes, only options…and options are great.

Action step: Identify at least one idea/belief that does nothing but hold you back or hinder your progress. Once you have done that, write down ways that you can act on that run counter to those ideas. Give it time and do this for several weeks, taking note of any changes, positive or negative, that have occurred.

Example: I must eat every two hours, despite it being a chore and my lifestyle beginning to suffer.
Action: For a month, increase the length of time between your meals and see how you respond.

Build Momentum

Whatever your goal is, do whatever you have to do to get it, then do everything in your power to keep from losing it. Unless of course you are in a negative momentum spiral,  stop and get yourself on the right path.

Action step:  Identify one thing , small or large, that you really want to accomplish. Decide on a first step then do it, no matter what. If you want to write a book but have not written anything since you came up with the idea, shut off your phone, go to a place where you can write and sit there until you have made headway on the project. This could be at the weekend or you may even have to book a few days off of work.

Extreme? Yes, but the feeling you get from finally making progress far outweighs any monetary or time sacrifice you made to make it happen.

After this, keep going on a daily basis, or at the very least use the knowledge that you have gained. Small progression is better than no progression.

Do The Simple Things Everyday

Smile and laugh everyday.

Be positive and act positively as often as you can.

Pass up as many negative opportunities as possible to not bring you down.

Action step: This one is easy – start with smiling and laughing and see where it takes you. Even if you do not feel like it, this is one of those instances where faking it until you make it works wonders.

Defeat and Life Domination 

How many days, months or years have passed by without us having really lived them?

It does not matter. Starting today, begin the process of doing more of what you love and what makes you happy vs what you do not like and what drains you.

Tell the people close to you that you love them.

Reach out to and old friend you have not talked to in awhile.

Start surrounding yourself with those who say “why not?” instead of only asking “why?”

Write down a list of big dreams and little dreams, no matter how lame they may seem, and start pursuing them ALL like a damn cheetah with a rocket pack attached to it.

One day you will wake up and there will not be anymore time to do the things you have always wanted – do it now.

“You have exactly one life in which to do everything you will ever do. Act accordingly.” – Colin Wright

Action step: Whenever you mess up, take a step back and laugh. Seriously, laugh. Did you die? If you are reading this then you are still in the game. Revel in this fact and get back to being awesome because  you never know when your time will come.

Find Inspiration Daily

Whatever you are doing, a mega dose of inspiration can help keep you going, take it to the next level or transform it into something wild and completely different.

So find that inspiration.

The best part? It is everywhere.

Read a book by your favourite author.

Get out and explore nature (watch out for rabid wildebeests).

Listen to a podcast or some awesome music.

Find someone who is doing great things and thank them, because if they can do it then it is within your own powers of awesomeness to do it as well.

Do this and do it daily; first thing in the morning so that you set the awesome tone for your day.

Make yourself aware of what is possible in this world and be surprised at how it starts to change your own life.“If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain how he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought to be and could be.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Action step: Do one of the above things on a daily basis, preferably first thing in the morning, or create your own inspirational ritual. For some it is horse riding and jigsaw puzzles, and for others it is daily meditation.

Learn from the past and then let go

Spaceships do not have rear-view mirrors for a reason (ok, several reasons). Treat your past experiences as the best teacher of all, but once you are done, you are done. Do not look back and expect to learn something new from constantly analysing or “re-taking” that same class over and over again.The same issues tend to keep popping up in life until the lesson is learned. If that is happening, learn it once and for all and stop the cycle so you can moonwalk forward into the rest of your life.

Going over your past is like going to see a bad film and watching it over and over and  expecting the ending to change, when it is not going to.

Action step: Identify a moment from your past that is still haunting you. Set aside some time to really analyse why it is bothering you and extract as many possible positive takeaways or lessons that you can (there is always something, no matter how it may seem). Use this to improve your life from that point forward and put the past to rest.

This could range from anything to diet mishaps to romantic relationship mistakes.

Stop Hiding

Be your unabashed self in all the best ways that you can. Take your own strengths and superpowers and amplify them.

By not doing it, you are not only robbing the world of your awesomeness, but you will never be able to step out and realise your full potential.Do not try to be someone else – they will always be better at it than you could ever dream of being. Life is way too short to be half a version of something that is already out there.

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

Action step: Start by surrounding yourself with people with whom you can really be yourself whether, online or in person. Gain confidence from these interactions. Sneak bits and pieces that you feel comfortable with into your daily life. Identify what is awesome about you (asking friends or those close to you who can help if you do not have the slightest clue) and start amplifying it.

Be Kind 

Never underestimate the power of a smile, a kind gesture, sympathetic word or a listening ear – all of which are easy to give and cost you nothing. You never know what someone right next to you is going through, and if it will be the difference between a bad day and one filled with a little sunshine and hope.

“How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” – George Washington Carver 

Action step: Be giving with your time, knowledge, money, kindness, connections or influence when you can. Give in such a way that the person who receives it cannot possibly return the favour.

With thanks to Roger Lawson ii To read the complete article go to:
http://roglawfitness.com/20-ways-to-live-a-more-positive-fulfilling-and-happy-life/

Let Go Of The Past And Embrace The Future

"The Past does not have to be your prison. You have a voice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take" - Max Lacado

 Everyone has things in the past they would like to forget.  After all, there are bad things that happen, poor choices that are made and negative people who can trick us into thinking otherwise.

For some people it is easy to learn a lesson from these experiences and then move on. However, for some people, things are not so easy.

This becomes especially true when it comes to those who may have endured negative circumstances for lengthy periods. A perfect example that comes to mind would be those involved in domestic violence situations.

While these types of situations may be traumatic, it is  important to not allow it to dictate how the rest of our life will turn out.

Although we can understand this intellectually, knowing it and living it are two very different things. 

Here is perfect example of not being able to let go  -  "Two monks were on a pilgrimage. One day, they came to a deep river. At the edge of the river, a young woman sat weeping because she was afraid to cross the river without help. She begged the two monks to help her. The younger monk turned his back. The members of their order were forbidden to touch a woman.

But the older monk picked up the woman without a word and carried her across the river. He put her down on the far side and continued his journey. The younger monk came after him, scolding him and berating him for breaking his vows. He went on this way for a long time.

Finally, at the end of the day the older monk turned to the younger one. "I only carried her across the river. You have been carrying her all day."

Check out these tips for learning go to Let Go:

1. Meditate. Find stillness, breathe. Meditation is action. Our mind is much harder to still than our body. Our lives are busy and fast paced, filled with external noise and distractions. Clarity comes from quiet.  Meditation, even in small amounts, will make room for the next nine steps.

2. Understand. Take time to reflect on your own history as a third party looking in without judgment: simply observe. Understand that you are not your past. Understand that the situations, patterns and people in your life created your experiences, they did not create you. Knowing and understanding your past and some of your patterns will help you to recognise why you hold on and repeat self-destructive behaviours. Understanding creates awareness; awareness helps you break the cycle.

3. Accept. Accept your history and the people that have been a part of your history; accept your circumstances and remember that none of these define you. Acceptance is the first step to letting go and setting yourself free. Learn from the monk in the story: carrying bitterness, anger or animosity burdens no one but you.

4. Empty your cup. Consciously and actively work at letting go of your story; your judgments and ideals, the material things, all your stuff. They have no real value. They do not make you stronger, healthier or more powerful, and belief in them is a delusion. Pour out your expectations of how, who, where and what you should be as they, too, are part of a story that holds you back from simply being.  Once you let go of this story and empty your cup your life purpose will open up and flow.

5. Align. Take a moment (or several: you are worth the time) to write down the following: 

i. Your core beliefs/values

ii. Your Life Goals

iii. The actions that you are taking to pursue those goals.

Now take an honest look at your core beliefs/values and determine whether or not they align with your goals and actions. If not, ask yourself: is it time to create new core beliefs, set new goals OR take new action? What actions must you take to align your actions with your beliefs in order to attain your goals. Write down three actions that you will take this week to get yourself moving. 

6. Flex. It may seem paradoxical to detach from outcomes, yet set goals and work toward them. But if you are flexible -- that is, willing to let go of the end result -- aligning your goals and true purpose with the greater good is righteous action. Be flexible; allow the path to unfold as it will, opening up to opportunities. Flex and flow with the current of life. 

7. Contribute. When you find yourself lamenting about your past, angry about your present or brooding about your future, find a way to making someone else's day better. Offering a smile to someone as you pass, opening a door, putting a bit of extra change in the parking meter, dropping off some food for the food bank: these simple actions can have lasting impact and help you to put your situation into perspective.  Contributing to the well-being of others is the best way to align with your true self.

8. Believe in yourself. Believe in your purpose. Believe that the universe is unfolding as it should and that you have a divine roll to play. Believe that holding on does nothing in fact but hold you back from that purpose.

9. Love the process.  Have fun. Be playful, cheerful and positive. Give power to positivity. Love yourself, love others and love this life. It is a gift to unwrap each and every day, to gaze upon with new and excited eyes.

10. Be grateful.  Be true. Once you have taken all of these actions, just be. 

Let go of the past and embrace the future.


With thanks to Cat O'Connor http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4116/10-Tips-to-Let-Go-of-the-Past-Embrace-the-Future.html

Learn the seven step formula to manifest abundance http://www.goalsandsuccess.co.uk 

Get More Enjoyment Out Of Life

When you are busy working toward a long term goal it is difficult to maintain your sense of enjoyment.  It feels like your life requires you to play so many different roles that it is almost impossible to stay focused on any one project for very long?

When our attention gets spread too thin it can be challenging to stay motivated. Projects that we are passionate about keep getting shoved into the background and end up taking much longer that we thought they would.

How can we maintain our enthusiasm and keep our focus with so many distractions? In order to regain some control of our schedule we need to bring a sense of enjoyment into our daily routine.

Here is how to get more enjoyment out of every day life.

Value Simplicity. The simpler things are the less distracted we will be. We need to de-clutter our environment and our minds.  For some reason we seem to accumulate physical, mental, and emotional clutter. So we end up rushing from one demanding situation to another with no real feeling of enjoyment or accomplishment. To quieten our minds and restore a sense of order to our lives we need to value simplicity.

Experience Your Activities. How often are you doing one thing and thinking about another? How can we find enjoyment in anything if our focus is somewhere else? If we never take the time to actually be in the moment then can we say that we are really living our life? Even the most mundane activities can be enjoyable if we stay centered on the actual experience. Simple activities fully experienced can be enjoyable.

Savour The Little Things.  The next time you eat a piece of fruit or drink a cup of tea or coffee, simply enjoy it. Wrap your senses around it and savour the experience. When we gulp down our food and rush off to whatever comes next, we are actually robbing ourselves of enjoyment. Our senses of smell and taste are connected to our brain's pleasure centre. When you savour what goes into your body you tend to eat less and enjoy it more.

Add Variety To Your Life. Do not be afraid to try something new. It could be something as simple as taking a different route to work or as complex as learning to play a musical instrument. Instead of turning on the television after dinner, go for a walk in the evening air. Right now is an excellent time to do something you have always wanted to do, but have never gotten around to. Someday may never come.

Make Time For What You Love. If all we ever do is work and attend to our obligations it can become difficult to find any sense of enjoyment in our day-to-day experience. It is important to take care of our responsibilities, but we should also try to balance the “need to do” activities with a few things we really want to do. If we never make the time to do things we are excited about, we can easily start resenting our lives. It is important to make time every day for the things we really enjoy.

Drop Unnecessary Commitments. Just as we need to make time for doing things we love, we also need to work toward minimizing the things that just consume time and energy with no real payoff. Granted, some things simply are non negotiable, but other so-called obligations are not really necessary. For each commitment ask yourself is this something that is enhancing your life, or adding more stress? If it does not add any enjoyment or positive benefit, drop it.

Focus On What Matters. There is productivity and there is busy work. Sometimes it can be difficult to recognise the difference because it varies for each of us. Here is an example: For someone whose livelihood comes from social media marketing, spending time on sites like Twitter and Facebook might represent productivity. For others however, anything more than 5-10 minutes on those sites might just be a distraction from what really matters. We need to analyse our own situation and apportion our time accordingly.

Learn To Let Go. When it comes to relaxation the body follows the mind. If your mind is busy obsessing over all the things that did not get done today, then you are not relaxed. Your body can only experience relaxation if your mind has let go of anything and everything that causes stress, worry, or anxiety. You will find more enjoyment in your life if you take time every day to practice letting go. 

Embrace Generosity. There are almost endless opportunities to contribute to the lives of others. Any act of kindness is an act of generosity. Smile at strangers, hold the door open for the person behind you, listen while someone else is talking, and be respectful. These simple acts of kindness do not cost you anything, but they add enjoyment to your life and the lives of those around you.

Do A Daily Gratitude Review. Focusing on gratitude will change your life on every level. It is so easy to get caught up in selfish pursuits and forget how much there is to be grateful for. Gratitude is the antidote for selfishness. Take a minute every morning and every evening to review your blessings. You will start to notice more and more things to be grateful for. Of all the ways to get more enjoyment out of every day, this is the simplest and the most powerful. If you only put one thing from this list into action in your life, this should be it.

Examine Your Priorities. Life is an ever changing experience, therefore we need to evaluate our priorities on a regular basis. Making sure you know what is truly important to you, and why. Give your top priorities first place in your life or they will get swallowed up by everything else. Everyone you know probably has an opinion about what should be important to you. However, this is your life and you need to set your own priorities. Choose wisely and you too will find enjoyment in your every day life.   

With thanks to Jonathan Wells 

http://advancedlifeskills.com/blog/how-to-get-more-enjoyment-out-of-every-day/

Master Energy to boost your life for a greater experience

Laughter Is The Best Medicine

There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour
- Charles Dickens

Laughter makes you feel good. The good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humour helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

It is infectious. The sound of roaring laughter is far more contagious than any cough, sniffle, or sneeze. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy. Laughter also triggers healthy physical changes in the body. Humour and laughter strengthen your immune system, boost your energy, diminish pain, and protect you from the damaging effects of stress. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use.

Laughter is strong medicine for mind and body

Laughter is a powerful antidote to stress, pain, and conflict. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humour lightens your burdens, inspires hopes, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert.

With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health.

Your sense of humor is one of the most powerful tools you have to make certain that your daily mood and emotional state support good health.” ~ Paul E. McGhee, Ph.D.

Laughter is good for your health

• Laughter relaxes the whole body. A good, hearty laugh relieves physical tension and stress, leaving your muscles relaxed for up to forty five minutes afterwards.

• Laughter boosts the immune system. Decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.

• Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain.

• Laughter protects the heart. Improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.

Laughter and humour help you stay emotionally healthy

Laughter makes you feel good. The good feeling that you get when you laugh remains with you even after the laughter subsides. Humour helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and loss.

More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.

The link between laughter and mental health

• Laughter dissolves distressing emotions. You cannot feel anxious, angry, or sad when you are laughing.

• Laughter helps you relax and recharge. It reduces stress and increases energy, enabling you to stay focused and accomplish more.

• Humour shifts perspective, allowing you to see situations in a more realistic, less threatening light. A humorous perspective creates psychological distance, which can help you avoid feeling overwhelmed.

The social benefits of humour and laughter

Humour and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connection. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.

Laughing with others is more powerful than laughing alone

Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter and play also adds joy, vitality, and resilience. Humour is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.

Incorporating more humour and play into your daily interactions can improve the quality of your love relationships as well as your connections with co-workers, family members, and friends. Using humour and laughter in relationships allows you to:

• Be more spontaneous.

Humour gets you out of your head and away from your troubles.

• Let go of defensiveness.

Laughter helps you forget judgments, criticisms, and doubts.

• Release inhibitions. 

Your fear of holding back and holding on are set aside.

• Express your true feelings.

Deeply felt emotions are allowed to rise to the surface.

With thanks to Sean May to read the complete article go to:

http://www.scienceofimagery.com/laughing-may-be-your-cure/