Research has shown that children laugh about 400 times a day and adults only 15. As Norman Cousins said in his book Anatomy of an Illness, “Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors." This is much more appealing to me than jogging!
Did you know that laughter can do a lot of good for your health? Studies have shown that a regular laughter can help lower "bad" cholesterol and elevate "good" cholesterol; increase elasticity of blood vessels; raise oxygen levels in the blood; and improve cardiovascular function.
Sometimes, we can get so serious about the tasks we have in caring for our loved one, that we forget to spend time with them having fun, laughing at some of the “new normal” we are experiencing. Yes, some of it is funny! One of my friends who cared for her husband had to go help him up in the middle of the night after he fell in the bathroom (thankfully, he wasn’t hurt!). They were both in their late 80’s. She was unable to get him off the bathroom floor, so they both crawled on their hands and knees to the bed. She tells me they realized how ridiculous they looked, and laughed all the way to the bed!
My suggestion is to look around, and find something. Watch your favorite sitcom, read a funny story, spend time with that friend who tells great jokes.
When was the last time you had a good belly laugh, the kind of laughter that is hard to stop? Sometimes you don’t have to look any further than the last conversation you had with your loved one or maybe look in the mirror!