Joy Journal
Every Friday, you can receive the Joy Journal, which will give you information, inspiration and tips that you can use in your pursuit for joy.
A Laugh a Day…
Why You Need More LOL! in Your Life
Are you laughing thirteen times a day? I consider myself a pretty happy human, and I don’t think I am laughing that often. Darn! Aside from being fun, laughter is great for physical and mental health. Laughter is known to boost the immune system, burn calories, protect the heart and decrease stress. In fact, a good dose of laughter can leave your muscles relaxed for up to 45 minutes.

As children, we laugh so often and easily. In fact, we start laughing at 3 months old, long before we utter our first words. (And, by the way, who doesn’t love to hear a baby laugh?) Some studies even say that children laugh up to 300 times a day. I’m not sure that I buy that statistic as they would have to laugh every 2.5 minutes, but I do appreciate that there is an opportunity to laugh more frequently than I currently do as an adult.
Here’s something you can try. When I was a kid, we used to play this game called “HA!” I would rest my head on a friend’s stomach, and my friend would start to [fake] laugh. It would bounce my head up and down and get me to start laughing. Within seconds, my friend would hear my laugh and then start laughing for real, and we would end up in stitches. My husband and I tried this recently, with the same result. I’m smiling now, just thinking about it.
So go ahead, seek laughter…often…daily…why not? Let’s at least reach thirteen times a day and then aim for more! To get you started, here is a great video of a baby laughing, which is sure to get you going.
Past Journals
Pay increases can do more harm than good
There is an alternative
9 Quick Ways to Infuse Fun into a Serious Work Environment
All work and no play…
Operating in a world of threat
A focus on “me” for survival
