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Reasons Why Laughter Is the Best Medicine

February 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Waz Zaman -

You must have heard since your childhood that “Laughter is the best medicine”. But in the modern competitive world, man people hardly care about the saying and believe that laughter has no major role in their health. But such people do not realize that they are making a grave mistake until simple moments of life make them realize the same. Laughter has got a major role in maintaining good health including a healthy mind. Many believe that laughter only acts as a temporary source of happiness. But laughter not only provides us with a source of happiness but also keeps away many diseases. There are many diseases and adverse conditions such as stress, fatigue etc. where laughter works better than any actual medicine. Here are a few points to show how laughter is the best medicine:

1. A recent study by cardiologists proved that a person who has a habit of laughing frequently has a lesser chance of facing a heart attack. Laughter might not be directly related to prevention of heart attack but it reduces mental stress. And mental stress results in impairment of the endothelium, the protective barrier lining our blood vessels. This in turn results in a series of reactions that result in building of fat and cholesterol in the arteries leading to heart attack. So, laughter indirectly also prevents heart attack.

2. Laughter decreases the chances of a stroke. This is because of the blood vessel expansion during laughing keeps away the possibility of stroke.

3. Laughing is believed to be a good cardio workout which increases flow of blood by about 22%. Watching a comedy movie resulting in a good dose of laughter is believed to give body the same effect provided during a 15-30 minutes workout.

4. The respiratory system acquires more air during laughter which is good for the body. This is due to the expansion of respiratory valves during laughter. It also helps our respiratory tract clean. Thus, laughter is a very good medicine for our breathing mechanism.

5. It is proved that laughing helps to control sugar level in the blood. So, if you have diabetes then try to enjoy life and laugh everyday. Because only medicines cannot control these sugar levels at times. Laughter and happiness have also been proven to helpful for diabetes patients.

6. It is believed that a stress free body will have less diseases. Laughing helps to create a stress free mind. It is said that there is no tension during laughter. And a relieved and stress free body results in a healthy body more often than not. So, it is not easy for diseases to affect a person who is happy and laughs everyday. So, laughter tends to be a cost free medicine for all kinds of ailments.

7. Laughter has no side effects for sure whereas all modern-day medicines have got some side effects. So, we can laugh without worrying about any harm caused to us. Laughter can never harm us but only help us all the time.

8. Laughter is also proven to enhance the facial beauty of a person. Laughter results in movements of the lips and the facial muscles. It has been observed that people who have a good sense of humor and who laugh everyday also have a beautiful face. Due to the amount of facial exercise in laughter there is good amount of blood circulation in the face resulting in a glowing face.

A happy mind leads to a happy body and soul. And there are hardly many things that can result in more happiness than a genuine dose of laughter. So, try to be happy and laugh every day of your life. It will release all the pressure and make this world a lot better place to live in for you as well as for others.

The author is a webmaster who loves fun and funny websites. He also owns ohmagif.com where he updated animated gif including but not limited to funny gif.

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Come Laugh With Us. TODAY – Available Now

January 29, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 Pat Armitstead, the Worlds First Joyologist, is a thought-leader in the field of joy as a transformational agent.  She has been called “New Zealands answer to Patch Adams,”“the Mother Theresa of joy,” and “a spiritual midwife  delivering people out of the darkness”  She worked as a Registered Nurse in Nurse Education and as Director of Nursing services  for 16 years before founding her own Advertising agency, Take One Productions, in NSW, Australia. She was President of the National Speakers Association NZ 2001, The Most Awarded Speaker at the 2000 NSANZ Convention and was 2002 NZ Speaker of the Year. She has toured internationally with Dr. Patch Adams and has worked with 4 Jungian Psychotherapists using casting and storytelling and now uses this to support people moving through grief and loss. She authored the book, Humour Works. Her vision is to be a voice for all that is joyful about humanity and she says she is here to “Inspire hope, liberate compassion and evoke joy.

Show Description: Pat Armistead is the world’s first  “Joyologist”  She will not only tell us what that is but she will share her adventures using humor to help people heal and corporations thrive.  She definitely thinks “outside the box” and will talk about how she’s perceived by the medical and academic communities and how she deals with the mainstream community. Pat will give us an inside view of her travels with Patch Adams and give us the “real skinny” on why she is driven to do what she does. She will give our listeners her biggest breakthrough tips and has offered to give away two copies of her book, Humour Works. It is almost a sure thing that you will come away from hearing Pat Armistead with not only a big smile on your face but with a feeling of joy in your heart.

To Hear Pat Armistead Click Here.

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Using Humor Can Help You Become Healthier and Enjoy Your Life

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

By Lisa Schilling -

How long has it been since you really laughed? I mean the kind of laughter that makes you tear up or double over. Most adults have forgotten to make laughter and humor part of each day. That should be a tangible goal for every person. Studies show that happy, humorous people live longer and have less illness. So don’t take yourself too seriously.

Accept yourself just as you are now, even though there are improvements to be made. (There will always be things you want to improve.) Accepting where you are, on the way to where you are going, is vital. Joyce Meyer says, “I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I am not where I used to be.” You too can embrace this positive approach.

Give yourself permission to be just who you are, and to like who you are, or choose to do something about it! Those are the only two choices to achieve peace, if you seek balance in mind, body, and spirit. Be able to laugh, smile, and say “Oh well” when life hands you lemons. If that is not your normal personality, it may take some effort before this becomes a natural way of behaving.

One of the most overlooked areas of health improvement is the building of meaningful interpersonal relationships. Today’s society values productivity and personal fulfillment. Lost is a sense of community and interconnectedness.

By investing in others, you can take your mind off yourself and your own frustrations. This can be extremely restorative. Look around for opportunities to help, encourage, and validate others. This shift in thinking will prove to set the tone for your healthier lifestyle.

Too often people become obsessed with the busyness of their own lives. They no longer make time to casually meet with others and build real relationships because they are too stressed or too “busy.” Remember, you create your schedule. If you do not have time to sit with a neighbor for thirty minutes, relax, and have nice conversation-there is a problem.

It is through the building of this network of strong relationships that people find support and genuine fulfillment. Acquiring “stuff” or running to multiple practices and appointments are makings of busyness. Be careful to examine what you allow to fill your time and see if those activities align with your values and beliefs. If they do not, you need to prune them.

When life is ruled by the “have-tos,” there can be little enjoyment or room for real change. Lifetime wellness and a sense of well-being come from a change in thinking. If you have never been able to stick to a “diet” or make those REAL lifestyle changes, it is time to either decide to make it work this time or decide that you are okay with where you are now.

Fully realize what the alternative to healthy choices will bring you. Embrace your own accountability and responsibility! It is all about choice-choices only you can make.

Consider that you will eventually harvest the bounty of whatever seeds you plant now. So plant wisely and use your time fruitfully to reap rewards in abundance. Sometimes when you feel “buried” in life, when things just seem like too much, you are really just being “planted.” Consider this is a chance to grow. Keep your chin up, keep attending to your daily tasks, and you will reap the harvest.

My goal is to help people through education and motivation. I have been there, and I am often one of the worst offenders of all the concepts I teach. Even though I know what to do and why to do it, I don’t always choose to! That is one of the reasons I speak so candidly.

I have learned that accepting where I am at the time is a main factor in achieving a sense of well-being. If you always feel bad about yourself because you are not doing those healthy habits that you know you should do, but don’t feel like doing, you will live in misery.

Set yourself free from a life of guilt, be accountable for your behaviors and start to enjoy your life. Experience real joy without stressing over what you think you “should” be doing. Live your best life now, it is right in front of you, and you must only embrace it.

“Wellness Matters” Article Series by Lisa Schilling RN, CPT
Speaker, Writer, Wellness Coach & Consultant

Lisa is the author of “The Get R.E.A.L. Guide to Health and Fitness.” She is a wife and mother of three boys. Lisa Schilling is a Registered Nurse, author and recovering pageant queen, who spreads hope with her Get REAL approach to wellness. She empowers women, caregivers and groups to unleash their fullest potential by helping them to see their true beauty and discover their REAL value.

She feels passionate about sharing her knowledge and time to help others improve their personal health and wellness. Lisa uses her enthusiasm to teach people to value and appreciate who they are. She helps people build a bridge from where they are, to where they want to be.

As an outspoken advocate for wellness and prevention, her motto is: “See one, do one, teach one!” Visit Lisa’s website http://www.getrealwellnesssolutions.com to claim your FREE gifts!

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Create Your Own Reality or Accept Someone Else’s: It’s Your Choice

August 7, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Diane English -

Each time I look back on my life I see clearly all the ways in which I have created my own reality. Maybe I should have been more specific! Only kidding. Through the power of my thoughts and feelings I have created my circumstances one hundred percent of the time. If I am responsible for anything it is the life I’ve made for myself and all I have created, both good and bad. Most people resist this concept, but if you understand that accountability for your own life isn’t scary, it is the most delicious kind of freedom, you are on your way to a different version of human experience. You learn you can write your own story and it can be a story of joy, passion, gratitude and your heart’s desires.

Laugh, Imagine and Free Your Inner Child

To consciously create your own reality start visualizing and feeling exactly what it is you want. Return to your childlike, playful mind and let your imagination soar. Think of yourself as a projector sending wishes and dreams into the future like you did when you were a kid. If you stay focused in the current reality it will hold you back from manifesting the life you really want. Let it go and don’t be afraid to make believe! You already know how to do this you just have to remember.

The Pleasure Principle-This Is The Best Part

The key to creating your own reality is feeling good. Feeling good is not always easy. It is an acquired skill and you have to nurture it. Most people have been taught to believe “life is hard”, “you don’t get everything you want” or “reality bites”. These beliefs stop you from living your dreams. You can start to change them by expressing gratitude, gratitude for the smallest and largest of things. Everything you can think of, even the things you don’t, like bunions and politicians. Gratitude changes how you feel and that’s the point. The better you feel the more of your life you are creating. Give yourself permission to let unending joy and unconditional love flow through you. This joy and love you experience is God, Buddha, your higher self-whatever you want to call it. Feel yourself being blessed and be grateful that you have the choice to feel good, to be who you really are.

We Are All Walking Vibrators (Oh Baby! Oh)

How can you know what energy we are creating and attracting? How do you feel? We humans are all walking vibrators and your thoughts and feelings send out a vibration that the Universe matches. Your thoughts don’t stay in your head. They are broadcast throughout the cosmos. Love is a particular vibration, joy is another, peace is another, and anger another. If you choose joy, peace, prosperity, health and adventure you will find it everywhere you go.

Be Grateful and Know You Deserve Happiness

In the morning I don’t get up until I feel good. I stay in bed and think of things that bring me joy. Once I feel good I get out of bed and write in my gratitude journal. Part of feeling good comes from knowing you deserve all of the blessings the Universe has to offer. Times when your reality seems difficult to manifest it is because you have been taught to believe the fulfillment of your desires is impossible. This is not true! You deserve the best!

“We didn’t come here to face reality, we came to create it.” Abraham/Hicks

We live in a universe that MATCHES our vibrations. It gives back to us more of what we are giving out, whether it’s wanting to drive a BMW or resisting the horrors of war. If you fight against that which you do not want, you’ll get more of it because you are sending the vibrations of whatever it is you’re resisting and the Universe is matching it and returning the same vibrations to the source–you. When you change your thinking and focus on what you do want then that is what you will manifest and what you will see and experience in your reality. Don’t be against war just be pro peace. Always tell the Universe what you DO want, not what you don’t want. It takes a bit of experience to be able to tell the difference, but when you do, lookout! Wonderful things start happening and your life will become absolutely fabulous.

Diane English is the artist-visionary-mastermind-crazy woman behind the Great Cosmic Happy Ass Greeting Card Company. She believes the expression of humor is a direct path to longevity and in the power of the Universe�s unconditional love. For a good dose of laughter and inspiration visit http://www.greatcosmichappyass.com

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Happiness Factors

March 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

By Kelly Ballard -

Why are some people happy and others not? There are certain factors that contribute to one’s ability to be “happy” under most circumstances. These are a few…

1. Flexibility. The old saying “once you make a plan, God laughs,” has proven true time and time again in my own life. Being able to adjust to changing life events, even as minor as dinner plans, with flexibility and ease leads directly to happiness. Why? Flexibility means forsaking control – willingly. Quite a feat to be sure, but a gift – only to be received if you are willing to give up control first.

2. Don’t take it personally. As my father wisely once said, “Some people are just a@@holes.” You can be assured in your life that your will encounter some real “pains in the bottom”, difficult situations, unfairness, and other assorted crap. Promise. And the person sitting next to you, same thing. The same goes with any other person you meet in your life too. We are all stumbling through at times. So, relax, take a breath and imagine what you would like to happen in whatever situation is causing you difficulty. Focusing on what you want enables you to emerge from any frustration with clarity.

3. Humor. Once you are able to either laugh at yourself or whatever the situation, you bring lightness to your heart. Laughter feels good. Watch funny movies, read amusing books, talk to a friend who always makes you laugh, go bowling. Just by adding more laughter to your life and you will notice, gently a quiet lightness entering your thoughts and being.

4. Positive attitude. I am not suggesting to live like some annoying, over-the-top Polly-Anna, but to live your life on the foundation that, “all is well.” This isn’t to deny there are problems or tragedies in life, but it does focus on solutions instead of the difficulties.

5. Gratitude. Happy people are reminded each day of their blessings – the good and the difficult. As much as it drives me nuts, challenges are opportunities. Opportunities to learn, to grow and most importantly, to know yourself better. True gratitude is born out of compassion – just as much for yourself as others.

6. Confidence. Not swaggering, but a calm knowing of ones own abilities. Confidence also means knowing you will stumble on occasion, but the confident person knows not to make a habit of it.

7. Presence. Happy people live right now, in this moment – not dreaming about yesterday or fantasying about tomorrow. Here and now – laughing about the things that others might be frustrated by, and knowing all is well…

8. Choice. All happy people know happiness is a choice. Some days it’s easier to be happy, while other days may be a bit more of a struggle. However, knowing that you have the choice to lift yourself up or push yourself down – often leads to better decisions.

Happiness is not derived from one isolated event, but by attitudes and beliefs. Gratefully, like choice, each of us has the power to change our attitudes and beliefs with time and attention.

Happiness isn’t for someone else, it’s for you. It is for each one of us to sink deeply into the happiness of this moment, however mundane the pleasures. May you discover happiness already waits for you, deep within.

Kelly Ballard is a workshop leader, Intuitive Guide and Healer. Through workshops, private sessions and guided meditations Kelly specializes in helping others discover positive solutions for immediate change/growth in their lives thus drawing their most abundant life into reality. Find out more information about her services and meditation CDs at http://www.kellyballard.com Contact her directly at 720-984-4232 or email kelly@kellyballard.com She lives in Boulder, CO.

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Happiness Factors

December 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

By Kelly Ballard -

Why are some people happy and others not? There are certain factors that contribute to one’s ability to be “happy” under most circumstances. These are a few…

1. Flexibility. The old saying “once you make a plan, God laughs,” has proven true time and time again in my own life. Being able to adjust to changing life events, even as minor as dinner plans, with flexibility and ease leads directly to happiness. Why? Flexibility means forsaking control – willingly. Quite a feat to be sure, but a gift – only to be received if you are willing to give up control first.

2. Don’t take it personally. As my father wisely once said, “Some people are just a@@holes.” You can be assured in your life that your will encounter some real “pains in the bottom”, difficult situations, unfairness, and other assorted crap. Promise. And the person sitting next to you, same thing. The same goes with any other person you meet in your life too. We are all stumbling through at times. So, relax, take a breath and imagine what you would like to happen in whatever situation is causing you difficulty. Focusing on what you want enables you to emerge from any frustration with clarity.

3. Humor. Once you are able to either laugh at yourself or whatever the situation, you bring lightness to your heart. Laughter feels good. Watch funny movies, read amusing books, talk to a friend who always makes you laugh, go bowling. Just by adding more laughter to your life and you will notice, gently a quiet lightness entering your thoughts and being.

4. Positive attitude. I am not suggesting to live like some annoying, over-the-top Polly-Anna, but to live your life on the foundation that, “all is well.” This isn’t to deny there are problems or tragedies in life, but it does focus on solutions instead of the difficulties.

5. Gratitude. Happy people are reminded each day of their blessings – the good and the difficult. As much as it drives me nuts, challenges are opportunities. Opportunities to learn, to grow and most importantly, to know yourself better. True gratitude is born out of compassion – just as much for yourself as others.

6. Confidence. Not swaggering, but a calm knowing of ones own abilities. Confidence also means knowing you will stumble on occasion, but the confident person knows not to make a habit of it.

7. Presence. Happy people live right now, in this moment – not dreaming about yesterday or fantasying about tomorrow. Here and now – laughing about the things that others might be frustrated by, and knowing all is well…

8. Choice. All happy people know happiness is a choice. Some days it’s easier to be happy, while other days may be a bit more of a struggle. However, knowing that you have the choice to lift yourself up or push yourself down – often leads to better decisions.

Happiness is not derived from one isolated event, but by attitudes and beliefs. Gratefully, like choice, each of us has the power to change our attitudes and beliefs with time and attention.

Happiness isn’t for someone else, it’s for you. It is for each one of us to sink deeply into the happiness of this moment, however mundane the pleasures. May you discover happiness already waits for you, deep within.

Kelly Ballard is a workshop leader, Intuitive Guide and Healer. Through workshops, private sessions and guided meditations Kelly specializes in helping others discover positive solutions for immediate change/growth in their lives thus drawing their most abundant life into reality. Find out more information about her services and meditation CDs at http://www.kellyballard.com Contact her directly at 720-984-4232 or email kelly@kellyballard.com She lives in Boulder, CO.

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Humor and Laughter Strengthen Your Immune System – The Latest Research

July 9, 2010 By 1 Comment

laughterBy Paul McGhee, Ph.D. -

Your immune system is crucial to sustaining good health. We are all constantly bombarded by viruses, bacteria and other antigens that could seriously harm or even kill us. This threat is present every day of our lives, so anything we do to bolster the effectiveness of this system is clearly important. But can your sense of humor really make your immune system stronger?

It has long been recognized that chronic stress weakens the immune system, leaving you more vulnerable to illness-although short-term, acute stress may boost the immune system. If you find yourself constantly stressed out by your job, a financial crisis, deteriorating health, an unsatisfactory marriage or any other persisting personal problem, your odds of coming down with some kind of health problem increase.

One of the first hints of a solution to the puzzle of how one’s mental or emotional state might influence health came from studies of animals showing that the immune system could actually be conditioned to respond to something that would normally have no impact at all on its functioning. In a now classic study, rats were given a drug known to suppress the functioning of the immune system. The (at the time) commonly used sweetener saccharine was put in the animals’ drinking water and presented simultaneously with the drug, leading to the expected suppression of the immune system.

After a period of time following the cessation of drug-plus-saccharine, the animals’ immune systems fully recovered. At that point, the saccharine alone was presented. Amazingly, the immune system was again suppressed, just as it had been by the drug. A clear conditioning effect had occurred. After simply being paired with the drug in the animals’ experience, the saccharine acquired the ability to suppress the immune system-an effect that never occurs in the absence of such prior pairing. This and other similar findings clearly established that the functioning of a basic health-sustaining mechanism like the immune system can be influenced by our experience and expectations-including, perhaps, our emotions.

By the early 1980s, researchers began to study the impact of humor and laughter on the immune system. The best evidence that humor boosts the immune system comes from studies where immune system measures are taken before and after a particular humorous event-usually a comedy video. Taken as a whole, this research points to a broadly-based immunoenhancement effect. As of 2010, over 40 studies have demonstrated this immune-bolstering effect. The research has shown that numerous different components of the immune system are bolstered by humor and laughter, including Natural Killer (NK) cells, immunoglobulin A (IgA), IgG and IgM, T-cells and B cells. Most studies, however, have focused on NK cells and IgA.

IgA helps protect you against upper respiratory problems, like colds and flu. NK cells seek out tumor cells and destroy them by releasing a toxic substance. They also battle the latest cold- and flu-generating viruses and other foreign organisms. They are another part of the body’s first line of defense and can attack foreign organisms even if they’ve never seen them before. Several studies have shown that watching a humorous video increases both the activity and number of natural killer cells.,b>This is an extraordinary finding. The simple act of watching your favorite comedy show is enough to get increased numbers of these protective NK cells circulating in your body.

The level of free radicals in the body has received a great deal of attention in recent years, since they have been implicated in faster aging, inflammation, cancer and other pathological conditions. Antioxidant vitamins have become very popular because of their presumed ability to reduce the level of free radicals in the body. It is generally believed that anything which helps reduce free radicals in the body is important when it comes to sustaining health in the long run. Amazingly, Japanese researchers have recently shown that watching a comedy video even increases the free radical scavenging capacity in human saliva.

While researchers continue to refine their understanding of the specific aspects of your immune system that are strengthened by humor and laughter, we can now feel confident in treating this benefit to health as being well established. The pain reduction effect of humor and laughter is also now well established.

As is the case with pain, researchers still do not know whether this boosting of the immune system occurs because of the physical act of laughter or the mental/emotional experience of humor itself. This is a very difficult thing to sort out in doing the research. So while you may find some “experts” on humor and health attributing the immunoenhancement effect to humor, and others attributing it to laughter, you can rest assured that they are guessing. The research simply does not tell us one way or the other. From your point of view, of course, this probably doesn’t matter. The important thing is that you know that if you seek out humor on a daily basis, or actively use your sense of humor in everyday life, you will be supporting your own health and wellness.

Finally, it should be noted that there is considerable evidence that your immune system is very responsive to your daily mood. IgA levels and NK cell activity, for example, are elevated on days when you’re in a good mood and lowered on your “down” days. In future articles, we’ll see that this mood-enhancing effect is one key mechanism behind humor’s power to support health and wellness. Humor raises our spirits, generates a momentary experience of joy and happiness and-in the process-leaves us in an upbeat, more positive mood. An elevated immune system just comes along for the ride.

References documenting the research findings discussed here may be found in Dr. McGhee’s latest book, Humor: The Lighter Path to Resilience and Health (2010), available at Barnes & Noble and Amazon.com. For additional articles on humor and health, humor in the workplace and children’s humor, or information about his keynotes, see his website at http://LaughterRemedy.com/. Paul is a psychologist and is a pioneer in the field of humor research, having begun to conduct research on the topic in the early 1970s-before it became popular. He is internationally known for his own humor research, and has published 13 books on humor. In addition to frequent television and radio interviews in the USA, he has also appeared on Dutch, German, Swedish, and Swiss television discussing his work, along with numerous European radio stations. His work has been discussed in many international publications, including the New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek (Japanese), Geo (German and French), Schweizer Familie (Swiss), Psychologie Heute (German), L’Impatient (French), VG (Norwegian), OGGI (Italian), Der Spiegel (German), Die Welt (German), Die Zeit (German), Intra (German), among others. He now works full time as a professional speaker.

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Depression’s Secret Weapon

April 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

happyfacebigBy Wendy Love -

Can you imagine that there is something you have been doing all of your life that you could do right now, if you wanted to, and it would give you a much needed break from depression? What is it? Laughing! That’s right – laughter is depression’s secret weapon.

You may as well get started benefiting from this wonderful free weapon. Go ahead and laugh! If you need a little assistance, maybe you should look up some old America’s Funniest Home Videos on the internet. I dare you not to laugh when you see some of them.

Bill Cosby said: “Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it.” Do you agree with Bill Cosby?

Comedians are not the only ones who understand the power of laughter. What about Patch Adams? Many of you probably saw the movie of the same name. There is much more to this doctor besides his clowning around with patients. He is a believer in healing the body using non-traditional methods, laughter being just one.

Another man who has made it his passion to discover how the body can overcome the odds of serious illness is Norman Cousins. This writer, when faced with a debilitating illness, decided to challenge that illness with laughter. He writes an account of it in his book, “Anatomy of an Illness”. His success story is worth investigating.

But maybe if you are reading this and you are one of the many who suffer from depression, you are wondering if laughing isn’t a little pointless. I mean what difference is it really going to make in the long run?

“Laughter is the Best Medicine” claims that laughter relaxes the whole body, boosts the immune system, triggers the release of endorphins, and protects the heart.

Wow, and all of that is free! And with no nasty side effects! We cannot afford to put this tool, LAUGHTER, anywhere but at the TOP of our list of depression getaways.

Don’t you love the way children laugh? They hold nothing back. They are so free! ‘FREE’ is not a word we associate with depression, but if you decide to add laughter to your medicine chest, then for a moment or two, you can be as free as a child.

What about you? Are you ready to add laughter to your list of depression getaways? Are you willing to take the laughter challenge? What have you got to lose? For more information about depression’s secret weapon visit Depression Getaway.

There are so many strategies you can try for getting away from depression for a moment, an hour, or even longer. Don’t give up, I’m praying for you.

Wendy Love

Wendy Love

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Videos for the Week of Februrary 28, 2010

February 28, 2010 By Leave a Comment

video71st Video – More Jeanne Robertson and more laughs

Don’t Send a Man to the Grocery Store

This is a companion to Don’t Go Bungee Jumping Naked. I think it’s even funnier. So if you need a good  laugh, look at this. If you’ve already seen it, watch again and laugh again.

If you reading this after  the week of February 28, click the link below to watch the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=-YFRUSTiFUs&feature=related

The 2nd Video – Expectations and Desires by Willard Barth.  Willard discusses that when we have expectations and preconceived ideas of how things “ought to be”, we limit the possibility for deep communication and for improving our relationships. By opening ourselves to the present moment, we create new opportunities for deeper understanding and more honest communication when we become “present” with those around us.

If you reading this after  the week of February 28, click the link below to watch the video. http://www.yourdailylifecoach.com/expectations.html

Transcript:

Today we’re going to discuss a quote by Ram Dass, “As long as you have certain desires, about how it OUGHT to be, you can’t SEE how it is“.

One of the challenges I’ve had in my own journey of personal development and self-awareness is, really learning to… strip away expectations… strip away past associations, and allow myself to be present, in the moment. What specifically do I mean by that?

As an example, I can stand on stage or have business communications where I am completely aware, completely present. I am fully engaged in the conversation, listening to what’s going on. I take in what the other person is saying with my attention on how I can make sure that I fully understand their perspective and give them the best feedback possible.

Yet when it comes to my family, as an example my mother specifically, over time I have become so conditioned to believing I know how she is going to communicate based on past experiences. I have “expectations” as to how she is going to react. Because of these beliefs and expectations, I really run into challenges in being present and experiencing that new opportunity for communication with her.

So why is this important? Only by being present can I truly experience the connection with another person and allow myself to understand what they are truly saying and feeling. If I come into communication, bringing past associations, bringing in expectations, I am not present for the conversation that is going on. If I am expecting them to act and react in specific ways. I’m not really listening to what’s being said. I’m actually just waiting and preparing for my defense, or to make sure my point is being brought across.

Coming from a place of expectation is a really, really bad place to try and build a relationship from, of any type. A personal relationship or a business relationship.

So since most of us spend our lives in what I would call a “reactive mode”, how do we get to the point, of being in the present moment, of being aware? One of my mentors, Wayne Dyer, says that the way you allow yourself to be present in the moment is to do two things: tame the ego, and release the past.

Taming the ego to me, means letting go of having to be right. Being willing to say I’m wrong. Being willing to say, “I don’t know”. When you set the ego aside, you give yourself the ability to “be there” to be present, to be with the person that you’re communicating with. As some would say, by taming the ego, you can listen without prejudice.

Being able to release the past means that what happened yesterday, what happened a month ago, what happened a year ago, does not mean its going to happen again. Yet many of us live connected to those past experiences and “react” based on the past rather than what is happening in the present moment.

Research has shown that every experience that we have, shapes our life, it shapes our belief systems, it shapes our communication. So the experiences that we have today, will ultimately affect how we act tomorrow. This happens at an unconscious level.

This applies to everybody. Meaning, if I’m sitting down with a family member that I haven’t seen for a day, or a week, or a month; they’ve had experiences, just as I have, that have reshaped their ideas, it might not have happened consciously, but on an unconscious level, they have had experiences that have caused changes in their perceptions. This change in perceptions will also have the potential to change their communications with me. By remaining aware of this, I allow them to present themselves the way they’ve changed and they’ve grown rather than holding them to expectations of how they will respond based on what I remember them from our last communication. By becoming aware of this I also allow myself to actually enter into communication, rather than just repeat old cycles.

So, I invite you to think about this question, when you are interacting with somebody, are you interacting in the present moment, or are you basing your communication on expectations and past experiences? Also, take a moment and think about how you can apply this in future communications.

I invite you to take a moment, right now, think about the quote we talked about today; think about how my experiences may be similar to yours. If you have a journal, make some notes that can help you become more aware of your communication in the future which will help your relationships become stronger and more fluid.

I also invite you to check back soon, because we’ve got more episodes on the way.

Take Care.

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Videos for the Week of February 21, 2010

February 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

videoThe First Video is just for laughs.

Jeanne Robertson  is a professional speaker who specializes in hilarious humor based on her life experiences. Speaking  to thousands of people annually, she utilizes her positively funny style to illustrate that a sense of humor is much more than a laughing matter. It is a strategy for success.

Other speakers might be as witty as Jeanne. Some might even be as tall. (Barefooted withher hair “mashed” down, she’s 6’2″ in her size 11B stocking feet.) But nowhere will you find a speaker so adept at turning personal experiences into funny material that does more than elicit laughter. This Miss Congeniality winner in the Miss America Pageant, “Yearrrrrrrrrrrs ago,” quoting Jeanne, uses her down-home Southern drawl to leave her audiences laughing
. . . and thinking about her message.

Jeanne’s success as a humorous speaker has not gone unnoticed by her peers. She has been awarded every top honor in her profession. They like her back home too. The NC Press Association named Jeanne 2001 North Carolinian of the Year.

You may have seen this Hall of Fame speaker being interviewed by CBS correspondent Morley Safer on “60 Minutes” . . . or watched one of the six humor DVDs she has produced in the last eleven years . . . or heard her daily on Sirius/XM Radio’s Family Comedy Channels . . . or seen a YouTube clip that had over two million hits in two months. But only if
you’ve seen Jeanne in person at one of the thousands of speeches she has given over the past 45 years can you really appreciate why she stands at the top of her profession.

Jeanne Robertson is funny. Oh my, yes. She also knows that her job is far more than being funny. Her message is that a sense of humor is an attitude, an approach toward working with people. She believes that this humor attitude can be developed and improved, and she outlines how to do so while captivating audiences with funny, original stories.

If you are reading this after the week of February 21, click the following link to view the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1_W0LCHwK4&feature=email

Transcript
A little over a week before filming this episode, I was on my way into NYC, and the tone on my blackberry went off to let me know that I had an email.
Now, I don’t know about you, but up until 1992, I had never touched a computer and I swore I wouldn’t. Today I have two laptops, two desktops, and I walk around with a blackberry strapped to my side.
I bought into the whole idea that technology was going to make life easier and that it was going to help me stay connected. Actually, what I have personally found is that it has just given me more time, to be busier.
I don’t know if it’s the same for you, maybe it’s just me. But, I’ve actually become less connected with the people and the things that are most important to me because of technology allowing me to do more “things”. I really have tried making time to stay connected. At least twice a year, I will do a mass email to pretty much everyone in my address book. Just an email reaching out to say, “Hey, I haven’t seen or heard from you in a while. I wanted to reconnect and see if we can commit to staying in touch more.” Sometimes on a long drive, I’ll go through my cell phone book making time to call people to try and connect; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I was always able to say “I tried”.
I do realize that as we go through this journey in life, that people will enter our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Many of you may have become aware of an email that goes around describing how the people who come into our lives don’t always stay as long as we like. Some are around for only a reason; helping us learn something about ourselves, or we are helping them learn something about themselves.
Some people enter our lives for a season; where we help each other grow and transition. Then a small number actually stay with us for a lifetime. I do actually understand that some of those people in my address book are no longer on that part of the journey with me. We have connected for a specific experience, and that time has passed.
The reason that we’re shooting this episode today is the email that I got that morning on my way to work was about the passing of a very dear friend. Somebody who, for whatever reasons, fell off that list of things that were important enough to make sure I was staying connected with.
The person was Nancy McKowen. She was very important person, in a very unique circle of friends that I connected with between 1998 and around 2000. This group of friends did some amazing things. We all supported each other in a spectacular growth period. We supported each other, and we reached out to support our communities. I can say that everyone who was in that circle made quantum leaps in our own personal and spiritual development because of the support that we gave each other and the experiences we shared.
Then about five years ago I ended up moving from New Jersey where this group was located back to Pennsylvania and fell out of contact with a lot of people. I mean, when I lived in NJ I would see these people weekly. We were always making time to do something together, meetings, book discussions, charitable causes and just hanging out. After I moved back to PA these gatherings became less frequent. I think the last contact I had with Nancy was probably five years ago. Don’t get me wrong, I understand these things happen.
It was just that in the email they told me that she had been struggling with cancer for quite some time. As I went through the day I struggled with a lot of different emotions, and I couldn’t figure out why. I’m pretty grounded in my Spiritual beliefs, and when someone passes, even a close relative or friend, I’m not usually shaken up. Then I had a realization of what was bothering me so much. It was that I was not making time and had dropped the ball on what’s truly important to me.
I’ve had some great accomplishments in my life. I’ve succeeded in many areas and overcome a lot of things. And we’ve all heard the saying that when a person gets to the last moment of their lives it’s not about the successes they had or the money they earned. It’s about the relationships that they nurtured. It’s about the moments they shared with loved ones. It’s about the times they spent actually “living” life. The email about Nancy’s passing drove that home for me.
So, what did I learn from that experience?
Well, for me I’ve decided that I’m raising my standards of making time for what is important and how I’m going to stay in contact or at least let the people in my life who are important to me, know that they are. I’m making time to make sure that those emails individually go out, rather than a mass email, weekly. I’m going to make phone calls weekly. I’m stepping up my commitment because these people are what’s important in my life, and I want to let them know. Even if I don’t hear back from them; them reaching back to me… that’s not the point. This is not about them reciprocating. It is about me reaching out to let other people know that they’re important.
In the past, whenever I’ve sent those emails or made those phone calls, I had this belief system that said if I don’t hear back, it was okay. I’d say to myself, “I know they care, and they know I care, we’re just… busy.”
That excuse isn’t good enough anymore for me. I need to make sure that I let the people know that they are important. I’m making sure that I make the time, and what I would like to ask you to do for yourself and those that you care about, is to have you ask yourself, “What can I do today, to let the people who are important to me know that they are?” Not to just assume they know, but really let them know that you care. What is something you can do to connect with them?
I hope you don’t have to have the same experience I have had with the loss of a very dear friend to make you realize the need for making time for what is important.
Thanks and we look forward to seeing you again soon.
Dedicated to Nancy Marie McKowen
8-8-1960 to 5-9-2009
Thank you for bringing love and light to this world.
Love and Respect
Willard
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