Why we need laughter yoga now more than ever.
It can’t have escaped your attention that 2020 was less than stellar for most people around the globe.
With the coronavirus and it’s resulting lockdowns, curfews and ‘self-isolating’, not to mention working from home (if you were lucky enough to escape with a job to ‘work from home’ with!)
All in all, it’s not been too much of a laugh for most people. Even if you are lucky enough to work from home – that in itself can be very stressful.
There is the technology to master and the resulting changes in work environment that can cause us increased levels of anxiety and stress.
Working from home?
Of course, for some people, working from home can be a massive boon. No need to travel to the office, home is where the heart is after all. However, the task of creating a ‘work-life balance’ can be made tougher for those who have difficulty setting their boundaries. It can feel like work is ‘on’ all the time as some struggle to organize themselves so that work is work and downtime are delineated and maintained.
That sense of isolation can be magnified by the lack of human touch and presence, which we come to rely on for our comfort and soothing when stressed.
Ironically the things that give us comfort in normal times – connecting with friends, hugs and human touch have been deemed dangerous to passing on the virus. – The very things we usually use to sooth ourselves are the things we are prohibited to do during the pandemic. What to do?
Potential consequences of Corona 2020
Anxiety, fear, worry, depression, disconnect, overwhelm and isolation have all been magnified with this unusual threat. Our work / life balance has been thrown into turmoil, uncertain for the future we can oscillate between anxiety and depression.
Indeed, the introduction of a second lockdown after the first can cause more of the negative emotions to resurface. Hijacking our plans, goals and dreams for the year. So, overall, not much to laugh about.
How laughter can help
There are a number of ways that laughter can boost our ability to cope and come through the current crisis. Using this modern method of laughter yoga we can grow and develop ourselves, and maintain and build our relationships in a healthy, positive and creative manner.
- Laughter can boost morale. It’s a way to feel better about ourselves and boost morale. Who hasn’t felt a sense of relief when they have finally been able to laugh about something which previously they could only get annoyed/ angry/ frustrated over?
- Laughter can more us from a negative to a positive mindset. It can move us from ‘I don’t think I can do this’ to “OK, let me see if I can find a way”. It can change our mindset into a can do mindset as quickly as a good belly laugh.
- It can help shift our mood and make us see the funny side of life rather than the overwhelm or negative aspects of our situation. That shift in thought process can lead to higher performance as we seek new answers to our questions.
- It can re-orientate us to repurpose what we need to achieve, rather than focussing on what we can’t do because of our present situation. It offers the opportunity to reframe any negative thought patterns or behaviours which we might have struggled with in the past.
- Laughter builds relationships and connections with others. In our ‘physically distanced’ current reality, we do not need to be socially distant. Having a good laugh with others builds our connection and develops trust and a sense of common ground.
- We may feel unsupported and isolated without our usual strategies to feel good. Well, laughter can hack your happiness chemicals. Laughter can release dopamine in your system (dopamine is a reward chemical which we receive when we complete a ‘self-care’ activity, like eating or celebrating a win) It also can release endorphins – (a pain killing chemical which we produce naturally, like dopamine). It can enhance our mood immediately (serotonin release which enhances our feelings of mood) and even builds a sense of connection and playfulness with others (oxytocin release – which is sometimes called the love chemical) Imagine a playful dog – head down , crouched ready to pounce – relaxed, playful, ready to have fun in a state of joyfulness. Laugher can give you all of that.
- Laugher builds equanimity (a sense of mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper in challenging situations). In other words, it can help interrupt our patterns of usual negative thoughts and behaviours. Furthermore, it offers the potential to choose something different for ourselves in how we respond to events.
Science has shown that laughter helps shift attitude and mood, which helps change perspective and approach and potentially improves our performance.
Ultimately, we get the best for ourselves when we learn to adapt and thrive in new environments. They may not be to our liking, however, sometimes we are thrust into situations which require us to adapt fast in order to thrive and survive.
Laughter can offer you all that, and the best part is … it’s free. It is readily available and absolutely ANYONE can do it.
It is good for you mentally and physically and can be done anywhere.
So, no excuses, if you want to get ahead and adapt to our newly developing environment….
Best get your laughter gear on! For a free laughter session with other like-minded people worldwide, you can join the founder of laughter yoga, Dr Madan Kataria on his zoom laughter sessions daily here.
