Emotional medicine is an important tool to include in your wellbeing toolkit! Keeping a positive mindset and finding ways to experience joy are proven to have multiple health benefits, for mental health and physical wellness alike. Such is the theory behind the increasing popularity of ‘laughter yoga’ where groups meet and indulge in an hour’s laughing together, the experience of which can break down many rigid mental constructs and promote emotional healing.
Scientists have now found that happiness is a sure way to wellbeing, and what’s more – it is infectious. The following ideas will help to keep you committed to this wellness strategy and try to spread it through all areas of life!
Listen to upbeat music – A 2008 study from the University of Maryland showed that listening to joyful music keeps the circulation system healthy, thought to be an endorphin-mediated effect. This relates to the little-understood connection between mind and heart, substantiating the idea that the heart is more than just the foundation of our circulatory system, but also an important emotional centre.
Watch comedy – UCLA’s Cancer Center worked with the nonprofit organisation Rx Laughter to find that comedy shows can help children tolerate pain longer.
Spread happiness – if happiness helps you so much, imagine the effect of spreading it! Multiplying the effect of your happiness through others only brings you more of it – a fact now established in a widely cited 2008 study.
Happy relationships – according to research at the University of Utah, women are at increased risk of heart disease when in an unhappy marriage, due to a higher risk of developing depression and metabolic syndrome. It stands to reason that the quality of your marriage and close relationships is defining to your wellbeing.
The curative qualities of laughter – A 2009 study showed that diabetics lowered their risk of heart disease when enrolled in a laughter study group. A 2006 study run by the Einstein Cancer Centre showed conclusively that cancer sufferers benefitted from a greater flow of blood to the heart while enjoying comedy shows.
It seems that wellbeing relies on making the most of the good things in life. Enjoying the company of friends, music, comedy, a happy marriage and even laughing at ourselves are excellent and scientifically valid methods of creating the life and health we all desire. It’s important to maintain a commitment to leisure time and happiness in order to have the strength to combat life’s obstacles.
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