Motivational Monday – Health, Healing and Humor – 3 ways laughter has healing power

New Hope Women's Day Prayer Breakfast

The banquet tables were set up to receive an anticipated 200 guests. Women and a few men filed into the room ready to be fed and not just because breakfast was being served. The event was a Women’s Day Prayer Breakfast.

On the menu was food, an encouraging message and humor. My role was to deliver the humor. My self-imposed goal was to demonstrate how humor can be used for healing. If one person laughed, I considered this successful (well, I wanted more than one laugh). People laughed without realizing they were experiencing healing.

In case you’re wondering, let me tell you 3 ways laughter has healing power.

1.      Humor relaxes you –laughing works against chronic stress (psychcentral.com).

2.      Humor reduces stress – researchers suggest that “anticipating a positive event can reduce stress hormones (psychcentral.com).”

3.      Humor comforts – like a bowl of chicken soup, humor can comfort. Think of it like magician or clown making a sick child laugh.

As breakfast plates were removed from tables, guests began to file out of the room. I was humbled by comments such as, “You were hilarious” and “you were funny, I could relate to what you said.”

Find a reason to laugh every day, just for the health of it. Use humor for your health and healing.

“A happy heart is good medicine” - Proverbs 17:22