Can your mental outlook really influence your health? Many experts say YES! How much does the mind influence how the body functions? This question has prompted a great deal of debate in recent years and scientists have come to realize that mental stress has a negative effect on the immune system, while a positive attitude and a good hard belly laugh benefit a person's health.
As a matter of fact, laughter is one of the best antidotes for stress and anxiety.
I know first hand the difficulty of living with chronic pain and depression.
At twenty-three, I was stricken with Rheumatoid Arthritis and some days I hurt so bad I just want to curl up in a ball and cry.
Instead, I fight my pain and depression with joy.
I choose to find something to be happy about and engage myself in something positive.
When I get a flare up and the pain is just too much to bear, I reach for my stash - my collection of laughter filled videos and DVD's.
Movies like My Big Fat Greek Wedding, My Cousin Vinny and Airplane.
I also keep a collection of I Love Lucy re-runs and the complete collection of Seinfeld shows handy.
It has been proven that a hearty chuckle stretches the muscles from the diaphragm all the way to the scalp and releases the tension that causes fatigue, stress and headaches while giving you a burst of energy.
Laughing releases endorphins, which are the body's natural painkillers and mood lifters.
We all go through difficult situations and I believe that pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
Living life in a joyful way is a choice we make every day.
If you want to be happy - act happy.
A smile is contagious.
We have all encountered rude and unhappy people, but we can help spread good health if we take a moment to smile at someone.
When a store clerk is nasty toward you or someone cuts you off on the highway, a nice thought or a smile is a better alternative than cursing him or her out under your breath.
You will reduce your stress if you don't get upset, and you may help change their mood.
So the next time you have an ache or pain or somebody crosses you, don't whine and complain, just laugh or smile and you will find it just might cure what ails you!