A Crumbling Cookie and the Healing Power of Laughter
By Susan Knight | Celebrating laughter as medicine for the body and the soul.
Written by Susan Knight for Sankarsingh-Gonsalves Productions.
The first time I read the line below, taken from the article “Resolutions? Bah Humbug” by
it made me laugh:“Every January 1st, millions of people around the world embark on a journey of self-improvement, armed with a list of lofty goals that often crumble faster than a cookie in a toddler's hands.”
When I say it made me laugh, I don’t mean a mild, two-second chuckle. I mean a full-bodied, down to the belly, extended laugh. I'm not quite sure why it struck my funny bone so hard. Maybe it was the way it hit me so unexpectedly, combined with the vivid image it brought to mind. Whatever the reason, I found it hilarious.
Over the next few days, I thought about that line repeatedly. Each time I thought about it, I would find myself laughing again — and I noticed something happening as I laughed. But first, some background for context.
Most of us have gone through a difficult period of some kind where there’s little or no laughter in our world. Thinking back to one of those periods in my own life, I can also recall the moment arriving where something finally registered as funny to me — funny enough to make me laugh. As I laughed out loud, the actual act of laughing felt good; but it also felt a bit strange.
Imagine being sick in bed and not walking for a couple of weeks. Now imagine how it feels to get up and start walking after not using your legs for all that time. Whereas normally, you’re barely conscious of all the movements involved with walking, now it’s an entirely different story as you become hyperfocused on what your body is doing. Your legs feel wobbly and your balance is shaky. You feel self-conscious as you slowly put one foot in front of the other. You’ve been walking most of your life, yet suddenly it feels unfamiliar. To my surprise, that was kind of how I felt during those first few moments of laughter.
As I found myself laughing for the first time in a long time, it was the equivalent of feeling a bit wobbly and off-balance. The physical sensation throughout my body felt strange and unfamiliar. Taken aback by what was happening, I realized I hadn’t laughed like that in several weeks.
Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with the concept of the mind-body connection, i.e.: the idea that our mental/emotional state impacts our physical body and vice-versa. Over the course of my life, I’ve noticed my body’s response to various mental states and emotions on numerous occasions, sometimes in a sharp, pronounced way. While wading through the depths of grief and despair, for instance, there have been times when the intensity of the pain left me feeling certain there must be lasting damage occurring somewhere in my body. At the other end of the spectrum, we know positive states such as excitement, happiness, and contentment also impact our physiology.
Back when I experienced a sense of awkwardness in my body as I laughed for the first time in a long time, I was acutely aware of how thoughts, feelings, and the physical body are all connected. Which brings us back to the line I initially referenced from the Sankarsingh article.
When I first read that line, and every time I recalled it afterwards, the laughter it brought on affected me in a powerful way. Beyond momentary amusement, it seemed to go a little deeper and actually put me in a happy mood. It was as if pent-up tension I hadn’t even been aware of was being released from my body, leaving me feeling energized and revived. In short, those moments of laughter felt like magical moments of healing and renewal.
It’s easy to take something as simple and basic as laughter for granted. But when you’ve gone through even a brief period in life completely devoid of laughter, you no longer take it for granted; you acquire a sincere appreciation for it. And when you feel a sense of healing and renewal occurring in real time, that’s an added bonus to be grateful for.
“A cheerful heart is good medicine.” Proverbs 17:22”
About the Author
Susan Knight | SGP Featured Writer | http://skfreelance.com
Susan is certified health and wellness coach, focusing on personal growth and inner wellness. She was a regular contributor to Social Work Today Magazine and is now a featured Health & Wellness Columnist for SGP.
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Thanks Susan Knight for making me think about and appreciate the power of laughter in my life. Something else for which to be grateful.