Relieving Stress with Laughter
Whether you are in a high profile executive position or career transition, it is likely you are experiencing some amount of stress. You may also be aware that those stressful situations will diminish or disappear entirely in the event of laughter.
Laughing your way to organizational health, by David Granirer for About.com reports that a recent study found managers who facilitated the highest level of employee performance used humour the most often. Thomas Kuhlman, a psychologist a the University of St. Thomas relays specific indicators that tell us we need to incorporate humor into our workplace. How we react to stressful situations is a choice to despair or laugh. “Being able to laugh about oursleves and our situation helps us release tension, regain our perspective, and accept that which we cannot change. Not ony that, it also gives us the physical energy and resilience needed to survive.”
More and more companies are recognizing the value of creating a fun workplace and organizations such as, Big Fish Interactive and Tree Top Trekking offer professional team building events and outdoor adventures. The connection of humour, laughter and creativity will contribute to a healthier workplace and a sense of individual and team purpose, passion and play.
Scientific studies are reporting the health benefits of laughter beyond relieving stress to include lowering blood pressure, boosting the immune system and burning calories!
Shirley Maclaine said: “I laugh at myself a lot. The person who knows how to laugh at himself will never cease to be amused.”
In Good Life In the City magazine, Tracy McLaughlin writes, “There is nothing like a good rolling, rollicking, hearty laugh. It sucks the stress from every pocket of your body and leaves you feeling refreshed, energized and happy”.
