Aging well and still laughing...

Hello my beautiful friends! Hope you all have had a great week. I had a beautiful weekend with some incredible friends. I went on a short trip with some girlfriends and decided to change this week’s blog on account of what I felt we all needed to remember this from time to time.

Laughter is so good for the soul. We have all heard the stories. We have been told all our lives, how laughter is so good for us, so why do we not try to have more? Hmmm, I have pontificated on this for several days. Why? Is it because we get bogged down on our to do list? Do we just don’t make the time? Or please, don’t tell me, that we are spending too much time worrying about tomorrow or yesterday! Well, that is something that is NOT getting us anywhere and surely not bring a smile to our face ☹. I am not only talking about laughing until you cry, or better yet wet your pants, although this kind of laughter feels incredible (not the wet pants), I am referring to chuckles and smiles as well. We had a scavenger hunt on our trip and was fascinated how good it felt at our ages to have so much competitiveness and laughter in us and how fun it was for me to just sit and watch the competition unfold. The teams had to send pictures of places and things and the smiles on their faces and comments being made, had such an impact on my spirit. I could not believe how good I felt. I was asking myself why I did not do more of this. We played silly games, which I will include at the bottom, and laughed and giggled. And still, each team was playing to win. This is something that most of us incredible aging women simply do not do enough of. Why? You know what I am going to say, “we are not living today”! I planned the scavenger hunt only because I knew, when I was a child, that we did this at girl scout camp, and I enjoyed it so much. I had no idea that it would still make me laugh. After contemplating all of this, I have come the conclusion that we need to all add more games, movies, books, and fun conversations to all our lives. Maybe you already do have a lot of laughter! If so, that is wonderful, and I am thrilled. I know that some of you love movies and sitcoms that make you laugh, and this is fantastic! However, many of us don’t, or we do not do enough.

I have always enjoyed games. In fact, when I have a celebration at my house, everyone expects to play some type of game. Yes, even if it is bingo. But, why only on celebration? The last Christmas, I wrapped up in a ball of saran wrap with several gift cards, hand lotions, flashlights, and other crazy gifts, and timed the player, who had on cooking mittens, trying to open the ball and get the gifts. They had to pass the ball to their left when time was up. So fun! There are many online videos on how to do this. Some of you might be saying that you really are not a game person, well maybe you have not played the right game! On my trip, there were nine of us in a house and every one of them laughed and enjoyed playing. I believe most of us do not take the time or feel intimidated on certain games.

I have never been a big movie person. One of my best childhood best friends loved to watch movies. She could name all the movie stars, the famous lines that were said, etc. I wanted to be outside and riding bikes or play softball! But, we all enjoy a good movie. One thing that I decided to do after my trip is watch more movies. Yes, schedule them in my life. Just like a scheduled doctor’s appointment. Let’s all try to schedule in some fun activities that will put some laughter in our lives! I am not saying that we need to play games daily, I am saying laughing is good. Let’s make sure we get enough of it!

Here are some benefits of why we should find more ways to add laughter into our lives.

Mayo Clinic:

Short-term benefits

A good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can

• Stimulate many organs. Laughter enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs and muscles, and increases the endorphins that are released by your brain.

• Activate and relieve your stress response. A rollicking laugh fires up and then cools down your stress response, and it can increase and then decrease your heart rate and blood pressure. The result? A good, relaxed feeling.

• Soothe tension. Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.

Long-term effects

Laughter isn't just a quick pick-me-up, though. It's also good for you over the long term. Laughter may:

• Improve your immune system. Negative thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that can affect your body by bringing more stress into your system and decreasing your immunity. By contrast, positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses.

• Relieve pain. Laughter may ease pain by causing the body to produce its own natural painkillers.

• Increase personal satisfaction. Laughter can also make it easier to cope with difficult situations. It also helps you connect with other people.

• Improve your mood. Many people experience depression, sometimes due to chronic illnesses.

• Laughter can help lessen your stress, depression and anxiety and may make you feel happier.

• It can also improve your self-esteem.

Put humor on your horizon. Laugh and the world laughs with you. Find a way to laugh about your own situations and watch your stress begin to fade away. Even if it feels forced at first, practice laughing. It does your body good.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456

So, our homework this week is to plan on watching a comedy, or play a game, or simply watch some funny you-tube videos.

Here are pictures of the scavenger hunt. So fun. Plan one for your next family outing!

Games that are a must that will make you laugh that we played on trip:

Catch Phrase. We played the older version that was not electronic. My friend had both and prefer the non-electronic. Fun, can do anywhere and does not take a table. Kind of like the Charades game. Fast and fun.

Utter Nonsense. Perfect for all ages.

Other games to entertain you!

Five Crowns. We play this and there are many versions. Easy card game similar to Gin Rummy.

Codenames. Lots of fun. I call it a mature kind of go fishing game😂😂.

Board Games there are many: Catan, Pandemic, Risk, Splendor, to name a few. My kids are big strategic game players.