Take a deep breath and laugh

So I am thinking that a lot of you will be spending the festive time at home with family, at another family house, on holiday with family, extended family… basically there are lots of extra people around, in our lives and space. We are not alone in that equasion. It can be a happy and fun time, but it can also be stressful and test our patience to the limit – no matter how much we love our blood and kin. We have my mum here from England this year which is marvellous. She is getting to spend time with her 2 grandsons and they are enjoying lots of grandma time.

I would love to say that our house is full of the smell of baking, Christmas carols and tunes blaring out from itunes, and festive cheer (Candace clearly I need to spend some time taking top tips from you), however, albeit this is not an unhappy household things are a tad crazy. I have 2 boys with full on colds and coughs (Umcka helped but didn’t stop!) and a newly flooded laundry room, hall carpet, cat litter and rugs. So I have been a tad testy you could say… and realizing that this is really family time had to take  a look at how I was delaing with these, err, extra challenges. I could shout, I could cry, I could kick a box of paper round the garage, I could not do anything and just bottle it up – and believe me I have been known to do all of the above, sometimes at the same time. However, the best thing – humour, laughter.

So this week, no last minute tips to get to the shops for those last minute bargins (your TV ads will do that for you), no finds that will increase that overdraft or put extra $’s on your bulging credit card bill. My finds this week are all free. So when you begin to feel your stomach beginning to churn, your devilish side wanting to tell whom so ever to ‘go suck on a lemon’ or you just plain want to get on a plane to Siberia, one way, take a minute to click on these links and see if it helps. I hope it does. Of they don’t, just lock yourself in the bathroom while the furor continues with a glass of wine!

So here we are – LAUGHTER

1. Laughing 100 times roughly equals 15 minutes on an exercise bike? Vigorous laughter increases the heart rate deepens the breathing rate, and uses muscles in the face, stomach, and diaphragm.2. Aside from improving our moods, laughter can reduce stress, help fight infection, and reduce pain.

3. The levels of two stress hormones, cortisol and epinephrine which suppress the body’s immune system, will actually drop after a dose of laughter.

4. Laughter causes positive changes in brain chemistry by releasing endorphins, and it brings more oxygen into the body with the deeper inhalations.

5. Laughter releases anger, fear, guilt, anxiety and tension.

6. Laughter encourages concentration on “right” attitudes rather than “wrong” attitudes.

Facts found via Dr. Standley in the article facts in the act of laughing.

Now that we know the facts, here are a few things that should get things rolling

Click on this Youtube for instant happiness.

Or this one for the bride who can’t stop laughing

or maybe this Mother of all Pranks, too funny

So there you go when the going gets tough LOL