WEBVTT 00:00:00.680 --> 00:00:03.899 Hey everyone, welcome back to the Senior Safety 00:00:03.899 --> 00:00:08.140 Advice Podcast. This is Esther Kane, retired 00:00:08.140 --> 00:00:10.859 occupational therapist, certified aging in place 00:00:10.859 --> 00:00:14.919 specialist, and co -founder of SeniorSafetyAdvice 00:00:14.919 --> 00:00:18.679 .com. Okay, now you know that this month of February, 00:00:18.839 --> 00:00:21.940 I have been focusing on topics about heart health 00:00:21.940 --> 00:00:25.420 and emotional resilience. And today, we're going 00:00:25.420 --> 00:00:28.960 to talk about the healing power of laughter. 00:00:29.609 --> 00:00:33.490 I know you think, well, I don't know if that's 00:00:33.490 --> 00:00:36.409 real, I mean, laughter sounds like such a small 00:00:36.409 --> 00:00:40.390 thing, it's almost too simple, but believe me, 00:00:40.890 --> 00:00:44.450 laughter is a powerful medicine. I'm not talking 00:00:44.450 --> 00:00:47.929 about the forced kind of laughter, not the, oh, 00:00:47.969 --> 00:00:50.350 be positive kind, you know, where you have to 00:00:50.350 --> 00:00:53.289 talk yourself into it. No, I'm talking about 00:00:53.289 --> 00:00:56.049 real laughter, the kind that sneaks up on you, 00:00:56.149 --> 00:00:58.969 the kind that makes you breathe a little deeper, 00:00:59.229 --> 00:01:02.030 the kind that loosens something tight inside. 00:01:02.549 --> 00:01:05.609 That kind of laughter can actually change the 00:01:05.609 --> 00:01:09.310 body. And here's why laughter matters so much. 00:01:09.730 --> 00:01:13.730 Because stress lives in the body. It settles 00:01:13.730 --> 00:01:17.409 into your shoulders, your jaw, your chest, your 00:01:17.409 --> 00:01:20.680 neck. And sometimes your head, and that's where 00:01:20.680 --> 00:01:23.060 all those headaches come from. Well, a lot of 00:01:23.060 --> 00:01:25.959 headaches come from that. Laughter can interrupt 00:01:25.959 --> 00:01:30.060 that. When you laugh, your breathing changes. 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:33.879 Your muscles actually relax and your heart rhythm 00:01:33.879 --> 00:01:38.299 softens, even if it's just for a moment. Excuse 00:01:38.299 --> 00:01:42.579 me. And that moment matters. My late husband 00:01:42.579 --> 00:01:45.239 suffered from severe depression and anxiety. 00:01:46.409 --> 00:01:49.430 The few times that he laughed, I mean really 00:01:49.430 --> 00:01:53.709 laughed, made my heart sing because I rarely 00:01:53.709 --> 00:01:57.569 heard it. We were together 25 years, so I should 00:01:57.569 --> 00:02:00.730 have heard it a lot more. I can still remember 00:02:00.730 --> 00:02:03.989 his laugh and how his eyes squinted when he did 00:02:03.989 --> 00:02:09.370 that. Those moments helped him to relax and let 00:02:09.370 --> 00:02:12.150 go of those dark thoughts that he was plagued 00:02:12.150 --> 00:02:16.099 by. When people go through stressful times in 00:02:16.099 --> 00:02:19.659 their lives, like family caregiving, health worries, 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:23.099 loneliness, financial worries, loss of any kind, 00:02:23.659 --> 00:02:27.159 those things obviously are going to weigh on 00:02:27.159 --> 00:02:29.939 you and weigh on your nervous system. And when 00:02:29.939 --> 00:02:33.500 the nervous system stays tense, then the body 00:02:33.500 --> 00:02:37.120 pays the price. Blood pressure rises, your sleep 00:02:37.120 --> 00:02:41.379 suffers, you know, muscle pain worsens. Laughter 00:02:41.379 --> 00:02:44.800 helps to release that pressure. Not by fixing 00:02:44.800 --> 00:02:48.180 the problem, but by giving the body a break from 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:51.740 the problem. And sometimes that break is exactly 00:02:51.740 --> 00:02:55.620 what someone needs to just keep going. Here's 00:02:55.620 --> 00:02:59.180 something people don't always realize. Laughter 00:02:59.180 --> 00:03:03.620 is actual physical therapy for the nervous system. 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:07.539 It stimulates circulation, it increases oxygen, 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:11.759 and it releases those feel -good chemicals. And 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:14.819 those chemicals can help to reduce pain, be it 00:03:14.819 --> 00:03:17.580 physical or emotional. Just like what I said 00:03:17.580 --> 00:03:21.780 before about my late husband, laughter can really 00:03:21.780 --> 00:03:25.319 help to reduce that pain. Another thing laughter 00:03:25.319 --> 00:03:29.199 does is it connects people. Shared laughter creates 00:03:29.199 --> 00:03:32.340 bonding. It reminds us that we're human together, 00:03:32.340 --> 00:03:35.729 no matter what our other differences might be, 00:03:36.050 --> 00:03:38.689 laughter can actually bring us together. Next 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:42.289 time you're in a group of people, take notice 00:03:42.289 --> 00:03:45.169 of how their posture changes, how their mannerisms 00:03:45.169 --> 00:03:47.889 change when they're laughing, how they're engaging 00:03:47.889 --> 00:03:51.009 with others when they're laughing. That connection 00:03:51.009 --> 00:03:54.710 lowers stress and lower stress supports healing. 00:03:55.509 --> 00:03:58.389 Caregivers, family caregivers especially, need 00:03:58.389 --> 00:04:03.000 this too. I see so many family caregivers that 00:04:03.000 --> 00:04:05.620 I've worked with running on empty. Even some 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:09.319 of my friends who are currently acting as family 00:04:09.319 --> 00:04:12.199 caregivers for their elderly parents, they are 00:04:12.199 --> 00:04:14.460 running on empty. They're always serious. They're 00:04:14.460 --> 00:04:16.620 always responsible because they're stressed. 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:20.620 They've got a lot of weight, grief, and all kinds 00:04:20.620 --> 00:04:24.240 of responsibilities on them. And somewhere along 00:04:24.240 --> 00:04:29.319 the way, laughter gets pushed to the side. But 00:04:29.319 --> 00:04:32.959 laughing Or having good moments doesn't mean 00:04:32.959 --> 00:04:35.819 that you don't care. It doesn't mean you're ignoring 00:04:35.819 --> 00:04:38.920 reality. It just means you're letting yourself 00:04:38.920 --> 00:04:42.399 breathe. You're giving yourself a break. It helps 00:04:42.399 --> 00:04:46.300 with perspective. When we laugh, even briefly, 00:04:46.740 --> 00:04:49.319 problems feel a little less overwhelming. They're 00:04:49.319 --> 00:04:52.180 not gone, of course. They're just lighter. And 00:04:52.180 --> 00:04:55.220 that lightness gives the brain some space, some 00:04:55.220 --> 00:04:58.660 space to think, some space to cope. with what's 00:04:58.660 --> 00:05:00.720 happening, with what you're worrying about, and 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:04.360 some space to rest. Another thing that I love 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:08.980 about laughter is that it is accessible. You 00:05:08.980 --> 00:05:11.519 don't need money, you don't need equipment, you 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:15.040 don't need perfect timing, you don't need anything, 00:05:15.319 --> 00:05:17.500 well, except maybe the thing that makes you laugh. 00:05:17.959 --> 00:05:20.720 You just need something that makes you smile. 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:23.899 You need a funny memory, a favorite show, a silly 00:05:23.899 --> 00:05:29.449 pet, a grandchild's joke. Old sitcoms can usually 00:05:29.449 --> 00:05:33.449 do the trick. Comedy specials on Netflix or YouTube. 00:05:33.930 --> 00:05:36.790 And you can see a lot of old sitcoms on the free 00:05:36.790 --> 00:05:40.970 channel called Tubi, T -U -B -I. And you should 00:05:40.970 --> 00:05:45.490 check out the comedian Tom Papa on Netflix. He 00:05:45.490 --> 00:05:48.649 makes me laugh all the time. I don't care how 00:05:48.649 --> 00:05:53.050 many times I watch a particular skit. I myself 00:05:53.050 --> 00:05:56.610 will laugh at that same episode every single 00:05:56.610 --> 00:06:01.259 time. And guess what? It really works. The body 00:06:01.259 --> 00:06:04.220 doesn't care if it's new, it cares that it's 00:06:04.220 --> 00:06:07.839 genuine. And here's something important. Laughter 00:06:07.839 --> 00:06:11.339 doesn't have to be loud. A quiet chuckle can 00:06:11.339 --> 00:06:15.839 count. A smile that reaches your eyes can count. 00:06:16.399 --> 00:06:20.959 The body responds to joy in all its forms. And 00:06:20.959 --> 00:06:24.420 another thing that most people don't always realize. 00:06:24.810 --> 00:06:29.589 is that laughter can improve resilience. People 00:06:29.589 --> 00:06:34.250 who laugh regularly or tend to regularly bounce 00:06:34.250 --> 00:06:38.310 back faster, emotionally and physically. They 00:06:38.310 --> 00:06:40.949 tolerate discomfort better. They recover from 00:06:40.949 --> 00:06:45.230 stress better. That resilience really matters 00:06:45.230 --> 00:06:49.199 as we age. And I've noticed something else. Laughter 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:52.839 often invites movement. You know, a little rocking, 00:06:53.360 --> 00:06:57.579 a shift in posture, a relaxed stance. Movement 00:06:57.579 --> 00:07:01.240 plus joy is obviously a powerful combination. 00:07:01.660 --> 00:07:05.139 It keeps people engaged and present and alive. 00:07:06.220 --> 00:07:09.160 And please don't wait for life to be perfect 00:07:09.160 --> 00:07:12.699 to begin laughing. If you do, you might end up 00:07:12.699 --> 00:07:17.060 waiting a really long time. Laughter can exist 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:21.019 alongside grief. Believe me, I know. I've been 00:07:21.019 --> 00:07:23.779 through that grief of losing my husband and it 00:07:23.779 --> 00:07:27.660 was hard to find laughter after that. But I did. 00:07:28.000 --> 00:07:31.779 And it does exist alongside it. It can exist 00:07:31.779 --> 00:07:35.439 alongside stress. It can exist alongside uncertainty. 00:07:35.959 --> 00:07:39.420 It doesn't cancel those things out. It just reminds 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:43.240 the body that joy is still allowed. and that 00:07:43.240 --> 00:07:45.980 reminder can be very healing, especially through 00:07:45.980 --> 00:07:49.620 a grieving process. So if today feels heavy, 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:53.860 then try finding one small moment of humor. Go 00:07:53.860 --> 00:07:57.180 to YouTube, check out some funny animal clips 00:07:57.180 --> 00:08:01.120 or, you know, comedy skits or your favorite comedian 00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:05.500 or show, a memory, a shared smile, that's enough. 00:08:06.060 --> 00:08:08.800 You don't need more than that. Small moments 00:08:08.800 --> 00:08:11.970 of laughter really add up. They soften the edges 00:08:11.970 --> 00:08:14.850 of hard days. They protect the heart. They calm 00:08:14.850 --> 00:08:17.449 the nervous system. And they remind us that we're 00:08:17.449 --> 00:08:21.069 not alone. Well, I hope that that was useful 00:08:21.069 --> 00:08:23.589 for you today. And that's all that I have for 00:08:23.589 --> 00:08:26.329 you today. Thank you again for being here with 00:08:26.329 --> 00:08:29.850 me. If today's episode gave you some useful insights 00:08:29.850 --> 00:08:32.690 or new ideas, then please share it with someone 00:08:32.690 --> 00:08:35.440 who might find it helpful as well. And you can 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:38.179 discover even more expert tips and helpful guides 00:08:38.179 --> 00:08:41.059 for seniors and caregivers at seniorsafetyadvice 00:08:41.059 --> 00:08:43.779 .com. And if you're searching for an H &U Place 00:08:43.779 --> 00:08:47.399 specialist, then visit our website at hnyplacedirectory 00:08:47.399 --> 00:08:50.700 .com. Come back tomorrow for more useful tips, 00:08:50.960 --> 00:08:54.019 insights, and ideas right here on the Senior 00:08:54.019 --> 00:08:57.480 Safety Advice Podcast. And listen, if you haven't 00:08:57.480 --> 00:08:59.860 yet subscribed to our YouTube channel or the 00:08:59.860 --> 00:09:02.570 podcast, then Please don't wait. Go ahead and 00:09:02.570 --> 00:09:05.590 do that right now. 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