We often hear that laughter is the best medicine, but when we are deep in our grief, this can be hard to believe. While it’s true that laughter does not cure all things, the Mayo Clinic (2023) says that laughter does indeed help. Aside from laughter, I’m sure we all know that exercise is healthy, but, according to the Cleveland Clinic (2022), one of the reasons that exercise feels good is because of hormones released called endorphins. Endorphins naturally help relieve pain and stress and help us feel better and better about ourselves. Endorphins also help decrease our blood pressure, encourage our hearts to be healthy, and even help our muscles relax. It turns out that laughter, impressively enough, also releases endorphins. So when we hear that laughter heals, this is absolutely true!
When we are deep in grief and missing our loved ones, it may feel impossible, or perhaps even wrong, to laugh and enjoy ourselves. But that is simply not true! Laughter is a tool we have that helps us heal, but this does not mean we are moving on or moving forward without our loved one. We can simply take them with us! Instead of shying away from laughter, try and lean into it. Let yourself laugh for just a little bit at something ridiculous that your loved one had done in the past, something they think would be funny, or maybe even just watch a funny video by yourself or with family or friends. We encourage you to find a way to reintroduce laughter to your life. As science shows, it can truly help!
- Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2023, September 22). Stress relief from laughter? it’s no joke. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/
healthy-lifestyle/stress- management/in-depth/stress- relief/art-20044456
2. Endorphins: What they are and how to boost them. Cleveland Clinic. (2022, May 19). https://my.clevelandclinic.