Laughter, self-compassion and appreciation: 3 wonderful tips for reducing stress and anxiety in your life – from experts in the Global Stress Summit, hosted by Heidi Hanna.
#1: Laughter and mirth
Heidi Hanna’s wise words:
I have three things I do every morning to prime my brain. One is movement. One is meditation. And one is mirth
Heidi and neurohumorist Karen Buxman talk about the many benefits of humor and laughter during Karen’s interview What’s so Funny About Stress? It’s one of my favorites in the summit!
Laughter and humor boost resilience, affect gene expression and generate gamma brain waves in a similar way that meditation does, acting as a brain tonic. People who experience this gamma wave pattern find that
Food tastes better, things look more appealing and colors look brighter
I’m with them and HAVE to laugh every day – what about you?
#2 Self-care and self-compassion in times of loss
Ken Druck, PhD shares this in his interview on Courageous Living: Turning Adversity into Opportunity
There is no time at which we are more brutal, bullying, unforgiving, impatient, judgmental and critical of ourselves than in times of loss
This could be the loss of someone we love or a living loss like a divorce or break-up. He goes on to say:
It’s a teachable moment in our life to learn self-care and self-compassion. The practice of self-compassion is the basis for surviving through these hard and rough stretches in our lives
#3 Appreciation for your loved one every day
Arielle Ford shares this in her interview with her husband Brian on Positively Resilient Relationships
I try to give him 5 appreciations every day, just things that he’s doing and acknowledging them
She shares how research shows that doing it in public in front of other people wins millions more brownie points!
Arielle and Brian also share how they lighten up stressful situations with laughter and humor. I love their “Sheila” and “Wayne” tip when either of them are being too bossy (Sheila is Arielle’s mom and Wayne is Brian’s dad).
Arielle also offers these wise words: instead of being annoyed with something Brian is doing she changes the way she perceives the behavior.
It’s encore day of the Global Stress Summit so you can watch these and all the speakers today. If you haven’t already signed up you can still do so – just register here)
If you’re considering purchasing the series for your learning library be sure to do so today before the price increase. Here is the link to learn more and purchase.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!
