Laugh Yourself Better

Healing comes in many forms. Just like there are so many different mediums to choose as an artist, the same array of possibilities exists with choosing the best way (for you) to heal.

Energetically in order to move forward you must be in alignment.  When we are sick, upset, doubtful, depressed, or angry we are not in alignment.

When someone is going through Dark Night of The Soul they feel completely without hope, like they have nothing to offer the world and it feels like the pit is never ending.  Hence the Dark Night.

I experienced this for the second time in my life recently. It’s fascinating that as humans, when we are at our lowest and need to use all of the tools we have for self help, we don’t.

The day I remembered that the only way up was through alignment, but feeling so far away from that state, I knew that laughing was an immediate fix.

Just thinking about how I could feel better, let me know that I was already on my way up searching for answers.  

I was meditating daily, resting, not pushing through when normally I would. Reminding myself that my feelings were temporary. But none of that was helping me get back into alignment and flow.

I needed laughter but couldn’t find any joy within. So the healing modality I turned to was… Graham Norton.

Yes, you read that right.  The hilarious talk show host. I couldn’t concentrate on an entire film, or book, lost in my own misery, but short clips I could process.

I heard myself laughing out loud and the flood of relief that came with it was palpable.  It felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.

Confirming that I still had joy left inside of me, it stimulated my natural ‘glass half full’ energy, and allowed me to feel hopeful once again.

A friend of mine who is a coach came to visit and he asked me what kind of healing I did to help myself.  I said, Graham Norton!

He started to laugh expecting to hear me say I that I had worked with my chakras, run energy along my meridians, undertook many guided meditations….but no, just laughter.

Laughing increases the brain’s production of endorphins — the natural way our bodies relieve pain, reduce stress and boosts our moods. Laughing also increases our blood flow, circulation and intake of oxygen-rich air, which can improve brain health. 

After enjoying the first Graham Norton I then spent the next two weeks binge watching compilations of the most hilarious interviews, and continued to laugh and laugh.

I realised his humour appealed to me because he’s so outrageous he’ll say anything without seemingly caring!  

Dark Night happens because we care so much, and think and work and worry and stress so much over something important to us, it can result in burn out.  

Whatever sends you spiralling, part of the darkness is the complete contrast of NOT caring about anything. Technically this is when your guardian angel leaves you to make room for another.

People often commit suicide during this time because suddenly nothing in your life seems to matter, least of all yourself. 

And, people often come out of it like a phoenix rising from the ashes with a whole new direction, purpose and meaning.

Luckily having been through this before about 25 years ago, I knew what was happening to me, so I knew from experience this was just temporary.  I would have a negative thought and remind myself, “This isn’t the truth of me. This is temporary.”

Because I find human behaviour so fascinating even if the subject is myself, I was able to at least notice my resistance (and talking to my therapist friends steadily), be aware of my feelings but remain somewhat unattached to them as something transitory.

We all know the hurricane is going to pass, that it might get worse before it gets better, but then it does eventually subside.

Then you move into the pushing through and appreciation phase.

I had even stopped dancing which I love to do the most! But eventually, even though I still didn’t particularly feel like it, I would push myself out the door and go anyway.

Little by little your energy, flow, motivation and enthusiasm for life returns often with an entirely new perspective.

So if you’re going through something like this at the moment, be very gentle with yourself, laugh if you can!

I learned that if I don’t work all the time, but take a day off here and there to lay in the sun and do nothing, that the whole world will not collapse!  

Maybe finding a better work/life balance is what I needed to do.  I obviously wasn’t paying attention so the Universe forced the absolute need to rest on me.

What are you not paying attention to even though you are aware of it in your life?

Now, I’m much more in my body and take regular breaks.  Do you need your energy balanced?  Book a call, everyone could use energy alignment as preventative medicine.