Easing life’s stress just a laugh away
by Lauren Crider, reporter

    A room full of women chatted recently about their anticipation of getting a solution for their stressful lives before a South Campus seminar, Laughing Your Way Through Stress.

    All looked surprised when Flo Stanton, South Campus nurse and director of health services, asked them to stand up and form groups based on the color of their underwear.

    Laughing out loud, they got into flower, pink, white, black and green groups.

    One participant stood alone, being the only one not wearing any.

    The woman’s explanation brought forth even more laughter from the participants.

    Stanton told the group that their laughter was good.

    “Laughter graces the spirit and could be our answer to stress,” she said.

    Stanton’s use of group participation made the seminar seem more like a conversation than a formal presentation.

    Life is filled with stress, yet very few know how to deal with it, Stanton said.

    Studies have shown enormous health problems related to stress, such as heart attacks, ulcers, and disease.

    Despite millions of dollars having been spent in the quest to overcome stress and its effects, a cure rarely works, Stanton said.

    Studies have also shown all the benefits gained from laughter.

    If people realize the benefits and learn how to laugh, Stanton said, they may more easily be able to manage stress.

    Stanton noted many benefits of laughter.

    It increases the immune system by creating T-cells and is a natural tension reducer, Stanton said.

    “Studies show that people laughing always feel better,” she said.

    “Laughter is actually a natural pain reliever,” she said, explaining that it increases endorphin levels.

    Learning to increase laughter in every day life is the first step to reducing stress, Stanton pointed out.

    Some of her tips for increasing laughter included making collections of things that make one laugh, increasing playfulness and creativity in one’s life, making others laugh and spending more time with people who laugh.

    “Laughter is contagious,” she said.

    Stanton distributed a hand out containing a stress diet featuring Oreo cookies, pepperoni pizza, Milky Ways and cheesecake, which won group approval.

    Also included was a calendar of a month’s worth of stress busters and a stress test.

    “It’s not that we laugh because we’re happy; we’re happy because we laugh,” she concluded.