Newsletter Vol. #87 Thats How I See It!

I'd like to thank all those folks who recently signed up for the That's How I See It! Newsletter--so I will--thank you and welcome!

Several hundred of you have picked up the book Communication & Relationships (C & R) and now that things have slowed down, Christmas and New Year's being over, perhaps you will have time to read the book and drop me an email letting me know what you thought of the book, perhaps even a testimonial? If you haven't picked up your copy of C & R as of yet, phone or email and make arrangements for your "Free" copy. Here is where you can get a hold of me danrosin@drcounselling.com 204-299-9399.

Over the next several months you will be receiving my "That's How I See It!" newsletter. Occasionally I will be encouraging you to share the newsletter with your friends on social media. You see, the more people I can have saying nice things about Communication & Relationships when it is launched or perhaps I should say re-launched (more about this saga another newsletter) in the fall of 2018, the more people will become aware of the book, the more copies will be sold, and the more people will be helped by the content.

It is in the realm of possibility that this book, Communication & Relationships could and go to #1 after the McNally launch. That is, providing enough people get behind it and help share its existence and value with their Social Media contacts.

Content: a theme over the next two weeks is on Laughter: The Importance of Laughter (Norman Cousins); Humour-Theory; Humour at the Workplace; Stay Sharp-Keep Fit

My goal for 2017 was to lose 10 pounds. Only 15 to go

The Importance of Laughter

An early pioneer in discovered the benefits of laughter first hand was Norman Cousins. In his best selling book, Anatomy Of An Illness, Cousins describes how a positive attitude and laughter can assist the body in overcoming disease.

Cousins experience a seriously debilitating condition called ankylosing spondylitis, and disease of the body's connective tissue. At one point in his illness, his jaw was locked shut and he could scarcely move his limbs. Drs. told him his chances of recovery were one in 500.

Cousins, who is then editor of the literary journal Saturday Review, did more than beat the odds. Moving from hospital to hotel room, and putting himself on mega-doses of comedy and vitamin C, he cured himself of this horrible disease. He quotes a Immanuel Kant, the great 18th century German philosopher, who said that laughter produces a healthful and gratifying influence on bodily process, enabling us to reach the body through the soul and use the latter as the physician of the former.

Just as exercise is regarded as pivotal to health, cousins sees laughter "as a form of "internal jogging" that shifts our entire biochemistry into a healing gear.

Perhaps the most important effect of laughter and positive emotion, he feels, is that they "replace the apprehension and helplessness that lead to depression and thus a deepening of disease."

I believe that Cousin's early work with laughter was the beginning of a movement that emphasizes humour as a bona fide healing tool in hospitals--people like Patch Adams followed his lead.

I just did a week's worth of cardio after walking into a spider web

Humour--theory

I've read where it has stated that children laugh approximately 475 a day, and adults 20. Where did all that laughter go? Apparently it is very healthy to laugh, one of the "Big Three" - Exercise, Social Interaction and Laughter - that successfully counters the effects of stress on the body/mind.

Hare some important things that laughter can do for/to us:
     _ Laughter reduces anxiety (Coser)
     _ During hearty laughter, the release of endorphins from the brain into the body has an anesthetic like effect that relaxes the muscles (Cousins)
     _ You cannot be laughing and angry at the same time (Cornett)
     _ Humour buffers daily stressors (Coser)
     _ Self esteem and identity are nurtured through humour (Jalongo)
     _ Laughter stimulates the left and right sides of the brain, resulting in simultaneous processing of abstract and logical aspects of thought, thus having therapeutic value (Robinson)
     _ Humour reduces the impact of crisis; humour retains hope (Robinson)
     _ Laughter is the shortest distance between two people (Victor Borge)

Clearly, humour/laughter has a very positive effect on the human body, so it almost goes without saying that we would be much better off to be "humoured" more and "serioused" less. The loss of 455 laughs a day is certainly costing adults their health.

          Can't be serious and have fun at the same time
          Can't be driven and have fun at the same time
          Can't be controlling and have fun at the same time
          Can't be angry and have fun at the same time

I don't mean to brag, but I finished my 14-day diet food in 3 hours and 20 minutes.

Humour at the Workplace

Many major companies are cashing in evidence that humour is a powerful workplace tool.

Alice M. Isen, a professor of psychology at the University of Maryland, found that people put in a good mood organize information better and are more creative. Isen, also found that people in good spirits proved more creative in word association, categorization and tasks involving memory. "Mild elation seems to lead to the kind of thinking that enables people to solve problems requiring ingenuity or innovation," says Ison. "Someone who is happy can perceive subtle relationships between things because positive material is stimulated in his/her memory- they have more ideas." Humour also improves decision-making and negotiating abilities.

Humour improves group as individual performance. When it's related to the task at hand, laughter tends to boost performance, says psychologist Howard Pollio of the University of Tennessee. He speculates that laughs rally spirits and provide a brief break without being too diverting. If the work is tedious, humour relieves boredom, which promotes problem solving. On the other hand, says Pollio, "When the task is very cerebral, laughing doesn't facilitate the group's output- but it doesn't interfere with their work either."

Susan Lang states: Lighten up a little laugh it up a lot. It can only do you- and your employer- a world of good.

Is it realistic to believe that more humour and play can actually make you healthier? Will humour and play increase your self-esteem, lower your stress, add to your sense of control, render you more appealing to the opposite sex, make it easier to get out of bed in the morning and help you find purpose and meaning? Wow!

A recent study has found women who carry a little extra weight live longer than men who mention it.

Stay Sharp-Keep Fit

Studies are showing that keeping fit may help protect your brain. That people with a greater degree of lifelong fit are more likely to have a better cognitive function into old age.

In a Scottish study subjects were tested on their grip strength, six-meter walk time and lung function. Results showed a positive correlation between physical fitness and improved cognitive aging.

Researchers at Toulouse University Hospital looked at the fitness-connection and found that the higher the subjects' Body Mass Index (BM I), the lower their scores on cognitive performance tests. Participants with a higher BMI had lower cognitive scores.

The American Academy of Neurology suggests that "middle-aged spread" may be linked to a greater risk of Alzheimer's disease. The study of 8776 men and women, ages 40 to 45, found a significant link between flab and subjects rate of developing Alzheimer's disease over an average of 23 years later. In the same study, obese people at a 74% increase risk of dementia and overweight subjects had a 35% rate risk, compared to those with normal BMI.

It seems if I want a "good" old age I'd best stay physically active!

An old, blind cowboy wanders into an all-girl biker bar by mistake.  
He finds his way to a bar stool and orders some coffee.
After sitting there for a while, he yells to the waiter,    
'Hey, you wanna hear a blonde joke?'    
The bar immediately falls absolutely silent.
In a very deep, husky voice, the woman next to him says,   
'Before you tell that joke, Cowboy,  
I think it is only fair, given that you are blind, that you should know five things:    
    1. The bartender is a blonde girl with a baseball bat.  
    2. The bouncer is a blonde girl.  
    3. I'm a 6-foot tall, 175-pound blonde woman with a black belt in karate.  
    4. The woman sitting next to me is blonde and a professional weightlifter.  
    5. The lady to your right is blonde and a professional wrestler.   
 'Now, think about it seriously, Mister. Do you still wanna tell that joke?'   
 The blind cowboy thinks for a second, shakes his head, and mutters,
 'No...not if I'm gonna have to explain it five times.

More on laughter and humour in the next newsletter.
Have a great week and get out and enjoy the nice weather.