Lifestyle-Guru.com

What do you do when your life starts to seem boring and difficult? Everyone has those days, you know what I’m talking about, days that you wake up and something doesn’t feel right. You dread the thought of getting out of bed, let alone facing the world. On these kind of days you need to kick-start positive thoughts. And one of the best medicines is laughter.

The Benefits of a Good Laugh:

There are a number of well-documented benefits of having a good laugh. Medical researchers have shown that laughter releases natural pain-killing endorphins into your bloodstream and that it may boost your immune system and prevent disease. It will relax your muscles and can induce mild forms of euphoria. Laughter can even be thought of as a form of exercise that massages all parts of your body.

Emotionally speaking, laughter can be so potent that it will dissolve hosts of negative emotions. Anger, depression, malaise, sadness, grief, stress, and anxiety can all be wiped out with a steady dose of hearty laughter.

Laughter will also build up your own self-confidence put your life into perspective. When you are able to laugh off those dumb mistakes in life, you will find that you won’t be so worried about what other people think of you. Those big problems in your life suddenly don’t seem so big after you’ve had a good laugh. Having a good laugh ensures that those little troubles that pop up in life don’t sour your mood.

Laughter will help you rise to any challenge, accept unexpected changes and get out of difficult situations with a smile. You’ll never be embarrassed by the unfortunate situations that life throws at you if you can laugh at them and turn them into funny stories that you can tell your friends. So don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself when you spill mustard on your shirt or forget to zip up your pants (or gobble down a mouthful of wasabi not knowing what it is the first time that you eat sushi).

If you wear your sense of humor on your sleeve, you’ll also find that you’ll build up the strength of your relationships and your sense of community. Nobody likes a grumpy Gus. Everyone loves someone who can make them laugh and feel at ease. By sharing your laughter with others you will attract positive energy from those around you, making your life that much happier. Remember that attitudes are contagious… is yours worth catching?

(Re) Learning to Laugh

Okay Guru, you’ve convinced me, laughter is good. So how do I build up my sense of humor? Here are some tips that might help:

1. Keep a journal of funny situations: Get a small journal or a tape recorder and carry it around with you. Whenever you see or hear something funny or think of something that makes you chuckle, write it down. Camera phones are great for documenting the funny scenes that you encounter in life. Whenever you get down, take out your journal and read a few passages to cheer yourself up.

2. Get a pet: If you’ve never had a pet you don’t know what you’re missing. They give you lots of unconditional love and ask for very little in return. Even when they get in trouble, their innocence will inevitably get you to laugh. I have one very curious and active cat and wouldn’t trade my memories of her exploits for anything. If you already have a pet, resolve to spend some quality time with them. Get out and play some frisbee with your dog. Give your cat some yarn and catnip and watch the magic happen.

3. Start being a kid again: Researchers have found that the average kindergartner laughs about 300 times a day. The average adult laughs about 15 times. So don’t be a Groan-up! Don’t be someone who sees the negatives in everything. Instead take some time out from your life to be silly and juvenile. Play a video game, get some friends together for a board game or a pick-up basketball game. If you have young kids, get active and play with them.

4. Watch a funny movie: Or go out and see some stand-up comedy. Or surf You-Tube for a hour watching funny things. When you do it, try to figure out what kind of humor you like best. Are you a fan of slapstick or one-liners? Do you like witty British comedy or are you a die-hard romantic comedy buff? Seek out the forms of entertainment that make you laugh and share them with your friends and family. Forget about work and being productive. If you take time-outs to laugh you will be more focused and efficient when you do work, and a whole lot happier.

5. Learn to tell a joke: Preferably not one that comes at the expense of another person. And then practice it in front of a mirror. Figure out the timing, the dramatic pauses and when to make the subtle inflexions in your voice. If the joke is long, make sure to memorize each important detail so that it comes out without hitches. Now you don’t have to be a constant joker, but being able to lighten the mood of those around you is a priceless quality.

And Four Habits that will Increase Your Life Span by 14 Years

A group of English researchers came out with a study this week which concluded that people who don’t smoke, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, exercise regularly and drink alcohol in moderation, live FOURTEEN years longer than those who didn’t. See the article here:

Pretty simple huh? But what about if you already smoke, eat a steady diet of fast fried foods, haven’t been in a gym since grade school, and have a reserved seat at the local bar? How do you stop doing the stuff that turns you into Norm Peterson from Cheers and start doing the stuff that turns you into Jack Lalanne?

Whenever you want to make a life change, whether you want to lose weight, start exercising regularly, stop smoking, stick to a budget, or stop arguing with your spouse, you’ve got to have a strategy if want to succeed. Without a plan, your new diet and gym membership will probably be replaced with potato chips and your couch within a week. Here’s a five-step process that will help you on your way to starting a new habit.

1. Self-Awareness - Identify why you want to do what you want to do: Before you can make a change you’ve got to do a bit of self-analysis. Whatever you want to do, you should ask yourself why you want to do it. For instance, if you want to lose weight ask yourself why? Is it because you’re embarrassed about your size? Is it because you’re traveling south in a couple of months and want to wear that swimsuit? Is it because your doctor told you that it’s a matter of life or death? Whatever your reasons are (and you can have more than one), these are what will motivate you to succeed.

2. Intention – Start thinking the right way: After you figure out why you want to make a change you’ve got to change the way you think. The most important muscle that you need to use to start living healthier is the one between your ears. Start thinking about achieving your goal. Go ahead and visualize the new you. Picture yourself losing weight, exercising, not smoking or whatever you want to do.

Visualization is a very powerful tool. There is a law of attraction in this universe which helps people manifest their dominant intentions. When you tap into this force by deeply thinking about your desires you will begin believing that you can achieve them. Seeing yourself achieving your goals, will help give you the confidence that you need.

3. Get Energized: Of course you need to do more than just think about your goals. Nothing is achieved without action. And action requires energy. Have you ever noticed how excited kids can get when they want something? This is the energy that you want to tap into. Without it you won’t have the willpower needed to stop falling back into old habits.

So how do you get this energy? The best way that I can explain it is to try to have you feel it. Think about something that you absolutely love doing. It can be a hobby, having sex, playing with your kids, or even something trivial like watching your favorite t.v. show. Now think about the enthusiasm that flows through your body when you’re doing it. How it’s the only thing on your mind at the time and how you don’t want it to stop. This is the kind of energy that you need.

4. Make a Game Plan: All the energy and positive thinking in the world won’t help if its not pointed in the right direction. That why you need to set out a specific game plan. Break down the steps that you need to take start your new habit. Do it in writing and paste it somewhere that you will see it often.

Some of the steps along the way will be obvious, some will require that you do a bit of research. For instance if you want to lose weight you may want to start by going on the internet to figure out how many calories you need to eat each day to achieve your goals. If you want to start exercising you may do some research on local gyms and sign up for a membership. The key is to write down the steps you feel that you need to take.

But take care not to get stuck at the planning stage. You don’t need to create a five-year lifestyle plan, you just need to figure out what you need to do now. Your plan will be constantly changing anyways.

When formulating your plan remember that breaking an old habit or addiction is not easy. Smoking is the obvious example. Your mind and body are used to living in a certain way and its hard to give that up. Here’s a good tip to help you achieve success: try replacing your bad habit with a good habit. It will help get your mind to stop thinking about what your missing and start thinking about what your doing. If you love reading, immerse yourself in your favorite fiction. If you love playing a sport, block off a fair amount of time so that you can do it. When you’ve got an addictive personality, don’t think of this as a weakness. Instead, use it to your advantage to start new positive habits and break the bad ones.

5. Do it Now! I mean right now. Take the first step on your game plan and do it immediately. After this paragraph ends, get up away from your computer screen and accomplish your first step. Throw out the junk food in your kitchen or the smokes in your pockets (or purse). Go for a walk. The first step to a long-term commitment is always the hardest, but once you accomplish it, you’ll be on your way. And once you do, keep going and building momentum. It is commonly thought that you need 21 days to ingrain a new habit. That’s only 0.07% of your life (if you live to 80). Once you make it that far the best thing you’ll notice that you won’t miss your old ways at all. In fact, you won’t want to go back. You’ll yearn from the high you get from exercising, and unhealthy foods won’t be so appealing. So go ahead, stop reading and start changing your life one day at a time.