Life can be tough …
Perhaps our beautiful, heartfelt project is taking way too long to release to the world or an illness is grinding us down. We might be experience sadness through our own loss or pain, or maybe we’re feeling the weight of someone else’s misfortune.
Feeling into any or all of these experiences means we’re practicing mindful awareness. It helps us identify and tackle any underlying issues.
But we can often get stuck somewhere in the tough places, where we keep probing as with our tongues on a mouth ulcer, exacerbating our wounds and inflating our troubles.
Sometimes there is simply the matter of the fact of the situation and there’s nothing else to be done than to practice acceptance and ‘keep going.’
In that place of acceptance we might still find ourselves acting out our previous behaviours. We might be so used to not smiling or laughing that we forget to begin again.
The reality is that even though we might feel in the middle of a long slog, we can change how we feel about it in an instant. It is within our power. If we can think it, we can do it. It is our choice.
Choosing to reinstate our smile, to engage our laughter muscles and to get happy – even if just for an instant – will help see us move forward and it will help us heal. It’s our body’s internal pharmacy at play. It’s science and magic all in one.
Don’t just take my word for it;
Study reveals laughter really is the best medicine
Laughter is good medicine for reducing stress, enhancing brain chemistry
If you need some help to get started, there is always You Tube and the laughing baby videos!
–ooOOOoo—
Have you downloaded your free guide to creating your own Found Inspirations practice? It’s so quick and easy, anyone can do it anywhere. But it’s powerful, too – and an ideal way to begin art journaling and get those creative juices flowing!
@juliegibbons Your technique definitely resonates with me. It came right at a time when I was searching for a daily practice, too. Thanks!
— kimswitzer (@kimswitzer) April 1, 2013
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About the image
You can download the image for non-commercial use, please remember to attribute it to Julie Gibbons.