Depression Getaway with Wendy Love

  I just felt like sharing a laugh today. Only those of us who are up against mental illness will find it as funny as I did. And so true! How is your day going today? Don't give up! There is hope for depression.

It's no secret. My favourite depression getaway is laughter. When I was growing up I remember getting in a snit and wanting to pout and punish anyone around me. My Dad would say 'now don't you smile Wendy' and I would try to hold on to my pout. He would say 'no smiling, there will be no smiling in this house' and that was it! I would immediately smile and couldn't wipe that smile off of my face. It worked every time. Not that I was glad about that. I really did want to pout a little longer and punish those terrible parents who had caused my disappointment. But alas, smile I did and it made it much easier to move on from my troubles.

 Don't you just love the way children laugh? They hold nothing back. They are so free! FREE is not a word we associate with depression, but if you decide to add laughter to your medicine chest, then for a moment or two, you can be as free as this child.

Oh this is such fun. Just talking about laughter makes me feel better, at least while I am doing it. If you haven't laughed yet today, you better go here first to the American's Funniest Home Videos site and watch for awhile. Now for a little scientific talk on why laughing is so medicinal. Here are a few pieces of information which I gleaned from an article on Naturalnews.  The article is based on a book 'The Five Habits of Health Transformation' by Mike Adams.

Bet you didn't know horses can laugh, did you?  Okay, so I think we probably all agree that it is fun to laugh. Laughing is universal. But maybe if you are reading this and you are one of the many who suffer from depression, you are wondering if laughing isn't a little pointless. I mean, what difference is it really going to make in the long run?

The secret's out! Laughter is depression's secret weapon which you have already discovered if you my previous post. You may as well get started benefiting from this wonderful free weapon. Go ahead and laugh! If you need a little assistance, maybe you would like to look at a couple of silly YouTube sites and see if you can resist laughing. Try 'babies laughing' for starters. Bill Cosby said: "Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." Do you agree with Bill Cosby? (Despite the recent demise of Bill Cosby's reputation, he was one of the best comedians of my day, wholesome, funny, family humour.)

To finish up my series about favorite getaways, I am going to share about not only my favorite getaway, but my favorite thing ever - LAUGHTER! Can you imagine that there is something you have been doing all of your life, that you could do right now if you wanted to and it would give you a much needed break from your depression?  What is it?  Laughing! That's right - laughter is depression's secret weapon. What makes you laugh? Who do you laugh most with? Who makes you laugh by just thinking about them?