Laughter: God’s Natural Medicine for Depression

webmasterDepression, Funny Videos, Joy, Kingdom Principles, laughter6 Comments

Esther Patterson (21 months old)

I was checking my e-mail on yahoo today, and I saw that Depression was trending.  I thought it sad that so many people find themselves depressed and looking for help on the internet.  I decided to write a blog on the healing benefits of laughter to fight depression. I mean, really, can you laugh and be depressed at the same time? O_o Go ahead and try. I dare you! ;P

For those of you who like scientific facts, according to WedMD.com (click here to watch the video):

“Research shows laughter can improve your health: It helps reduce stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenalin, and pumps up immune system activity by increasing interferon, T cells and white blood cells. A hearty guffaw or belly laugh can also boost heart rate, improves blood flow, and stabilizes blood pressure.

…Psychologists agree. While research continues on the role of laughter in easing depression, many therapists have begun incorporating humor into their counseling sessions.

…Data on the medical benefits of humor continues to mount. But while it does, why not laugh it up? For WebMD, I’m Damon Meharg.”

Long before science discovered the healing benefits of laughter, the Bible referenced them:

Proverbs 17:22 ESV ~ “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.”

A crushed spirit is another way of saying that the person is depressed or at the very least sad.  A joyful heart is easily obtained through laughter. 🙂

I enjoy the book of Proverbs, because it is full of the wisdom given by God to King Solomon.  He speaks a lot on the human condition.  There is a lot of teaching on emotions and how to deal with them.  Let’s look at another example:

Proverbs 15:13 ESV ~ “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.”

For those who prefer the New Testament, I grabbed some of Paul’s teaching from Romans:

Romans 14:14 ESV ~ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

Even today, this is so true.  How many people try to fight depression with eating and drinking?  Many alcoholics got addicted trying to escape from stress or depression.  The only problem is an addiction only adds to stress and depression, which makes being sober even more unbearable.  This vicious cycle only leads to more and more drinking.

In God’s Kingdom, which is available to ALL His children, there is peace and joy!  That’s great news.  Through the Holy Spirit, who still roams the Earth helping us, we can experience God’s peace and joy.

Not convinced? Check out this video!:

Want to experience supernatural laughter for yourself?  Join us at Trans4mation where we let God’s Presence enter in and work on all of us. : )

 

Wishing you lots of Happiness!

Jennifer Patterson : )

 

P.S.  I’d love to hear your thoughts!  Please leave me some comments below.

6 Comments on “Laughter: God’s Natural Medicine for Depression”

  1. Howdy! I know this is somewhat off topic but I was wondering which blog platform are you using for this website? I’m getting tired of WordPress because I’ve had issues with hackers and I’m looking at options for another platform. I would be awesome if you could point me in the direction of a good platform.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

301 Moved Permanently

Moved Permanently

The document has moved here.


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.