Laugh a Little

One of the things I noticed years ago when I started going to the Polarity Center of Syracuse, where I now work, was the laughter. The founders Naomi Kenealy and Judy O'Neill are two upbeat women whose great sense of humor pervaded the office.

It seemed strange back then. I hurt a lot - chronic back pain for 15 years. I'd already left one job because of it and was about to leave another. I certainly wasn't laughing much.

Naomi and Judy

Nor do most clients when they first come to the Polarity Center for a myriad of "unhappy" conditions - autoimmune disease, mental illness, cardiovascular disease, stress, anxiety, insomnia, digestive problems, skin conditions, headaches, high blood pressure, arthritis ... the list goes on.

What's funny about any of that?

Well, nothing. And, still, we laugh. I can't tell you exactly what we laugh about. We don't plan it. There is no script. It has to do with the work we do. Polarity Therapy brings the body, mind and spirit into balance and helps you find the good, the joy and the humor, despite the bad.

The laughter, in turn, helps with the healing. Over the years, research has shown that laughter decreases stress, relaxes muscles, lowers blood pressure, reduces aggression, improves memory, elevates a person's mood and boosts the immune system.

Laughing cousins: Adrian, Rachel, Mari, Will, Simone, Nora

Children laugh naturally. Young children laugh several hundred times a day. The average adult laughs four times a day.

I laugh a lot these days. I know from experience that it works. I love to laugh and love being around people who make me laugh. I feel the benefits immediately. I feel calmer, happier, less bothered by the "bad" stuff, more focused on the good stuff, and a lot more peaceful.