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The Power of a Positive Mood

✓ Relaxes the entire body. A good belly laugh will relieve
both tension and stress and relax nearly every muscle in
your body and keep those muscles relaxed for 45 minutes
after the laughter ends.

✓ Increases the immune system. Laughter decreases the
hormones associated with stress and boosts infection-
fighting antibodies.

✓ Releases endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural
painkillers and the feel-good chemical.

✓ Improves blood flow. A good laugh opens the arteries and makes the blood flow freer in your body

taking a lot of strain off of your heart. That can contribute to heart health.

✓ Burns calories. You can lose three or four pounds each year just by laughing 15 minutes each day.
It's a cardio workout, and even if the net loss isn’t dramatic before and after of fad diets and
miracle weight loss, a good laugh is undoubtedly an easy workout.

✓ Eliminates anger. Anger cannot survive in laughter. Looking at the humor or irony in a situation can
defuse the anger/rage/bitterness and provide more significant health benefits.

✓ Prolongs life. A recent study of patients with cancer found those who found a way to laugh

consistently lived longer than those who did not.

Mood Boosting Tips

✓ Friends and Influences: We take our cues from the people around us

✓ Smaller Bites: Take that goal or issue and chop it into smaller, manageable parts

✓ Step Back: Sometimes you need to take a step back to remove yourself and your brain from the
fight

✓ Get Out: Sometimes the worst thing we can do is isolate by staying in the house

✓ Don’t Sell Yourself Short: Be realistic about where you are and how things are going with your
progress.

✓ Help Others: Remember that good feeling you got when you were able to help someone else?

✓ Get Help: Author T.A. Webb said: "A burden shared is a burden halved."

✓ Belly Rubs: Studies prove that petting an animal lowers stress levels and blood pressure

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