HOW TO LIGHTEN UP AND LAUGH TO REDUCE STRESS

Is laughter really the best medicine? Many experts believe it is an effective tool in recovery.

Addiction is a serious disease with far-reaching health consequences. But what if there were an alternative to addictive behavior that was healthy, fun, and not at all serious?

Laughter, it has been said, is the best medicine. And it turns out that this adage does have some support. While it may not technically be a medical remedy, there are far-ranging health benefits. Some of which are:

• Physical Health Benefits. These include lowered stress hormones, a boost to your immune system, decreased pain, muscular relaxation, and reduced risk of heart disease.
• Mental Health Benefits. These include stress relief, improved mood, enhanced resilience, reduced anxiety, and a greater sense of excitement about life.
• Social Benefits. Shared laughter increases social connection, eases conflict, promotes shared experience, and enhances cooperation.

If you have been feeling weighed down by the stress of life, it's likely that you haven't had a good belly laugh in some time. Oftentimes, when we are preoccupied with worries and concerns, it is difficult to find anything funny. For this reason, it can be useful to help the laughter come out with these simple tips:

• Smile. Smiling is the beginning of laughter. When you smile, it engages similar muscles to those used for laughter. It also changes your mood, so you will be in a more positive frame of mind. This will help bring on the laughs!

• Gratitude. Focus on those things in life which you are genuinely grateful for. This will help lighten your mood, easing the way for pleasant humor. Of course, it can be difficult at first to find things which you are thankful for, but once you start, you will find more and more.

• Move toward laughter. If you hear someone laughing, move towards the source. Laughter is often most pleasurable when shared in a group, so joining in can be a good way to jump start your own peals of laughter.

• Funny friends. Surrounding yourself with funny, joyful, or lighthearted friends can help elevate your mood and put you in a good frame of mind. In turn, this will help you see the funny side of life.

• Laugh at yourself. It's been said that the truly wise are able laugh at themselves. When we are able to find humour in our own follies and missteps, it shows a healthy distance from taking ourselves too seriously. So, try to find one thing that is funny about yourself, and have a small laugh.

• Laugh instead of complaining. There are many situations that are annoying. We can let these ruffle our feathers, or choose to find them funny and laugh it off. Doing the latter will invariably help you to move on and get back on track more effectively.

(These articles are the sole property of “The Cabin Chiang Mai”, they are its original authors.)

IS AN ADDICT LYING TO YOU? HOW TO DEAL WITH LYING BEHAVIOUR

For many addicts, as the addiction gets worse, lying becomes deeply ingrained in their way of life and it actually becomes incredibly difficult to tell the truth. And, if they have been getting away with weaving a web of lies and nobody has called them out on it, it only seems logical to think that lying is just simply easier than telling the truth. That is why it is very important to deal with the lies in an appropriate manner. Here are a few tips on how to deal with them in a way that's beneficial to both you and your loved one:

1. Don't take it personally

When a loved one lies to you, it can feel as though they no longer love or respect you, and this can cause a great amount of emotional pain. You must remember, however, that an addict mainly lies for their own benefit – to keep the reality of their situation from surfacing. And in fact, an addict often believes that by lying to a loved one, it is causing them less pain with a ‘what you don't know won't hurt you' type of attitude. Instead of getting upset and yelling at them or reacting negatively towards them, take it with a grain of salt and focus your energy on helping them get out of their situation instead.

2. Stop enabling

If you know that your loved one is lying to you, pretending to believe them, or turning a blind eye will only encourage their behavior and allow them to sink deeper into their addiction. Whether they think you actually believe them, or they know you're turning a blind eye, you're essentially telling them that their behavior is okay. Instead, you need to let them know that you know the truth.  When the lies are no longer working, it will help force them into honesty and (hopefully) in to asking for the help they need.

3. Point out the truths

When negative incidents occur, such as arrests, medical issues, loss of job, or anything that is visible to you (and not just to the person struggling with addiction) it is helpful for you to point it out. Do your best to sound non-judgmental and definitely not condescending. However, it is important for your loved one to realize that their actions are having negative impacts, and that others can see that and are also being affected by them.

4. Boost their confidence

When an addict feels shame, it fuels their addiction. Therefore, you can help them by creating a supportive environment where they feel they can be open and honest with you. You can also build their confidence and encourage them to create goals again by literally listing for them the things that would be better if they got treatment for their addiction. Most addicts feel a sense of emptiness when they imagine their life without their substance, so help fill that void with reminders of how good life was before the activities that you used to enjoy together or those that they enjoyed doing alone.

5. Get them some help

If it's clear to you that your loved one is suffering from addiction, it is important to get them help right away. It does no good for you or them if you continue to be in denial yourself. You can start by contacting your family doctor for guidance in finding the most appropriate treatment, and get them into a rehabilitation program as soon as possible. The sooner the addict gets help, the better their chances of recovery.

Shafa Home offers treatment for both substance and process or behavioral addictions with a program that is highly personalized and culturally sensitive.

(These articles are the sole property of “The Cabin Chiang Mai”, they are its original authors.)