Laughter also gives us release and can make us feel better.  

Carry on reading and listening if you would like to learn more about laughter yoga. A smile when you don't feel like it can help make you feel better, as smiling when you don't feel like it is when you need a smile the most.

Sometimes we don't feel very much like laughing. Sometimes we don't have very much to laugh about.

However, research has shown, our bodies can't really tell the difference between a real laugh and a fake one, so it responds in the same way, it relieves tension and releases feel-good hormones, also known as endorphins.

There are even suggestions laughing can help strengthen the immune system, so with winter on the way, why don't we give it a go……….

If you think about it, it does make sense!

When we are anxious, our body and mind don't know if the threat is real or imagined, so they respond as real. Most of us will recognise the feelings of anxiety when we worry about the 'What if's So using the same logic but differently, maybe if we laugh; even when we don't feel like it, we may actually start to feel better.

This is better experienced than reading about it, so we have put together a wee video.

We want to thank Kathleen, a trained laughter yoga teacher, for putting together the audio for the video. So when you have time, why not have a wee watch, try some of the exercises suggested, and remember to relax after having a good laugh? The wee 3minute relaxer may do the trick.