Mindfulness Mondays: Mindful laughter

Laughter is good medicine!  

When we laugh we keep anxiety at a distance. Stress hormones are reduced and endorphins are released (no running required). 

Positive emotions help in healing physical and emotional pain.

Creativity is improved through the open, flexible thinking of humor. 

Do I need to mention that it also feels good?

Is there someone in your life that makes you laugh? Can you think of the last book or movie that gave you the giggles? 

Be intentional this week about positive emotions- make sure to make time for FUN!

This week I will find ways to laugh.  

Mindfulness Mondays: Friendships

Santa Fe Gals 2012

This month let's direct our attention to gratitude.  

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend."     - Melody Beattie

Consider ways in which to put your intention into action- write a thank you note, make a call, spring for Starbucks . . .

This week I will show gratitude for my friendships.

Mindfulness Monday: How does your friendship grow?

My friend Mari celebrating friendship at OWFI

Take some time to reflect on your closest relationships. Does your calendar reflect your internal commitment to meaningful friendships?

It takes full engagement to grow adult friendships-there are no good short cuts to emotional intimacy.

Responsibilities can distract us from connecting on a more personal level with special people.  Facebook catches us up through photos and witty anecdotes but nothing beats good old fashion face time with real friends.

This week focus on friends.

I WILL MAKE TIME TO CONNECT DEEPLY IN MY FRIENDSHIPS.

Got Girlfriends? 5 great reasons why you should!

Some of my "girlfriends"- The Inklings Critique Group

March is National Women's History Month
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/about.html. Lets celebrate by focusing on women's issues all month long. In my opinion you can't address women's issues without talking about female friendship.  In addition to the fun and shared interests there are many health benefits to building strong relationship bonds with other women.

 In a lab at UCLA two female researchers were commenting on how when their male counterparts where stressed they would typically isolate to work out a problem.  In contrast, these researchers found themselves cleaning up the lab, making coffee, and talking to one another about the problem to find a solution.  Sound familiar? This keen observation led Drs. Klein and Taylor to evaluate the research on stress and sure enough the research subjects were typically male.  A new research line was born to examine the unique stress responses of women.  In addition to the traditional "fight or flight" responses of men, women also demonstrated a "tend and befriend" response.  When we women are under stress we have a biologically driven instinct to take care of our children and seek out the support of other women.  (And clean the house- or is that just me?)

Female friendship also has proven health benefits:

1. Lowered blood pressure and cholesterol.
2. Longer life span.
3. Improved adjustment from the death of a spouse.
4. Increased psychological well being.
5. Improved relaxation response through the release of oxytocin, a strong neurochemical associated with maternal bonding.

This past fall my father was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Trying to balance the additional responsibility of attending to my dad and helping my mother left me little time to "tend and befriend."  I am forever grateful that friends provided constant support and encouragement through texts, voicemails, and cards.  It was a sacred journey that strengthened the bonds of our friendship. 

The research collected in this post will hopefully encourage us all to resist the urge to reduce our contact with friends when times get challenging.

Leave a comment to further the discussion of the benefits of girlfriends.

Also, if you enjoyed this post consider "befriending" my blog.  Simply type your email address in the "follow" box and you will be notified whenever there is a new post (typically Mondays). I will never try to sell you anything or send you spam- promise!