Smiling and laughing are important self-care behaviors that few people make the time for in their busy lives. That’s right, carving out time during the day to purposely laugh and smile are important activities that will improve your resilience. It may be hard to believe but it’s true, laughter is the best medicine.
The simple act of smiling broadly will help trigger the release of all your feel-good hormones! Why do drug addicts take street drugs? Because they want to feel the high associated with the release of endorphins caused by taking the drug. You can achieve the same feeling legally and without the adverse consequences of taking street drugs simply by smiling and laughing!
Skeptical – Are you doubting this? Try it. Depending on your unique taste for humor, not everyone likes the same kind of humor, pick a movie from our list or one from your own library and watch it. Be mindful of how you feel before the movie begins and then assess your mood once the movie ends. If you can immerse yourself in the movie and work to laugh while you watch it, you will elevate your mood. While you watch the movie try to make yourself laugh hard and long. Your laughter will trigger the release of the feel-good hormones that will go straight to the pleasure centers in your brain. Happy, Happy, Happy!
Check out our list of noteworthy entertainment HERE.
If you want to take this process one step further and really engage your brain chemicals, go for walk before you watch the movie. Go for a twenty-minute walk. Take a continuous heart-elevating walk and then watch the funny movie. It will be like adding a cherry to the top of the whipped cream!
Mindfulness – A key element to the success of any effort to improve one’s mood is the ability to be mindful. That is, to focus your SITUATIONAL AWARENESS skills internally. You want to be asking yourself “What am I a thinking right now” and to assess your mood with “What am I feeling right now?” The two, thinking and feeling, are linked together.
If you have a favorite funny movie, send us the information and we will add it to the list. That way you can be a part of helping other police officers build their resilience!
Stay safe and healthy!