Tips for the Week Ahead

Smile and Laugh this week.

Laughter and humor are great medicine for a healthy life. Research shows that healthy and loving relationships are strengthened by the magnetic ability of laughter to bring people together and help them bond. Evidence also shows that laughter elevates your mood, increases intimacy, reduces certain stress hormones, boosts the immune system and lowers blood pressure.


Laughter helps to remove the negative effects of STRESS, which is the number one killer today. More than 70% of illnesses like high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety, depression, frequent coughs and colds, peptic ulcers, insomnia, allergies, asthma, menstrual difficulties, tension headaches, stomach upsets and even cancer, have some connection to stress.





Take time time to reflect.

When you reflect back to the other person what they have said, you are showing them not only that you have heard and understood them but that you are also interested in them and what they have to say. This demonstrates connection with them, affirms their identity and hence increases bonding. We like people who are interested in us and who stroke our identity.

By selectively reflecting only those things in which you have a particular interest, you communicate your preferences and concerns to them. This can help develop the conversation as, if they realize this, they will also talk more and question you more about these things, thus steering the conversation in the direction that is of interest to you both.

Reflecting information tends to get you more detail about the area reflected as the person picks up the cues you send them about your interests. Reflecting can thus be a subtle form of probing.

When you reflect something back to a person they have to think again about it. In that internal musing that you create in them they may well increase their own understanding of what is being discussed. Likewise, when you paraphrase with different words, this new angle may also build understanding.

Reflecting what is said can also help the other person take responsibility for what they are saying and about the topic in question. Reflecting also helps the other person own their emotions, particularly when you reflect their emotions in a neutral way whereby they feel able to accept what has happened.

Spend extra time with your family.

A family's "core" leisure activities (those that are typically everyday, low-cost, home-based activities such as playing board games, playing in the yard, gardening and watching television together) were related to the family's cohesion (“the emotional bonding that family members have toward one another”). Both a family's "core" activities and their "balance" activities (those that are novel experiences and require a greater investment of time, effort, planning and money--such as vacations, special events, and sports activities) were related to the family's ability to adapt.

Share what you love …your special hobby or talent …with your child, spouse and/or parents. Individual interests bring families closer. Because the rewards of a strong family are enormous and last a lifetime, it is so important to make time for family time. An easy and enjoyable way to do that is to play together as a family, such as family games, family sports, eating out, window shopping, picnic, weekend camping trip or even watching a movie.








*Sources: Changing Minds, Laughter Yoga, and R.B. Zabriskie