Laughter, the magic elixir
We don’t need a medical degree to know that laughter, good old fashioned belly laughing laughter can cure many an ill. We have all experienced this phenomenon in our lives and so I don’t think we need to dissect the biological mechanics of laughter. Let’s just say it is probably one of the quickest ways to pivot out of a bad mood and snap us out of focusing on the negative. What follows is just a short list of the generally agreed upon benefits of laughter:
- It lowers inhibitions and allows us to bond with friends and love ones.
- It most certainly produces those endorphins we’ve all been talking about.
- It helps to relieve stress.
- It can ease anxiety and fear.
- It’s an absolute magnet for attracting positive happy people; and of course we all know that being surrounded with positive happy people is a great way to maintain our own positive attitude and nature. You know the saying; birds of a feather all flock together.
- It is one of the best ways I know of to pivot out of a negative spiral. I little laughter during a negative moment can jerk you off that negative freight train and bring you back to a more realistic and positive view of what might be happening.
I think I could actually produce a whole page full of examples of the benefits of laughter but my intention here is to provide you with a method of achieving that laugh too loud can’t catch your breath level of laughter that provides the benefits mentioned above!
Sooo… in my last post we explored a couple of party ideas to bond with your friends and have some fun. At the end of the post I asked for some of your ideas. I am so pleased that Susan, a dear friend, fellow woman of a certain age and probably the happiest and most positive person I know took the time to provide us with the following excellent idea:
Susan recommends reading any or all of the Sweet Potato Queens books by Jill Connor Browne. I do not know why I had never heard of or read any of these hilarious books but after reading my first of these funny books I am in total agreement with her. These books feature very funny advice about how to be adored from a group of southern friends who are of that certain age.
Fair warning: these books are a little bit on the naughty side and not for the faint of heart.
Susan suggests each of your friends purchase a different title. Everyone is to highlight and place their initials next to their favorite parts of their book. When you finish reading yours you exchange it with your friend. Here is a list of these very funny books:
The Sweet Potato Queens’ Book of Love (Running Press Miniature Editions)
American Thighs: The Sweet Potato Queens’ Guide to Preserving Your Assets
The Sweet Potato Queens’ Big-Ass Cookbook (and Financial Planner)
God Save the Sweet Potato Queens
The Sweet Potato Queens’ Field Guide to Men: Every Man I Love Is Either Married, Gay, or Dead
The Sweet Potato Queens’ Wedding Planner/Divorce Guide
I read the Book of Love in one day and literally laughed until I cried! I must say I felt a little odd sitting alone in my house cackling at the top of my lungs. Even my animals were a little concerned but when I finished the book I felt fabulous. I have already started my friends exchange group and am anxious to receive the next book. (Please consider this an invitation for any of you to join my book exchange circle. Just email me at deborah@womenintransitiononline.com)
These make great girlfriend gifts for any occasion; put them in a pretty gift bag with a highlighter, instructions and a return box, if you have friends from out of town, and share some laughter!
Read, share and trade them with your friends. You will laugh until you cry so it is best not to read them in public!
THANKS SUSAN!
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Speaking of positive attitude, grab a friend or two and take the free 21 day Attitude Adjustment course. It’s really is simple to do, fun and it works!
Got Friends? Don’t ignore them
When was the last time you spent some quality time cherishing your friends? One of the quickest ways to feel good, bust loose some endorphins and improve your attitude is to spend some time with good friends just letting your hair down.
Even though you shouldn’t wait for an occasion it just so happens this is the time of year when holiday celebrations happen every month. So you have no excuse not to spend some quality time basking in the glow of acceptance with your friends.
Here are two great party ideas that need no occasion to bond with your friends and have some fun!
The Diva Party
Attire:
We all have at least one of these ensembles in our closet don’t we? You know the ones. We don’t remember why we bought it but we must have felt really good about ourselves that day. We thought wow I look good. When we took it home it became the where am I going to wear this outfit that we never found the nerve or occasion to wear! Well that’s the makings of the perfect diva party.
Make sure everyone knows and is willing to wear that certain fabulous thing they never or seldom wear. If by some chance they don’t own anything like this, they should. Tell them to think thrift store! Encourage them to be inventive. Maybe it’s those incredible pink high heel boots they just had to have that have been sitting in the closet collecting dust but the thought of tossing them into the giveaway box is unbearable.(Ask me how I know about these.) Maybe it’s the hat they love but never wear because no one wears hats these days. These are the makings of the perfect Diva Outfit.
Now that you have the attire down the rest is easy.
- Purchase some photo frames. I suggest a two sided frame but two separate frames per guest are fine too.
- Purchase small photo albums for each guest attending.
- Give out disposable cameras for everyone to take candid shots of the party.
- It’s a good idea to purchase a couple extras of these, you never know who just might bring along another friend)
- Add some food and drinks and let the party begin!
Take a “before” picture on arrival and an “after” picture on the departure of each guest. There will be a difference in demeanor I promise you!
After the party print and place the before and after photo of each guest in the two sided frame and make a small companion photo album of the best candid shots to give to everyone who attended the party. Memories of good times are always appreciated!
The Attitude Adjustment Party
- Purchase and decorate good sized lidded jars with each guest’s name on it. You can make them simple or get creative; use glitter, ribbons and glue buttons or rhinestones on them.
- Prepare a festive table with some flowers and a tablecloth to place the jars up on.
- Get some colorful card stock squares and fun pens to write with and place these supplies in festive little bags to give to each guest. You might want to ask each person write their name on the bag so they won’t lose it during the party!
Ask each guest to write an anonymous compliment or thought about why they think their friend is fabulous for each person at the party and place it in their jar at some point during the party. At the end of the party each person takes their feel good jar home to read the compliments at their leisure. A perfect party favor that will surely be kept and inspire everyone. As they say, the gift that just keeps on giving.
These parties can be elaborate or a simple pot luck. These are our friends. The important thing is to honor the friendship and enjoy each other.
Bonding with your friends is so important for your attitude, your survival and even your health! There are plenty of people who will say you can’t, you won’t, you aren’t, and you shouldn’t; you run into these people every day. It is from your friends you will hear you can, you are, you should and you will. So with the season of holiday’s arrival it’s the perfect time to have some fun. Take the time – it’s important and you’ll be glad you did.
- It would be sooo nice if you would share some photos of your fun event and any ideas for fun friend gatherings as well. I’d love to post them here!
- If you receive this post via email and have trouble viewing it or would like to comment or contribute please click this link and visit the site. http://www.womenintransitiononline.com/blog/ When you get here grab those friends and sign up for the free Attitude Adjustment E-course; it’s fun, it’s easy and it works!
Welcome to You’re Beautiful, edition #3
Inspiring stories of fellow beautiful women of a certain age.
It is my great pleasure to introduce you to Mrs. Kim Blakey.
Her Pearl of Wisdom
“No matter how hard life gets there is so much to learn from all of it;
Just look ahead and face the new beginnings.”
Kim Blakey
What do you do for work? I am a Service Rep for a Collateral Protection Insurance Company for 29 years! I have been based out of Fort Worth, Texas but have worked in El Paso. I love my job and I love the people I work for.
What have you accomplished in life that you feel proud of? I have accomplished a very happy marriage for 25 years and have two absolutely wonderful, beautiful daughters that I just adore. I am proud to have been able to maintain a full time career while raising my children in a happy stable home :)
What is important to you now? What is important to me now is maintaining good health and happiness.
Do you have any hobbies or passions? I guess my hobbies are seasonal. Right now I enjoy working in my yard and gardens.
What do you do for fun? My husband is a musician and I love to go with him and listen to him play guitar and sing :)
What is your favorite book? The Bible.
What is your favorite movie? Gone with the Wind!
What is your favorite food? Mexican Food (green chicken enchiladas with an egg over easy, refried beans, guacamole and of course the yummy margaritas)
What do you do when you really want to pamper yourself? Go get a massage, maybe get in touch with old friends and go back in time at some really neat resort and have manicures, pedicures, massages, good old laugh sessions and of course the wine.
Tell us about your life To answer this question I will begin with a little about my life as a child and bring you up to my current ripe old age of 52!! (But I like to reverse this, which would make me only 25 and I like the sound of that better :). I don’t want to be negative but I do want to be truly honest about my life. I don’t believe it was negative all the time I just believe some of us are dealt a harder life than others.
I was raised in an alcoholic home. There was love in the home but it was not unconditional; or what I feel unconditional love in a family should be. There were four daughters, my mother and my father. When I was just 15 years old my father committed suicide and left us all to take care of ourselves. We didn’t know it then but we had been taking care of ourselves the whole time.
As time went on my older sister committed suicide at the age of 32. I believe in my heart that the devastating loss of two family members to suicide due to alcohol, drug abuse and a dysfunctional upbringing would be enough to bring any person down. I am proud to say I chose the complete opposite.
I knew it was going to be a challenge but I wanted to find a loving husband and to raise a family in the most “normal” household setting possible. What motivated me to accomplish this was my love of God. No matter how hard life gets there is so much to learn from all of it!! I have truly been blessed with the love of my life and our two absolutely precious daughters.
Now I am facing more changes. I think they call it the “empty nest” syndrome! It is hard but I know there is a new horizon. I will just look ahead and face the new beginnings.
I would like to thank Kim for sharing her story with us. As I read this and the stories that will follow in this monthly edition I realize that we women of a certain age are indeed diverse, strong, growing, fabulous and creative and we all share a unique and valuable resource.
- I hope you find these stories inspiring . Now we want to hear about you. Click on the You’re Beautiful Submission link above; share your story and tells us how you are reinventing your life!
WITO goes Pink!
Pink, pink it’s everywhere! I’m sure you know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and at Women in Transition it is also Friends Month. In honor of these important events not only will we be pink all month but we will be exploring useful and enlightening information on both of these subjects!
Who of us does not have immediate family members or precious friends who have been touched by this dreadful disease? According to the World Health Organization fact sheet cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide with breast, lung, stomach colorectal and cervical listed as the most frequent types affecting women.
There is good news. This same report asserts that 30% of these deaths to cancer could be prevented by avoiding key risk factors and early detection.
As we age the risk for cancer increases; it is only wise to avail ourselves of the best and latest known methods for prevention and early detection. For starters, please click on this link and read this concise informative fact sheet with information on prevention, early detection and treatment.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs297/en/index.html
Here are the top five risk factors to avoid or modify :
- Smoking and tobacco use
- Weight control
- Modify our diets with higher intake of fruits and vegetables
- Of course, exercise!
- Watching our alcohol use.
An equally important factor for reducing the risk of cancer is early detection and knowing the symptoms!
We women are so busy caring for others we often forget the importance of taking care of ourselves.
So….
Remind the ones you love!
Click the share button below and email this reminder to all the women you care about to:
Get Educated and Get Checked!
- Throughout the month of October I will be recommending useful books on the subjects of health and the value of friendship in our lives. If you have a favorite book on either of these subjects please share it with us in the comments below or email me at deborah@womenintransitiononline.com.
- If you are having trouble reading this email, you can view it online here: http://www.womenintransitiononline.com/blog/
To your Health and Happiness!
Endorphins…Woman’s best friend
When I was a girl it was diamonds; now that I’m a woman it’s endorphins. I think we’ve all heard about this natural pain relieving feel good chemical produced by our bodies. It is currently touted to relieve conditions such as depression, sadness, bad attitude, bad mood and pain to name a few. God’s gift? Yes, I think so.
My quick research on the internet yielded an array of answers as to when our bodies produce it.
When we are:
- stressed
- giving birth
- in pain
- having sex
- eating chocolate (small quantities recommended)
- eating spicy foods (as in chili peppers)
- exercising vigorously
- feeling happy
- smiling
- Laughing (not the golf clap kind)
- meditating
- “low to moderate” drinking (as in alcohol)
It’s that wonderful euphoric feeling when everything is right in your life and you just feel good. Like when you fall in love and can’t wait to see and be with that certain someone or hold your new grandchild for the first time. The question often asked is how to keep these endorphins rolling in our bodies and generate more of them when we need them.
This past weekend I stumbled upon one very pleasant method.
I was recently blessed to be contacted by my long lost friend, Kim, from my home town who I had not seen or heard from in years. She in turn connected me with our other good friend, Sharon, who had also moved away and not returned home for many years. After some communication via internet and phone we all decided it would be a fine idea to plan a reunion of sorts. It was agreed that Sharon and I would travel home and stay with Kim for a weekend and catch up on each other’s lives. What I had expected to be a simple fun excursion turned out to be something far more rewarding.
“Though our communication wanes at times of absence, I’m aware of a strength that emanates in the background.”
-Claudette Renner
From the moment I walked into Kim’s comfortable and inviting home, speckled with mementos of all things dear to her that speak to the special person she is, I felt at home again. It was a perfect place for sharing and reclaiming important parts of ourselves at a time in our lives when we most need to remember.
The Reunion
Over the way too short weekend we shared memories, laughter, triumphs, disappointments, concerns, praise, recipes and remedies. We bought matching readers and granny chains so we could see each other’s treasures without the need to search for eyes to see and magical tennis shoes to make us stand straight, transform our calves, thighs and bums. It was just like the good old days and as if the many events and circumstances lived over a block of 20 years time had not passed. In the end… we enjoyed the comforting mutual appreciation of not who we were or what we’ve become but of what we are; that part of us on the inside that despite all that occurs in our lives remains the same. Endorphins flew like hundreds of butterflies emerging from their chrysalis.
So if you’re looking for endorphins and to touch that soft mushy marshmallow part inside you that sometimes gets lost in all our trials and tribulations; find your friends and spend some quality time with them. Sometimes we get so caught up with the business of life we neglect to nurture the very thing that will enrich our lives and sustain us; an enduring friendship.
“A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”
- Sent by Donna Robert
- What does friendship mean to you? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below. Share with us!
Deborah Hayes, CTA Life Coach
Empowering women to live a life of consequence, a life without regrets that is your own unique version of the life you love. About Deborah
480-656-2026
deborah@womenintransitiononline.com