We've all heard the saying: "laughter - the best medicine". How many of us really believe it though?

Me for one. I know I feel better about myself & my oh-so-hectic life if I'm laughing regularly, especially with my partner. Or is it a catch-22 and I'm laughing more because I'm happier anyway?

Whatever the reason it's important to find the point where one triggers the other. I know that even on our more stressful days I can still laugh at something silly my toddler does - in fact, she's a tonic in herself.

My partner and I laugh a lot. It helps that we've known each other forever and what set us off into uncontrollable giggles when we were kids has devloped as we've got older. That's not to say our life is all smiles - we have some very stressful stuff going on, but gradually we have developed the knack of balancing the difficult things with remembering to have fun - it really does make the stressful periods easier.

Research shows that laughter lowers the levels of stress hormones and boosts the immune system. But maybe we lose the art of laughing - you know, proper belly-shakers - as we get older. The average 6 year old will laugh around 300 times a day (what at, sometimes it's hard to tell!), but by the time we reach adulthood it's dropped to a somewhat depressing 15-100 times a day. I've never counted but I hope I'm not on the 15 end of the scale!

One thing I know would relax me - and maybe even make me laugh if done right! - is a massage. Oh, I'd have one daily if I didn't think my muscles would turn to blissed-out jelly. One of our very own here at TheBestOf Croydon, Faye Dawson, is an awesome massage therapist working as 4WellBeing, based at Dynamo Boxing at the Capital Business Centre, Croydon.

Call Faye on 07827 960 134 for other quick and easy ways to lower your stress levels. It's a good place to start, and maybe soon you'll be giggling like a 6 year old and giving your insides a proper old work out!

Katrina

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Katrina Monroe is a freelance writer and photographer with The Little White Studio.