Ellen DeGeneres – PTSD Symptom Relief

The most wasted of all days isthat in which we have not laughed.~Nicolas Chamfort~

By now you probably know that laughing causes endorphins to be released and they make you feel good…really, really good.

I totally agree with Nocolas Chamfort’s quote and believe that a day is truly wasted if there is absolutely no laughter in it. Even sadder is if there are things to laugh at in the day, but you are so depressed that you don’t feel the humor.

Every day I have suffered constant PTSD flashbacks and desperately wanted to laugh. I wanted to laugh and really feel it. I often tried to fake a good laugh at what I knew was the appropriate moment in hopes that I would begin to feel the happiness inside. However, there have been very few things that could really make me laugh inside.

I know it is hard to imagine that I always had the horrible one minute flashback replaying like a movie that was showing between me and everything else. It didn’t matter if I was driving, working, bathing, putting on my makeup, eating, cooking or watching television. The flashback just kept playing and I had no choice but to watch it.

Very few things could make me feel humor while experiencing the horrific flashback. I thought that I would share with you one of the things that could and still can make me sincerely laugh.

Ellen DeGeneres.

I don’t know Ellen DeGeneres personally nor have I ever met her, but something about Ellen was sometimes able to break through the pain of my PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and make me laugh. For brief moments during The Ellen DeGeneres Show, I was able to feel relief from my pain.

Laughter is an instant vacation.~Milton Berle~

Ellen is low key.

Ellen is soft spoken.

Ellen dances.

Ellen jokes.

Ellen is Ellen and she helped me during some of the darkest moments of my life to feel something most people take for granted – humor.

It wasn’t that long ago that Ellen was doing a commercial for Tide detergent on her show. During the entire “commercial,” I had tears running out of my eyes because I was laughing so hard.

It felt so good to laugh and not fake it. I once again can spontaneously burst into laughter because I see and feel the humor.

There are so many benefits of laughter:

• Endorphins are released giving the body an overall feeling that everything is going to be okay.
• Relaxes the whole body because it relieves the tension in the muscles caused by stress.
• Easier to focus and concentrate on tasks.
• Better cardiovascular health caused by improved blood vessel function.
• Immune system is boosted.

It doesn’t matter if you suffer PTSD or not, make sure that laughter is a priority in your life. Fill each day with opportunities to promote light-hearted humor for not only your physical health, but also for your mental health.

Don’t take laughter for granted and never let a day pass without it.

Remember, men need laughter sometimes more than food.~Anna Fellows Johnston~

Thank you Ellen DeGeneres.