Our emotions don’t happen to us so much as we choose them. In fact, our own thoughts, emotions and actions are the only things we really do control.

Bernie S. Siegel, M.D.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines joy as: “A condition or feeling of high pleasure or delight; happiness; gladness.”

If you or someone you know is ill, one of the best prescriptions for regaining health is finding thoughts that bring joy. If you are presently enjoying good health, a sure way to stay healthy is by being joyful. Joy allows the life force to flow freely to every cell in the body. We have all heard that laughter is the best medicine. Laughter is one way that we connect with joy.

You may have heard the story of Norman Cousins, author of Anatomy of An Illness, in which he documents his own personal experience with healing through laughter. Having been diagnosed with a serious, painful degenerative disease, (ankylosing spondylitis), he was given a one in 500 chance of recovery. He was, however, offered pain relief. Mr. Cousins did not like the prognosis offered to him by traditional medicine. Doing research on his own, Norman discovered material that suggested that positive emotions could be helpful in regaining health. He began immediately to find reasons to laugh and feel good. He had friends and relatives bring in cartoons and share jokes that triggered laughter. When he left the hospital, he continued his daily dose of joy by watching Candid Camera or the Marx Brothers movies and others who tickled his funny bone. Medical tests revealed that following bouts of laughter, the inflammation levels in his blood were lower. Ten minutes of laughter resulted in two hours of pain-free sleep. The endorphins that were produced from his good feelings were natural painkillers. During his wakeful hours he found that he was distracted from pain as he focused on things that made him feel joyful. Norman Cousins became that one in 500 who did overcome his health challenge and he attributed much of his success to laughter and feelings of joy.

In Love, Medicine and Miracles, Dr Bernie Siegel writes about patients who had been given a terminal diagnosis. They decided to stop thinking about dying and focus on doing things that brought them joy. Not only were they enjoying the time they had left, they went into remission. Depression seems to depress the immune system while joy enables the immune system to work as it was intended for the health of the body.

When a person is ill, it is natural to feel fearful, to feel discouraged, yet, it is possible to lift above the stressful thoughts and choose to focus on joy. The second principle of Attitudinal Healing, as expressed through Dr. Gerald Jampolsky, states, “Health is inner peace. Healing is letting go of fear.” When the mind is able to rise above fear and connect with thoughts that bring peace, love and joy, the body has the opportunity to return to health.

It may be more difficult to find thoughts that connect us with our good feelings at times when we are feeling vulnerable either physically or emotionally. If you are so inclined, consider creating a “Joy Journal,” which may trigger a shift in your mood when you need it most. You could include answers to the following questions:

What could I appreciate right now?

Who could I appreciate right now?

What makes me smile?

What are my most precious memories?

What music lifts my mood?

What makes me laugh?

What funny movies or comedians make me laugh?

What are my funniest memories?

What funny things have children said or done?

What funny stories, jokes, emails could I refer to that would shift my mood?

What inspires me? What warms my heart?

What books, literature or quotations uplift me?

What works of art inspire me?

What in nature connects me to my good feelings?

What is the most relaxing place I can imagine? What is the most joyful? (Close your eyes. Use your five senses to imagine being there now? What would you see? Hear? Smell? Taste? Feel?)

Choose to cultivate the habit of thought shifting. Choose to think thoughts of health and joy. When a negative thought comes to mind, practice reaching for a thought that feels better. Not only will you feel better in the moment, but you will experience more joy and consequently better health in the future.

Donna May MA Ed, is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, Stress Management and Pain Relief Specialist and a practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming), Reiki and Yuen Energetics. She utilizes spiritual principles and A Course in Miracles teachings in her counseling. She is available for classes, public presentations or private consultations. Donna can be reached at (248) 626-4859 or via email at: DonnMay27@comcast.net.