I have a history of abandoning myself. Every time I didn’t stand up for myself or did something I didn’t want to do was me moving away from myself not towards myself.

You can imagine how surprised i was when I was leading a laughter club session and I heard myself say, ‘abandon yourself and laugh.’

At the moment I realised I’d given myself permission to leave all my stress and go into childlike play.Childlike play is a gift that keeps on giving. Children turn in circles and throw their hands in air in free abandonment of thinking about anything else. That’s what laughter does. Our body tells our brain to activate all those yummy chemicals such as endorphins (painkillers), serotonin (happiness), dopamine (pleasure), oxytocin (love) and melatonin (sleep).

Finding nuggets of joy in my day and giving a hearty ha ha or relaxing into 30 seconds of unadulterated laughter is my new way of abandoning myself to pure play.

Come along to a laughter club or sit and smile for a bit then let out a little Hee Hee, Ha Ha, Ho Ho and breathe deep. It’s time to have a laugh.