How does stress wreak such havoc? Most experts point to the hormone cortisol, which gives us a jump-start in times of stress. Now our stress is more chronic, so our cortisol stays high for weeks, months, or even years. It's when the system gets turned on and stays on for long periods of time that the body doesn't have a chance to relax and recover, it's then that these hormones begin to do the bad things. Stress hormones affect some more than others. Some people can tolerate a small amount of stress before they have problems; some people have a high tolerance for stress.

Humor - Laughter can decrease stress and anxiety. It can help in a crisis or dealing with a chronic disease by making the situation seem less bleak. Laughter may help decrease anger and fear. If we use humor to change an unpleasant situation into a pleasant one we may be able to lower the stress factor. Humor can also help you feel a sense of control in your life. Control buffers stress. You can not control all the events in your life but humor can help control our ideas, emotional responses and reactions. Laughter works like aerobic exercise. After a good laugh your body's heart rate goes up along with the rate of breathing. Your muscles will tense. Laughter causes the release of good chemicals in the brain. The next stage the body follows is one of relaxation below the normal level. This is the reason you feel better after a good belly laugh. Stress can help your immune system especially during the dreaded exam periods or a big presentation. People with a good sense of humor have healthy immune systems. Stress affects the immune system by increasing sympathetic activity and decreasing cellular immunity. Immune cells migrate to different parts of the body and can worsen autoimmune and allergic conditions. Over time, this creates a suppr

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