Graduates participate in well-being and joy at work workshop

laughter therapy 1

Breathing exercises, games and a lot of group interaction contemplated this activity, which was liked by attendees of all ages.

With a lot of energy and enthusiasm, about 70 graduates from different generations and careers from the University of La Serena arrived to participate in the talk-workshop “Laughter therapy. Well-being and Joy at Work”, organized by the Alumni Follow-up Office of the university, as part of its actions to benefit the quality of life of the professionals trained at the institution.

Just as the sport has been approached, with the ULS Titled Cup Baby Soccer Championship, currently under development (http://www.armatupichanga.cl/Publico/Default.aspx), this activity sought to provide a new leisure alternative for graduates and graduates.

The talk-workshop was given by Juan Antonio Salas, laughter therapist, who shared with the participants for more than two hours. “Laughter therapy consists of laughing, but deep down it is used as a strategy. The ultimate goal is the well-being, joy, good health of people and laughter is the tool. It is used as a strategy to generate positive states”, commented Salas.

The activity included exercises and games, which the attendees immediately enjoyed. “There are people who use hypnosis, images, video, music, but what I do the most is group interaction. Through it, people can laugh, play, enjoy, be happy. We can talk about happiness or not with laughter therapy. We are not interested in happiness. What matters is that people laugh, enjoy, get excited, because that is much more practical. May people achieve internal joy”, highlighted the therapist.

For this reason, the scheduled recreational activities included breathing exercises, games and a lot of group interaction, also encouraging contact between graduates of the most varied specialties, which boosted the generation of contact networks.

laughter therapy 2“People are a little afraid at first, because they don't know much about this, but with the interaction and the activities they loosen up on their own. It is about being here, now, enjoying existence, celebrating because we are alive, because we are connecting with people. And in the end people are happy. At first it is difficult for him because he thinks that only one can laugh with humor and laughter and humor are different things. It's about laughing like children, we don't have to understand, just laugh and give our minds a break”, mentioned Juan Antonio Salas.

He also recalled that work constitutes almost half or three quarters of our lives, which leaves very little time for other activities. “If people don't enjoy work, if they don't live in the here and now, they're going to have a hard time. The idea is that it is not a martyrdom, a torture. People, if they are participating in a workshop of this style, what they are going to do is have a perspective for the future to say 'I can enjoy'”, concluded the rapporteur.

For their part, the graduates valued the entertaining initiative and the opportunity to be part of this activity, which distracted them from their routine and reunited them with former colleagues.