The Power of Laughter (Part 3)

Taking ourselves less seriously

Angels can fly because they take things lightly - Anonymous

"Some events are clearly sad and not occasions for laughter. But most don’t carry an overwhelming sense of sadness or delight. Most fall into the gray zone of ordinary life, and they give us the choice to laugh or not.

One characteristic that helps us laugh is not taking ourselves too seriously. We’ve all known the classic tight-jawed sourpuss who takes everything with deathly seriousness and never laughs at anything. No fun there.

Here are some ways we can lighten up.

*View your life in context.

Even world leaders realize they have limited ability to affect others’ lives. While we might think taking the weight of the world on our shoulders is admirable, in the long run it’s unrealistic, unproductive, unhealthy and even egotistical.

*Be less serious.

Realize that while your ambitions may be noble, being overly serious about them weighs you down and lessens your chances for achieving them.

*Deal with your stress.

Stress is a major impediment to humor and laughter.

*Dress less seriously.

*Keep a toy on your desk or in your car.

*Laugh at yourself.

Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to take ourselves less seriously is talk about times when we took ourselves too seriously.

Pay attention to children and emulate them. They are the experts on playing, taking life lightly, and laughing.

Checklist for lightening up

When you find yourself taken over by what seems to be a horrible problem, ask these questions:

*Is it really worth getting upset over?
*Is it worth upsetting others?
*Is it that important?
*Is the situation irreparable?
*Is it really my problem?
*Creating opportunities to laugh
*Watch comedy DVD’s and TV shows.
*Go to comedy clubs.
*Listen to comedy while driving.
*Read comic authors.
*Seek out funny people.
*Spend less time with overly serious people.
*Bring humor into conversations. Ask people, “What’s the funniest thing that happened to you today? This week? In your life?”

Making sure your humor won’t offend

Humor can be used as a weapon to belittle others or “score points” in some fashion. Use humor with care by being mindful of the following.

Use humor at the expense of yourself or a group you are part of, rather than at someone’s else’s expense.

Don’t use humor when someone else is in so much pain that humor will not make them feel better. When someone is physically injured, suffering a serious crisis, or when you are attending a somber event, such as a funeral, humor, no matter how clever or well-intended, will not make people feel better.

Use humor that everyone present can enjoy. Inside jokes can make people feel excluded. Adult humor in the presence of children is unhealthy for the children, troublesome for their parents or guardians and thoughtless on the part of the would-be comedian."

Article was taken from helpguide.org http://helpguide.org/life/humor_laughter_health.htm

Like I wrote before laughter is a priceless cure. So do yourself a favor and start laughing, you will be happier, feel better, and live longer!