Laughter
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.
Proverbs 17:22 (NLT)
Laughter is the best medicine! This statement, likely generated from the verse above, is often quoted but just as often neglected. In a world filled with hate and stressors coming from every direction, it can be hard to laugh. When your world is falling apart or anxiety plagues your mind, laughter can seem far away. Yet laughter is an important part of good mental health.
Laughter has been studied and associated with many benefits. Here are just a few:
- Relaxes the body
- Boosts the immune system
- Releases endorphins which can promote positive feelings and pain reduction
- Reduces the risk of heart disease
- Burns calories
- Reduces stress
- Improves resilience
- Enhances teamwork
- Strengthens relationships1
So many studies have validated the powerful healing power of laughter that mental health specialists have now formed an association specifically dedicated to using humor in treatment plans.2 Truly, laughter is powerful medicine.
Laughter is most important when you are going through a difficult period. But that is also the time when laughter seems difficult, if not impossible. Here are some suggestions to replace tears with laughter.
Don’t take yourself too seriously. I believe that one of the biggest challenges to the human race, especially in the US, is taking yourself too seriously. Whether it stems from pride, fear of failure, embarrassment, or some other reason, the tendency to defend ourselves or prove our point is strong in our culture. The problem with this is: we aren’t perfect, we aren’t always right, and the constant attention necessary to try to pretend we are is exhausting. Lighten up. Laugh at yourself. Take a deep breath and admit when you’ve gone off the rails. Then let yourself laugh about the situation.
Give yourself a break from the trauma. When you are in the midst of a very difficult time, there is a tendency to think that laughter is out of place and grief should be the only emotion. For some, they may fear what others think of them. For example, is laughter appropriate at a funeral? Many would say no, but could it be therapeutic to remember all of the funny times you shared together?
When you are going through a difficult situation, you need to give yourself breaks to laugh and feel joy again. Failure to do so can cause you to quickly spiral into a very deep and very dark place. Remind yourself every day that it is not only okay, but it is necessary to laugh.
Try to find the humor in a bad situation. It is easy to find the negative in things but try taking a look at them from a different perspective. For example, if a lady berates you in the grocery store for taking too long to decide which baked beans to buy, think about how funny she looked with that little vein popping out of her head!
Watch what you watch. When I look down the list of new movies and television shows, it’s not a matter of whether to laugh or cry, but to cry or cry. Psychological thrillers, intense dramas, crime shows, intrigue… the list of true comedies are few and far between. That, combined with a lot of other garbage on the air, can leave your mind and emotions weary and stressed. Take care what you watch, especially at night. Choose things that are positive and leave you feeling good about life. If you are going to watch action, choose something that has a strong comedic element. The same goes for books and magazines. And always remember – garbage in – garbage out.
Seek out clean stand-up comedy. There are many stand-up comics who don’t rely on sex and profanity to be funny. I’ve put a few of them in the resources section below. These comedians are not only funny, but they have a good message behind them. You can also look up positive jokes on sites. I have added a few of those in the resources section as well.
When something funny happens, write it down. My husband has started keeping a list of funny quotes from our family. Many of these come from vacations. Here’s one: “I was disturbed because I saw a truck that said ‘tango’, but there was only one.’” Sometimes he will go back and read them, and we can laugh together and remember the event that elicited the statement.
Repeat. As with the other therapies, laughter is not something you should do once a month, but every day. In fact, the more you laugh, the better things are. I can tell you that humor is an essential in our family. We watch funny shows, say funny things, and simply revel in the fact that God gave us the gift of humor.
Resources
“Stress relief from laughter? It’s no joke” by Mayo Clinic Staff
101 Good, Clean Jokes That’ll Make You Laugh Your Pants Off
50 Actually Funny Clean Jokes for Any Situation
Citations:
- “Laughter is the Best Medicine” by Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal, Ph.D. https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/laughter-is-the-best-medicine.htm
- “Why Laughter Is Good for Mental Health” from the Newport Academy. https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/laughter-good-for-you/
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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