Life certainly has thrown a lot of crap in people’s ways this year! I know it has our lives. We started 2020 out with a lot of wild expenses – the 22-year-old had several hospital visits – first for a fall on ice, then for severe illness in January. Then our family had COVID-19. And, well, things just never really stopped “happening to” our family from there on out. The last time I had such a year with so many 1-2 punches was in the second half of 2000. It was just a long string of “one thing after another” then.
The way I’ve survived all of these hits is through laughter. I really enjoy memes. The recent Bernie memes have made me laugh so hard while things have still been so hard. There are a lot of benefits to overcoming challenges through laughter. Here are some of them.
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Laughter Heals
Laughter releases endorphins, and endorphins help you feel better. If you’re feeling stressed, you can lighten the mood by looking at some of your favorite funny memes, watching some silly videos, or even watching your favorite sitcom. So don’t fret. If you’re in need of healing, seek out things that make you laugh.
Laughter Unites
When I’m having a rough day, I’ll put out a call for funny memes on my Facebook page. I’m never disappointed with what people will share. Laughter helps us bond with each other – and when things are tough, it’s important to reach out to others. You never know what might help you to bond with someone but you also never know what might help spark an important conversation. That’s especially right now when we’re all apart while being together.
Laughter Puts Things In Perspective
There are a lot of things that aren’t funny. BUT! There are a lot of things that are. I laugh at myself and some of the random struggles I face. For example, the time I managed to somehow mess up my rotator cuff just by getting out of bed – a week before I was supposed to run my first half-marathon. I can laugh about that now – I mean who messes up their rotator cuff by getting out of bed? I can tell you who, me.
Laughter Releases Tension
Sometimes, the best thing I can do when it comes to an untenable situation is laugh at it. According to an article by the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, laughter relaxes muscles, improves your heart health, and even helps lower blood pressure – all good things in my book! Especially since stress does the reverse in all those arenas.
How Do You Find the Funny?
Outside of scrolling on Facebook or Twitter in search of memes to mine (since we know that using social media more often can damage our mental health), how does one go about getting more laughter in their life?
Have a game night – if you don’t have a gaming partner at home, there are many games that you can play virtually. Games tend to bring out a lot of laughter, particularly if you’re playing something like Apples to Apples or Cards Against Humanity. We actually got this one for the 22-year-old for Christmas. Look for a review of Butts In Space in the not-too-distant future.
Watch a funny movie or a favorite television show. I can always count on Sheldon Cooper and Chandler Bing to make me laugh. It doesn’t matter how many times I’ve watched those shows, they still crack me up.
Loretta G. Bruening, in “Three Ways to Laugh More,” suggests you “Stock up on funny stuff.” Even if you don’t need a laugh drawer right now, you will be glad that you saved those funny memes or bought the silly sounding book when you do need a quick cheer-up. I feel like I really should create a “funny” Pinterest board for those moments when I need something to laugh at.
Funny podcasts are also something that one might want to bookmark – and I think this is a great idea. I’m honestly just getting into listening to podcasts (just in time for baby 5 to be arriving in May), so I’m open to suggestions. What is your favorite humor-based podcast?
