Stress, struggles, sadness, grief and anger are not a laughing matter, but when dealing with them, laughter really can be the best medicine.
I have gone through some difficult things this past year and though nothing has really been straight forward in my life, I have used humor to cope with all my tragedies.
I understand that some things are too serious to laugh about for some people and I totally respect your choice on handling things your way. I am just recognizing that I use laughter to comfort myself, to find away out of my pain and to heal from some exponential tragedies in my life.
Having survived some horrific things, I understand that supporting others varies for each individual every single time.
I do not claim to have all the answers and do not want to tell you how you should cope with struggles, I am simply saying that in some cases, laughing might ease your pain too.
The day my grandfather died, we went to see Kevin Hart live (as planned months in advance), I was probably still in shock and in some stage of denial but I am 100% sure that going out and laughing a little made me feel a lot better than staying in that evening.
For as long as I can remember I have used humor to face fear, sadness and to cope with some of the most horrifying devastation in my life. Please note that just because I rely on laughter at times, it doesn’t mean that I don’t also spend time with other emotions. It's all part of my healing process.
We all know the benefits of laughter in our lives and its role as a stress reducer. When we laugh, we feel better and there are also a long range of effects which I have written about before > LINK.
Humor isn't limited to just stand-up comedians, funny movies and the class clowns; humor can help us heal and overcome things in our daily lives. For some of us dealing with loss, pain or whatever it may be, it’s that little laugh that can help us go towards healing.
Knowing that laughter is good for our overall health, during hard times it might be the last thing most us feel like doing. When we are in the depths of despair, it's hard to think that we will ever smile again let alone laugh. However, studies show that given time, humor can have an overwhelming impact on our healing process.
Remember, it doesn’t take happiness to laugh. Grab on to the glimpses of joy and humor when they flicker across your space and for one moment don't allow sadness and despair have control.
To put it simply, the more we laugh and experience positive emotions such as humor, the better we feel, and this is ultimately the end goal, even if it's a slow and bumpy road to get there.
Though our lives will contain forms of sorrow, fear and anger, I beg you: remain upbeat no matter what, it's a must. Keep laughing even in excruciating pain. Be brave, because you deserve to feel good.
Do you have examples or stories of how humor has helped you heal? Please share in the comments or on Instagram.
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