03 Nov When Everything Is Heavy, a Touch of Humor Can Help
They say laughter is the best medicine.
That might be a bit of an overstatement, but it’s also a lot of the truth.
Laughter and humour, fun and play can be massively beneficial; they can help us enjoy the good times AND cope better with the tough times.
If you’d like to know more, then check out this article from the NY Times by Carolyn Todd …
Wendi Aarons was writing at her local library when the sound of an angry voice made everyone look up. A patron, outraged over a book policy, vowed to take her child to another library and stormed off after berating the staff. The entire room was “so upset,” recalled Ms. Aarons, a humorist in Austin, Texas. “It was just this awful, uncomfortable silence.”
But Ms. Aarons, a pro at balancing humor and discomfort, saw an opening: She stood up and said, “‘Hey, does anybody have the number for this other library? Because I want to call and give them a heads up.’”
Laughter erupted; the mood lifted. Things returned to normal. This is the subtle power of “lightening up.”
“Levity is a mind-set,” said Naomi Bagdonas, a lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business who advises executives on leading with humor and humanity. “It’s looking for reasons to be delighted rather than disappointed in the world around you.”
Ms. Bagdonas joins a chorus of experts who say cultivating levity is essential to well-being. Trying to lighten up might seem challenging given the state of the world; a more somber practice — like mindfulness, which certainly comes with perks — can feel more appropriate for “these unprecedented times.” But taking things less seriously allows us to “travel more lightly,” said Willibald Ruch, a professor and positive psychology researcher at the University of Zurich, and “saves the organism and the soul from too much of a bumpy road.”
Humor and levity have physiological benefits.
When you’re stressed, your nervous system initiates the “fight or flight” response, causing a cascade of physiological effects: Your body releases stress hormones that cause your heart rate and blood pressure to rise. Your breathing becomes short and shallow, and your muscles tense. Sometimes this is helpful, like when you’re in immediate danger. But often — like when you’re running late and stuck in traffic — the stress response adds unnecessary discomfort to an already unpleasant situation. Over time, chronic stress can negatively affect health…
… keep reading the full & original article HERE