Humor Me, Please
By Patricia Older
"Laughter is
free, legal, has no calories, no cholesterol, no preservatives, no artificial
ingredients, and is
absolutely safe."
Dale Irvin
Between the home
and office, I was running ragged. My friend Sandy, who had been patiently
listening
to me complain
about the housework piling up, suggested I shouldn't let the stress of
it all get me
down. Grinning,
she added, "I would let the mess build up, call the police, report a burglary,
and let
them come and
dust for fingerprints." Her "joke" had us both laughing and the housework
no longer
seem so overwhelming.
Research shows
the way we handle stress impacts everything in our lives from our relationships
to our
health. It has
been connected to, among other things, heart disease, chronic fatigue,
and low
self-esteem.
"During menopause it is important we learn to recognize the different stresses
in our
lives," says
Karen Nash, director and lead trainer of Nash Associates, a motivational
training firm, "We
need to be more
in touch with ourselves, and recognize how much stress we can deal with
comfortably.
The next step is to be assertive and say, 'this is too much for me now,
I need to put that
off to do this.'
The final step is the follow through."
According to
Karen, humor helps in re-claiming ourselves and promotes a healthier lifestyle.
Laughter
is medicine
for the soul. It oxygenates the system, stimulates endorphins, and promotes
T-cell
production.
It exercises 15 muscles in the face, releases tension, and increases communication.
By
using humor
and laughter in our daily lives, we can balance our stress levels and reward
our physical,
mental, and
spiritual selves. But, like any other skill, humor takes practice to master.
Karen offered several tips:
* Re-frame your
thinking. Don't look at stresses in the same frame of mind. Next time you
are in a
traffic jam,
try to view your life as a situation comedy, or just ask yourself, "Okay,
when does the fun
start?"
* Put humor into
strategic places in your life. A sign on your desk which reads "It is hard
to be a
Monday person
in a Friday world", or make a point to say the worst joke of the day three
times to
remember it,
then share it. Pin up funny cartoons near your computer or workspace, send
others to
friends.
* Look around
for humor. Spend some time browsing through the humorous card section at
the store.
Watch a sitcom
you especially enjoy. Read the newspapers, church bulletin, or newsletters
for slips of
the pen. Look
for humor in road signs.
* Don't take
life too seriously. Fly a kite. Take a walk. When you make a mistake, say
"Now I'm
smarter." Share
a smile. Karen says, "Attitude is everything. If you realize the power
of your own
attitude and
your thoughts over your behavior ... you'll really appreciate how important
humor is."
Copyright
1996 by Patricia Older - Reprinted with permission
Write
to Patricia at pattyolder@prodigy.net with comments or questions.
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