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Saturday, July 12, 2014

WE NEED LAUGHTER






“Laugh whenever you can. Keeps you from killing yourself when things are bad. That and whisky.” 
- Mark Twain


1.) DON'T TAKE LIFE SO SERIOUSLY -


"They also serve who only stand and wait.  But the pay is shit."
- George Carlin

We all have obstacles in life and we all make mistakes.

There is no reason to beat yourself up over it.

In fact, if you can laugh light-heartedly at your own foibles, you'll find that you give yourself that extra happiness and confidence boost that can get you over any hurdle.

This also extends to other people. Try not to be too hard on others -- a smile and a chuckle teaches more than criticism.


2.) FIND THE HUMOR IN A BAD SITUATION -


“Laughter is like a hurricane: once it reaches a certain point, it becomes self-feeding, self-supporting.

You laugh not because the jokes are funny but because your own condition is funny.”
― Stephen King, The Dark Tower


Bruce Willis saved my sanity.

If you've watched the first DIE HARD, Bruce exhibits a pattern:

Things go terribly wrong, rubble falls on him, and he crawls out laughing:

"Come to L.A.  We'll have some laughs, see the sights!"

I adopted the habit: if I dropped something or banged my shin or made a mistake, I would laugh at the absurdity of the human condition.

Guess what: I most always end up laughing for real instead of swearing, raising my blood pressure.

Sure, there are some situations that are genuinely sad and certainly not laughing matters.

However, most situations in life have an ironic or ludicrous side to them.

The next time you feel the stress levels rising,

take a minute to think about the irony of the situation and allow yourself to laugh over the things you cannot control.

This will decrease the amount of cortisol that your body produces due to stress, lowering your blood pressure, blood sugar levels and heart rate.


3.) SURROUND YOUR SELF WITH FUN PEOPLE  ...  OR PUPPIES.


“Ain't it funny how axe handles are made of wood?  It's like the ultimate insult to trees.”
― Mark Twain


As the saying goes, mirthful laughter is contagious, so make a point to seek out positive people who aren't afraid to laugh at themselves and who have a knack for finding humor in life's situations.

Puppies and kittens are especially adept at finding laughter and joy in everyday moments.

Studies show that people with pets have lower levels of depression and stress and are less likely to suffer from heart disease.


4.) SKINNY-DIP YOUR MIND INTO THE POOL OF HAPPY MEMORIES -


"Assassins are impressive.  It ain't the killing part that impresses me.  It's how they up and found a way to put 'ass' into their name twice."
- Mark Twain

Perhaps a friend told you a great joke the other day, your children or pets did something amusing, or maybe you watched a funny movie recently that had you in stitches.

Call on these memories frequently, especially when you are feeling sad, angry or stressed.

Sometimes just reliving a funny moment can cause the endorphins to kick in, which act as natural painkillers and mood boosters.


8 comments:

  1. You can keep the whisky - but laughter is at least as much a staple in my world as food. At least.

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  2. Surround yourself with puppies - funny!
    There is always humor in a situation if you look for it. And if you're surrounded by those with a good sense of humor, it's even better. That makes me think of my critique partners and the suggestions they make. Those suggestions never bother me because I'm too busy laughing.

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  3. Hi Roland - I hope you're finding some of those hug-happy bunnies around right now ... gosh people can be funny ... and most things can be turned into laughter ..

    Use those endorphins ...

    Cheers Hilary

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  4. Elephant's Child:
    I get into enough trouble sober without tempting fate by drinking!

    And, yes, laughter is my refuge many, many times.

    Alex:
    It's good to have critique partners to guide you with laughter rather than red slashes on your manuscript!

    Hilary:
    Thanks for visiting all my past posts and commenting. It means a lot. Sadly, the weekends are super busy for me and leave me with so little time to visit as I would. May laughter always be your companion, Roland

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  5. Great post, Roland. Laughter is an amazing thing. Nothing feels better than a spontaneous, unreserved guffaw, where you're crying and can't catch your breath, and trying to stop only brings on more laughter. Wasn't it Twain who said laughter was the human race's only effective weapon?

    VR Barkowski

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  6. Dear friend, you know I don't blog anymore, but I'm glad I stopped by to see you today. This is exactly what I needed to "hear." I hear you saying you've had bad times. Hope you're not in one now. I am, and I pray a lot. I need to laugh more, too. Thank you for this! You really are my hero!!!

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  7. VR:
    You are so right: I remember those times when I laughed so long and loud that my ribs hurt and my eyes tear in happy tears.

    Yes, Twain said that very thing. He kept reminding me of that during our adventures together in GHOST OF A CHANCE (soon to be an audio book) but I wanted him to use his Colt!

    Ann:
    I was just thinking of you this very morning!!

    So good to hear from you.

    So bad to hear that you are in bad times.

    You are Hibbs' hero, you know. :-)

    There is a DVD called IN HIS PRESENCE that I often watch: hymns in the background set to scenes of nature. There is one scene I watch during hard times:

    A man having a terrible time of it Kayaking a rapids while the hymn, THE HIDING PLACE, is playing in the background.

    I have written you three emails, one addressed to each of the addresses I have for you, hoping one of them gets to you.

    Let me know if there is some way in which I can help. Know that you are in my prayers daily and nightly from now on! Roland

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  8. humor... a man walks into a bar... and says "OWWW".

    times can be bad, time will change... just keep laughing, smiling... crazy talk. i have no answers only, nutty thoughts.

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