Wellness Wednesday – 3 Ways to laugh yourself happy

 

Laughter is wellness. When you include laughter in your selfcare it can brighten your daily mood. Create happiness in your day with laughter.

Here are 3 ways to laugh yourself happy:

1.      Include laughter as part of your daily routine. Are there things you do to start your day? Add laughter to your program. Keep a joke book next to your bed. One of my favorites is a  Reader’s Digest joke book. Many of the jokes are short, you could read a page a day. If you want to keep a smile across your face, take short breaks in your work day to read a quick joke.

2.      Start a joke jar. This is something you can do as a family. Have each family member write a funny joke on a slip of paper and place it in a jar. During dinner have one person pull from the jar and read the joke. Let the laughter begin. The joke may lead to a trip down memory lane, reflecting on other fun times.

3.      Laugh at yourself. We practice this one in my household. My 26-year-old son called me the other day and said, “Ma, you won’t believe what just happened to me.” I pressed the phone closer to my ear in anticipation of his story.

Let me set the stage for you…it was a cold and snowy day. My son said, “I had my Crocs on and went outside to warm my car up…and slipped on the snow. I think it was caught on The Ring.”

Sure enough, his episode in the snow was caught on his Ring security camera. He did not simply slip on the snow, he was diving forward. He slid a couple of times as if he were ice skating, put his hand down to brace himself, slid again, then finally back up on his feet.

My son shared his video clip with me and gave me permission to laugh, and to share his mishap. No he was not hurt, and he was able to laugh at himself.

YouTube Video: A trip to the car that goes wrong (humorously speaking).

Laughter is wellness. Laugh yourself happy, beginning today.

Words of Wisdom - Black History Month Inspiration - Quotes from notabale Black figures

 

YouTube Video Credit: Newsweek

Muffins with Mom – A minute to meditate – 3 Tips for humor as self-care

 

If you give a mom a minute...she'll be distracted

...And distracted again

If you give a mom a minute to meditate, she’ll drift into a deep sleep. If she goes to sleep, she’ll want to snuggle with her favorite fleece blanket. If her blanket isn’t warm enough, she’ll want fuzzy socks.

If her sock has a hole in it, she’ll search for needle and thread to sew up. As she sews the hole, she’ll become tired and remember why she began to meditate in the first place. And the cycle repeats in the life of a busy mom.

Step off the hamster wheel, the merry-go-round, the rinse and repeat cycle of life, and schedule deliberate time for selfcare. Laughter is one tool I like to include in my selfcare, and you can too. Here are 3 ways to use humor or laughter as selfcare.

1.      Find humor in daily situations – I’ve fallen asleep during meditation, prayer, and a zoom class. None of these things were boring, it’s just that my body has a mind of it’s on. When it needs rest, it’s going to rest. I find the humor in each situation and share it through a story or comedy. You too can uncover humor in your daily walk. Try it.

2.      Treat yourself to a comedy show – find a comedy club in your area, call a friend, and laugh until your cheeks hurt.

3.      Read something humorous – as a youngster I loved to read Archie comics.  Every now and then I’ll still grab an Archie Digest from the bookstore (yes Archie comics are still around). The stories my not be laugh out loud funny, but they can evoke a smile. I’m currently reading Fifty Things that Aren’t My Fault by Cathy Guisewite, the creator of the comic strip Cathy. I have laughed out loud while reading her book. I also had an opportunity to meet Cathy in person at the Erma Bombeck Writers Workshop in 2022. Her keynote talk had the room filled with laughter.

If you give a mom a minute to meditate, she can truly find a million other things to distract her. The opposite can also happen -  she will fall asleep because she just finished doing a million things. Laughter can help to ease some of the daily stress we experience.

Take a minute, or two, or three to invest in your selfcare. Laugh more.

Fun Friday – Where do you find humor?

 

Laughter with friends

Did you know that children laugh over 200 times a day and adults only about 17 times? It’s time to increase our laugh quotient. Humor is all around us. Think about that statement and observe your surroundings as you go through your day.

If you have ever received unwanted emails, take a look at them before deleting; see if you can uncover humor. I sometimes wonder how I am targeted for certain emails. Here’s what was going through my head as I read through emails recently:

No, I’ve never been to Camp Lejeune.

No, I don’t have a pending asbestos lawsuit.

And Harry’s Men’s Razor…please stop pressuring me about my mustache. How do they even know I have a mustache?

Family can also serve as a source of humor, without even realizing it. I had a conversation the other day with my roommate (my adult son), “Buddy, could you unload the dishwasher for me? This is not the first time I’ve mentioned this.”

He said, “Oh, I forget about the dishes. I don’t go over that way much.”

“It’s next to the refrigerator!”

I love my family, but I also read them my Miranda Rights of Comedy. You have the right to remain silent. Anything crazy, dumb, or stupid that you say, may end up in my comedy.

If by chance humor doesn’t jump out at you, create it yourself.

If you are ready to engage in laughter join me and several of my fellow comedians for a Zoom Comedy Showcase – February 13^th 7pm EST. The show is free, but you must register to receive the link.

May your days be filled with laughter.

Wordless Wednesday - A Shot of Humor - Dry Bar Comedy

 Here's a shot of Humor for your day.

Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Women Need to Appreciate Themselves - Tara Brown

Video Credit: Dry Bar Comedy - Tara Brown