I don’t usually buy into most clichéd sentences but there is one that I do truly believe in. Sometimes laughter really is the best medicine. Now, in no way am I saying that laughing is going to fix all your problems or make all the anxiety and stress go away, BUT, it can be that little helper to boost your mood and make a bad situation seem just a little lighter and easier to get through. Humor itself is associated with a variety of beneficial qualities such as increase life satisfaction, resilience in difficult situations and an increase is a stable positive mood. Humor itself is often used as a coping mechanism for dealing with dark situations like physical or mental illness.
You know that awkward situation where you are supposed to be sad and suddenly all you feel like doing is laughing?? THAT is your natural coping mechanisms of humor trying to overcome a sad or angry mood. I personally always laugh when I am mad, I used to think that maybe I was crazy, but in fact, anger is such an uncomfortable feeling for me that my mind tries to switch to humour. Sometimes socially, this is kind of maladaptive, but usually, I just ride it. My mind knows when I need a laughing break.
This also where dark humour comes into play. Some of this humour seems twisted, gross and scary, but in fact, in many ways, dark humor is just an outlet for fears to be transformed into humor. Laughter is a powerful tool! Laughing about sad things releases endorphins that make us feel happier. That little lift can give us the power to get up and be active, or even just feel a little better in a sad situation. So, my challenge for you this week is to laugh when you are feeling down. If this means finding a meme to laugh at, thinking about the funniest situation you have ever been in or, in the case that this is your type of humor, look up some dark humor jokes, GO FOR IT! This week, let’s all just laugh a little.
https://positivepsychology.com/humor-psychology/
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