Find a way to Keep it Funny

01 Feb 2011 5 Comments

by Timin Tim's Thoughts

One Saturday afternoon, I received a notice in the mail there was a certified letter at the post office; which could be picked up on Monday. I found myself with two options; I could allow myself to ponder the notion the letter contained bad news, and then over the weekend my stomach would have gone into knots, my heart rate would have gone up, and I would have been as punchy as a sixth grade kid with ADHD.

Basically I would have been stressed out! But as my mom used to say; “Don’t borrow trouble”. My second option would be to put in my mind that it was a sweepstakes prize and I won a million dollars. There would be no knots, no fast heart rate and I would have no need for Ritalin©. I might have even laughed about it. It’s all in your head, you control your thoughts. Life is about perception. We can take every situation and choose to think of it as the worst or best case. Any situation can either evoke anger or joy. If we could just work on assuming the best and finding the laughable side of whatever the situation, it will reduce the emotional tension; which just might be the cause of our stress. I believe that humor will provide an emotional distance to any issue. It can allow you to step back and evaluate the situation letting you realize that maybe the problem is not that big a deal. And in the event that it is, you will give yourself the opportunity to see there are more resources to help solve the issue.

I realize not everything is funny and there are certainly times when laughter can be inappropriate. All I’m saying is; the next time something in your day is a little foul, try to find a way to keep it funny.

For more, read my book “Lemons to Laughter.”