HEALTH AND WELLNESS TOPIC 39(2)

By likemindblog

Laughter Strengthens Relationships

Laughter has a way of joining friends or family members together. Think of your closest relationships. What were the most memorable moments together?

Probably the times when you were giggling at a prank or laughing at a witty joke together.

Sharing laughter adds joyfulness to any relationship. When you share funny stories, memories, or jokes together, it’s unitive, especially during difficult or stressful times.

Think about a child who is mad about something. They usually stand in front of you, arms crossed, lips pouting, maybe stomping their feet in disagreement.

Maybe the bottom lip quivers a bit, leading up to a cry.

Quick-acting parents will often tickle the upset child, tell a silly joke, or make a funny face before the waterworks start. Most times the quivering lip turns into a reluctant smile, and the now-smiling child will pretend to be mad after having their mood changed.

Many adults can have their moods changed just as quickly (minus the tickling) just by invoking some humor into the situation.

Using humor and laughter in relationships allows you to:

1. Be carefree and spontaneous. Everything in life seems great when you can laugh about it.

2. Let go of judgments, doubts, and criticisms. Laughing puts you in a more positive frame of mind, which will then allow you to see the good in everything.

3. Release resentment. The fears or resentment that cause you to hold back are replaced with love and respect.

4. Express your true feelings. It’s much easier to approach difficult conversations when both parties are in good spirits.

Laughter At Work

Laughter at work is a wonderful thing! A little laughter can go a long way in making people more productive and friendly to one another.

When co-workers take a moment from their duties to smile or laugh together, studies show that it can lead to:

• Fewer sick days

• Increased sales and productivity

• A healthier working environment

Especially when the workload is extremely heavy or the challenges are great because of cutbacks, layoffs, or restructuring, laughter can be very beneficial.

When staff members are dealing with great stress due to increased workloads or impending layoffs, a hearty opportunity to laugh and share some funny news can be just the kind of “therapy” the organization needs.

When employees are working back-to-back shifts or hours at a tedious task, employers can often realize better productivity if they have breaks that are interspersed with tea time, laughter, and discussion.

Here are some ideas for bringing laughter into your workplace:

1. Schedule a team luncheon after the end of a stressful project. Reward your team for their efforts and fill the luncheon with funny stories or jokes. This is not the time to berate other team players or discuss ways to make things better in the office.

2. Wear a quirky hat or costume to get people talking and laughing. Are you someone who loves a good joke and likes to be the center of attention?

Give your team something to laugh about today.

Laughter At Home

Laughing at home is a wonderful way to bring a family closer together. Usually families are most relaxed at home, and a good healthy dose of laughter while sharing the day’s adventures can help relieve stress and dispel any bad feelings among family members.

Sharing laughter is a way to have something in common with someone we care about. All families go through periods of stress from time to time and, at those times, laughter can be a tremendous stress reliever.

Laughter with your family can be a unifying and therapeutic activity, especially if there has been tension in the relationships. Forgiveness and a stronger sense of connection are just some of the positive feelings that come from enjoying a nice chuckle with your family.

There are times when you can use laughter to ease the tension in an uncomfortable situation while building family unity, such as:

• Your child breaks one of a vase while showing you a new dance step she learned at school today.

• Your husband brings home a beautiful gift for your birthday… but it’s not your birthday.

• Your brother-in-law tries so hard to impress you at dinner by omplimenting you on your food that he gets your name completely wrong.

The examples listed above suggest that there are more important things in life than petty grievances over broken objects or mispronounced names. When tension builds because of these issues, nothing can dissipate that tension quicker than a good laugh.

Try these suggestions to bring more laughter into your home:

1. Keep a joke book in the car. Instead of cursing the traffic, have the kids thumb through the joke book so you can share a good laugh.

2. Sing karaoke. Turn on your favorite radio station, grab your hairbrush for a microphone (just like when you were a kid!) and sing your heart out. Let your kids be the judges and give you a score. Add some dance moves from when you were a kid and see the tears roll down their faces from laughing so hard!

To be continued next week…