Ease Stress with Laughter

It's hard to feel upset or stressed out when you're laughing. That's because laughter helps reduce your body's stress response, leaving you feeling calm and relaxed. Laughter may not help everyone who is feeling stressed, and it may not have much effect on people who suffer from chronic stress associated with anxiety or depression. However, if you're feeling burned out from an approaching deadline, a difficult day at work, or other minor frustrations, laughter is a quick and easy way to reduce your stress levels without any negative side effects.

Laughing Everyday

 * 1) Spend time with people who are funny. Some people just have a great sense of humor. If you're interested in reducing your stress with laughter, try spending time with friends or relatives who make you laugh on a regular basis. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 1.jpg|center]]
 * 2) * Keep in touch with funny people on a daily basis, even if it's just a text message or phone call.
 * 3) * Get coffee together, have dinner together, or just meet up to walk through the park. You'll probably end up having a great laugh and you'll get to spend time with a close friend or family member.
 * 4) Watch and listen to comedies. Comedy is a genre that is meant to induce laughter. If you're feeling stressed, watching a funny movie or listening to a stand-up comedian's routine can help get you laughing and feel less stressed while being entertained. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 2.jpg|center]]
 * 5) * If you're at work or school, try watching short-form comedy clips on your computer or smartphone. This is a great way to get a laugh in when you're short on time.
 * 6) * Listen to comedy radio or stand-up albums while you commute to and from work. This is an entertaining and relaxing alternative to listening to the news or to talk radio.
 * 7) * If you live in an area where comedy shows are performed live, treat yourself to an outing at the comedy club.
 * 8) Keep humorous mementos at hand. If you need a quick laugh at work or school, try keeping little items that make you laugh at your desk or in your locker. For example, you might hang up funny photos, comic strips, or souvenirs from humorous occasions. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 3.jpg|center]]
 * 9) Find humor in silly situations. Laughing to ease stress doesn't always require you to laugh at comedic situations. Sometimes the best little laughs throughout the day come from minor situations that are absurd or otherwise silly. For example, finding humor in the way a sports fan takes victories and losses so seriously or chuckling at the absurdity of certain reality TV shows might help lighten your mood. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 4.jpg|center]]
 * 10) * Don't be cruel in your laughter. Instead, try to find levity in situations where people take themselves or their circumstances unnecessarily serious.
 * 11) * You can laugh at yourself when you goof up or do something silly, but make sure you're not being self-deprecating. If the gist of laughing at yourself involves thoughts like, "That was so stupid of me," you may need to reframe your perspective.
 * 12) Learn jokes. Jokes are a great way to lighten a tense situation. You can learn jokes and tell them to others to make them laugh, or you can simply read jokes to make yourself laugh during stressful moments throughout the day. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 5.jpg|center]]
 * 13) * You can find jokes by searching online or reading a joke book.
 * 14) * Make sure the jokes you read are appropriate, especially if you intend to read them at work or tell them during social situations.
 * 15) * Avoid jokes that discriminate against or put down marginalized groups of people. This includes jokes that are racist, misogynistic, homophobic, or xenophobic.
 * 16) Join a laugh therapy group. You can find ways to laugh each day within your own social circles, but for some people that may not be enough. If you're coping with more serious problems that are causing you stress, like a debilitating illness or significant life trauma, laugh therapy may be a healthy addition to your medical treatment. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 6.jpg|center]]
 * 17) * Laugh therapy works with small groups of individuals coping with similar problems.
 * 18) * The goal of laugh therapy is to help one another heal and reduce overall levels of stress.
 * 19) * You can find laugh therapy groups in your area by searching online or asking your doctor or therapist about adding this to your treatment plan.

Recognizing the Limitations of Laughter

 * 1) Avoid laughing at someone else's expense. If you have a close friendship with a colleague or neighbor, you might feel comfortable teasing one another about certain topics. However, you should never laugh at someone else's expense, nor should you make fun of qualities that someone might feel self-conscious about. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 7.jpg|center]]
 * 2) * Never make fun of someone's weight, age, race, religion, ethnicity, or appearance. Even if a friend jokes about these qualities in themself, it may not be appropriate for you to do so.
 * 3) * As a general gauge, ask yourself whether someone might be hurt or offended by a given joke. If you think the answer is yes, it's best to pass on that joke.
 * 4) Resist the urge to use laughter as avoidance. Some people use laughter to avoid addressing or even acknowledging serious problems in their life. This use of laughter is not a healthy way to cope with stress since it actively avoids the underlying problems you're coping with. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 8.jpg|center]]
 * 5) * It's okay to turn minor problems into jokes, but if you're joking about serious life changes or trauma you might be doing more harm than good.
 * 6) * You can only safely laugh about big life problems once you've dealt with those issues head-on and learned from the experience.
 * 7) Get help for serious issues. If you're struggling to cope with serious emotional or psychological trauma, laughter will not be enough. You may need to work with a therapist or take prescription medications to help manage serious conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and PTSD.[[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 9.jpg|center]]
 * 8) * If you feel nervous, anxious, or stressed much or most of the time, you may need the help of a mental health caregiver.
 * 9) * Ask your doctor about working with a therapist. You can also find therapists in your area by searching online or checking your local phone book.

Reducing Your Daily Stress

 * 1) Use relaxation techniques. If you're feeling really stressed, laughter may not be enough. Many medical professionals recommend using relaxation techniques to help manage stress and cope with difficult emotions. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 10.jpg|center]]
 * 2) * Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing each muscle group in your body in succession, then releasing the tension. Try to hold each muscle group's tension for at least 5 seconds, then let your muscles relax for about 30 seconds before repeating.
 * 3) * Meditation involves focusing on your breath to release stressful or upsetting thoughts and emotions. Breathe in slowly through the nostrils while counting to five, hold the breath for five seconds, the exhale slowly while counting to five.
 * 4) * Yoga and Tai Chi involve coordinating your breath with slow, deliberate movements and stretches to achieve a calming sense of well-being.
 * 5) Get enough sleep each night. Inadequate or unrestful sleep can drastically affect your stress levels. Over time, this can increase your risk of developing significant, long-term stress-related problems like anxiety or depression. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 11.jpg|center]]
 * 6) * Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night, though some individuals may need 10 or 11 hours of sleep to feel fully rested.
 * 7) * Teenagers typically need 8 to 10 hours of sleep each night, though some may need 11 hours. School-age children need between 9 and 11 hours of sleep, but some may need as much as 12 hours of sleep each night.
 * 8) Exercise on a regular basis. Exercise is an excellent way to cope with stress. Exercise helps burn off excess energy and releases endorphins that make you feel good. It can also have a meditative effect when you're struggling to process a stressful event. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 12.jpg|center]]
 * 9) * Any type of physical activity can help manage stress, even if you don't have a lot of time. For example, if you can't manage an hour of gym time, make time for several 10-minute walks or ride your bicycle to work to get a quick, relaxing workout in.
 * 10) * Opt for activities you enjoy. For example, if you hate jogging, try a yoga class, swimming, or roller skating instead.
 * 11) * It's important to work up to a fitness level gradually over time. Talk to your doctor before beginning or intensifying any workout regimen to ensure your body is healthy enough to handle physical activity.
 * 12) Seek out social support. Social support is tremendously important if you're dealing with serious stress problems. You can find social support by reaching out to friends, relatives, or even coworkers who you trust and with whom you have a good rapport. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 13.jpg|center]]
 * 13) * Build your social support network with people you can trust.
 * 14) * Think about which trustworthy people in your life are most easy to talk to. For example, a relative who works full-time and has several children at home may not be as easy to reach as a single friend who works part-time.
 * 15) * Let the people in your support network know about stressful events in your life. Ask if you can call, text, or visit them during troubling times.
 * 16) * Make sure you also ask your friends and relatives how they're doing and spend time talking or hanging out when things are going well in your life, too. That way they won't feel like you're only contacting them when you need help.
 * 17) Work on changing your outlook. Many people pile on unnecessary stress by taking a perfectionist attitude. You may feel like everything needs to be done perfectly all the time, whether it's at work, school, or just keeping the house in order. While this type of outlook may help you feel more productive at work, it can be very damaging over time. [[Image:Ease Stress with Laughter Step 14.jpg|center]]
 * 18) * Try to observe your thoughts and stop yourself whenever you find yourself thinking, "I need to," "I must," or "I have to." Catch yourself any time you find yourself thinking other people or situations need, must, or have to be a certain way.
 * 19) * Wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it against your skin anytime you engage in these "should" thought patterns.
 * 20) * Once you catch yourself and snap the rubber band against your wrist, try to actively replace that thought with something more positive and accepting.
 * 21) * For example, you might think something like, "I wish things were different, but the situation is what it is. I can't change it, so I'll find ways to accept it and make the best of it."
 * 22) * If you're really struggling with how to change your outlook, a qualified therapist may be able to help. Ask your doctor whether therapy may be right for you.

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