In stressful situations, it is natural that we exhibit a behavior that is different from our norm anger, depression, fear, anxiety but there is also one sure way to deal with certain levels of stress, without the expense of visiting doctors and having to purchase expensive prescriptions. The remedy is simply having a sense of humour.
Humour has been proven effective in fighting stress. Experts have been able to show that laughter relaxes muscles and relieves tension, speeds oxygen into the system and lowers blood pressure. Doctors have conducted controlled studies on how laughter impacts the body and the mind. The results proved that laughter actually stimulates the immune system, off-setting the negative effects of stress.
Light-heartedness and humor are beneficial because they often can provide a different way for us to view the concerns that are causing us stress. Dr. Bill Cosby said, If you can laugh at it, you can survive it. His saying often has a way of giving us empowerment over our problems. Looking at a situation with humor often makes the issue less threatening and therefore less stressful.
It is not uncommon to find that workplaces are offering fun as one of the benefits of employment. Different companies are hiring humor consultants to come in and offer employees training sessions on how to integrate humour into their daily routine. It helps them loosen up, so they are able to be more productive, taking their work seriously without taking themselves too seriously.
A psychologist remarked that those who felt their work was fun performed better and got along better with coworkers than did those who were satisfied with their jobs but did not see them as fun. This further shows the positive impact on using humor to deal with stress.
So how is it done? How can you bring humor into a stressful situation? The following are five fast and easy examples that you can do at home, on the job, or when youre out socially.
1. Hearty laughter: Spread your arms up, pointed to the sky, with head tilted a little back or with chin raised; laugh heartily. Direct your laughter to come straight from your heart. You should not keep your arms stretched up all the time during a hearty laugh. Keep them up for a while and bring them down and again raise them up.
2. Laugh at yourself: Acknowledge a mistake and laugh at yourself pointing your index or thumb at your chest as if saying I messed up! Mistakes happen and nobody is perfect. Be humble and acknowledge what you have done incorrectly, learn from it and try again.
3. Aloha laughter: Shout alooooooooooooooooha ha ha ha to the top of your lungs as you swing your hips side to side and hands above your head, extending the “o” as long and as loudly as you can. You can do a milder version of this exercise by just saying Aloha ha ha.
4. Silent laughter (gradient style): laugh silently (mouth open or mouth closed). Start slow then build it up!
5. Household chores laughter Laugh as you wash imaginary dishes, clean the floor, vacuum, clean windows, hang clothes, etc.
Now that you are relaxed, remember that no stressful situation is too difficult to manage and you can always find a silver lining in a dark cloud. And with laughter exercises and humor therapy, now theres fun in finding it.
Richard Reid of
Pinnacle Proactive, Specialists in the
Employee
Assistance Program,
Stress Management,
Staff Retention & Absenteeism. Take a Proactive Approach in Growing Your
Organisation
Tags : stress management
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