Use humour and laughter to cope with stress of pandemic

It may feel harder to laugh these days or find the humour in situations. Yet, when times are tough, we need humour more than ever. Humour and laughter help us effectively cope with stress.  Most of us could use a nudge to ‘lighten up’ during this pandemic. Read our tips on how to bring (more) humour and laughter into your life.

Wisdom quotes about the benefits of humour and laughter

If I didn’t laugh, I’d cry.

Laughter is the best medicine.

Laugh and the world laughs with you.

Laughter is an instant vacation.

That laughter was just what the doctor ordered.

Have you heard these sayings? While experts remind us of the health benefits of laughter, most of us don’t need to be convinced. We already know what a good laugh does for our mood.

We may need to be reminded, however, to lighten up, during these difficult and uncertain times (hello COVID-19). And like you, I suspect, the words ‘difficult’, ‘uncertain’ and ‘unprecedented’ are quickly becoming least favourite words. The words and descriptors I would like to use would not be appropriate for a family friendly website!

Lighten up

We all love to be around people who can laugh at themselves – their quirks, mistakes, awkward moments. They are bringing the gift of more joy into the world, and it’s an understatement to say that the world could use more joy right now.

We don’t have to become comedians. We just need to know how to regularly touch our ‘funny bone’. When we have the intention to find the humour in situations and laugh more, we will find more to laugh about. That’s how the universe seems to work. We get more of what we are looking for.

9 Tips on bringing (more) humour and laughter into your life

1. Ask yourself what ______ (your favourite comedian of funny character on TV) might find funny about the COVID-19 situation that is stressing, annoying or frustrating you?
2. Ask yourself if you are going to laugh about this later. Make later now.
3. Have a stash of cartoons, funny images, jokes, photos, or greeting cards that crack you up (or at least make you smile every time you look at them). Pull them out when you need a laugh. That reminds me of a cartoon I have on my fridge: A patient is sitting in an orthopedic surgeon’s office, and the surgeon is relaying his test results. “The good news”, he says, “is that we didn’t find a mean bone in your body.” Cracks me up every time.
4. You have heard of a ‘Happiness Jar’. Make a ‘Funny Bone Jar’. Write one thing that happened in your day that made you smile/chuckle/crack up/roll on the ground laughing.
5. Watch an episode of your favourite Sitcom or stand-up comic doing a routine.
6. Mark as Favourites, YouTube videos about funny animals and/or babies or whatever gets you laughing every time. My personal favourite continues to be Saturday Night Live and Alec Baldwin impersonations (of one guy in particular).
7. Scour the internet for funny memes. My friends and family have been on a steady diet of COVID related memes about home schooling, time, extended time with family, parenting,weight gain, and life in 2020, so far. We can all relate. Get started now.
8. Share a Laugh. I know someone who routinely scours Pinterest for funny sayings and jokes and calls her mother for their ‘five minute laughathon’. Laughter and joy are infectious.
9. Skip the movie ‘Contagion’ and have a funny movie night. If you want to watch an old 80’s movie that most people find quite funny, check out Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

What is your favourite way to bring humour and laughter into your life during this pandemic?