Each week we’ve been sharing useful tips and information to help build resilience. This week our resilient move is ‘have a laugh’, perhaps the most simple yet one of the most important moves of all.
We’ve pulled together some top tips for introducing more humour in your life:
- Try to find light in challenging or daily scenarios. Finding the funny or positive side of a stressful situation can often lighten the mood, not just for you, but for those around you.
- If you can, spend time with people who enjoy the same things as you. Knowing you can laugh together can often help you realise who are true friends and the people you can rely on.
- When you are away from your friends but still want to chat, there are many apps you can use to video call your friends.
- On the internet there are many funny videos and some super funny memes – why not share them with someone you care about and they can smile too.
- There are many times when laughing just happens, when someone pulls a funny face, does a silly dance, tells a joke – just go with it.
Why is laughter so important and how does it make us feel better?
Laughing releases ‘feel-good’ chemicals into our brains. These chemicals help to make us feel less stressed and more relaxed. This is why sometimes we laugh, even when we feel nervous.
Not only does laughing make you feel better emotionally but it also increases your immune cells. Immune cells help your body recover when you are feeling unwell, so physically, you feel better too. Even during difficult days, it’s important to remember how laughing can help you.
Having a laugh is good for all of us. It is the same in every language and it can give us the confidence to face challenges and bring us together.
Laughing also teaches us that there are times when we shouldn’t take ourselves or the situation we are in so seriously and just have a laugh.
As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine!