If there’s one question that comes up more than any other when I speak to nurses about using the power of humor to have better lives, it’s this: My life isn’t very funny. How do I get more humor into my life? How can I make this whole thing a lot more fun?
One of the first steps in cultivating the presence of humor in your life is simply scheduling time to have fun. Think about what you like to do that makes you laugh.
It could be watching your favorite sitcom. It could be going out with your friends. It could be playing with small children: Kids love to laugh and it’s almost impossible not to join in. Whatever you select, put in on your schedule. Block the time out. Make this a commitment to yourself. Write it on your planner!
If you feel even the slightest bit ridiculous doing this, ask yourself if you would hesitate before writing down a dentist’s appointment or meeting with your financial planner. We write information down when we want to remember it – when we consider it important.
Having fun and exposing yourself to the many benefits of humor is an essential part of self-care. This is important stuff! Taking the time to consciously and effectively integrate humor into your life can improve your physical and mental health.
Numerous studies have detailed the relationship between humor and physical health. This is how we know that laughter has a role to play in combatting heart disease, stress reduction, and more effectively managing chronic conditions, like diabetes. Now I know that there are nurses out there who are in perfect health – but for those of us who may have that occasional aching back, battle cholesterol, or chronic health concerns, it’s good news to have a no-cost, always available, drug free, portable resource to make us feel better.
(Well, if your comedian team of choice is Cheech & Chong, I can’t vouch for the drug free part!)
The mental health benefits are almost too many to count. Stress reduction tops the list, followed by lifting the mood and improving one’s sense of resilience. Humor can give us a fresh sense of perspective: Even the largest problems become more manageable when we laugh about them.
There’s another reason to schedule your fun in advance. It turns out that anticipating laughter and fun has almost as many benefits as actually laughing and having fun. Leading humor researcher, Dr. Lee Berk, and others in the field of psychoneuroimmunology have found that we enjoy some of the physical and mental benefits of humor simply by knowing that we will be laughing at some point in the future.
It’s like thinking about the great chocolate cake you’ll have for dessert. The enjoyment begins before you ever pick up your fork!
It’s amusement that’s amazing! So go ahead: Put some fun time on your schedule. You’ll start feeling better before you know it!