Should your mental health be a “laughing matter?”
Mental health is difficult to keep healthy during times of isolation such as a pandemic. Many people are consumed with depression and live in a very stressful or lonely environment. Finding humor in the circumstances of life can lift moods with laughter and help people to better deal with and overcome difficult experiences.
What happens when you laugh?
- Levels of stress hormones decrease.
- Your heart, lungs, and muscles are stimulated.
- There is increased activity in parts of the brain’s reward system.
- Endorphins, the body’s natural pain blockers, are released.
Incorporating humor into your daily life has many potential benefits:
- Stronger immune system
- Improved mood and anxiety relief
- Better interactions with others
- Less burnout on the job
Humor and laughter reduce the risk of developing chronic health conditions. Stress and the hormones it produces can do a lot of damage to the mind and body over time. Since humor and laughter reduce the amounts of these hormones, it has also been shown that they can help reduce the risk of blood clots, heart conditions, and other stress-related conditions.
10 Tips for Incorporating Humor in Your life
- List three funny things that happen to you each day
- Watch a TV show that makes you laugh
- Watch stand-up comedy
- Reach out to someone who gets your sense of humor and share funny things that happened recently
- Spend 15 minutes online watching YouTube comics or memes
- Have a charade game night
- Read a funny book
- Try laughter yoga
- Spend time with an animal or child (their antics are always good for a laugh)
If you are taking steps to care for your mind, body, and soul but still feel like you are struggling with your mental health, visit www.mhascreening.org to check your symptoms.
Brenda Lytle, RN, Director of Care Ministries
