In this day and age, stress is always around the corner and looming over us unexpectedly.
The reasons may be anything like our job, school work, or regular everyday life worries. And no matter how much stress we consider “normal,” it’s crucial that it doesn’t constantly negatively affect us and wear us down.
But is the secret here that you should be using humor for stress relief? Can laughter be the best remedy for stress?
In today’s article, we will make your life much easier by answering this question and exploring all the reasons why humor is the perfect solution for stress relief.
Let’s get started!
How Does Humor Relieve Stress?
Many studies found that humor and laughter are the most effortless way to relieve stress and improve both our physical and mental health. One research, in particular, concluded that humor positively influences stress levels, specifically stress caused by work.
If we consider how harmful stress can be for our entire body, that’s some excellent news!
The consequences of chronic stress can severely affect our health if we don’t do anything about it on time. Chronic stress leads to higher anxiety levels and continuous poor mental health that stops you from doing activities you would’ve enjoyed otherwise.
And humor can be a perfect coping mechanism for that!
(This is true as long as it is used as a tool, not as a means of avoiding facing reality.)
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If you’re struggling with longer, serious cases of stress, it’s important to note that humor in overdone amounts may just become a bad defense mechanism you should probably cut out. This goes for all the self-deprecating jokes full of irony and sarcasm at all times without a break.
Aside from that, here are the ways how humor relieves stress:
Humor Releases Chemicals Good For Your Body
Any amount of stress eventually results in negative consequences for your health, yet humor can be one of the ways to go easy on your body.
For example, when you’re laughing, your body is releasing chemicals called endorphins.
They are good for your body since they relieve stress and pain levels. So naturally, decreased stress hormones benefit your physical and mental health in the long run.
Humor Relaxes Your Muscles & Dissolves Tension
Commonly, we are very tense and uncomfortable under the overwhelming burden when we’re stressed.
Laughter will relax your muscles and immediately dissolve any physical tension you might’ve had. This ultimately leads to relaxation, which is a needed remedy for stressful days and any future issues related to physical health.
This leads us to our next point:
Humor Benefits Physical Health
Taking into account endorphins and overall relaxation, humor will for sure benefit physical health in a serious matter.
Laughing results in lower blood pressure, improved immune system, relieved pain, stimulated lungs, and increased heart rate. This all decreases the risk of heart attacks and the risk of feeling poorly and sick all the time during colder seasons.
Alongside that, even though stress doesn’t explicitly cause diabetes, there has been a link between stress and the raised risk of type 2 diabetes for women. A large amount of stress hormones in the body may affect the cells that produce insulin in the pancreas, making it a strong risk factor.
So if you’re feeling constantly exhausted because you’re stressed, it’s scientifically proven that humor will help you relax and benefit your health to a great extent in the end.
Humor Leads to Improved Mood
Other than that, humor also leads to a huge decrease in anger levels and mood swings.
A good sense of humor makes you more lighthearted once you start working on it intentionally. You will see everything around you in a different light, and you’ll be able to laugh at problems that seem enormous at the moment, but in the end, seem like the easiest thing you went through.
Overall, laughter will undoubtedly improve any problematic situation that doesn’t seem solvable as soon as you change your approach, try to seek out laughter, and eventually relax after you chuckle.
Tips On How To Get Started
Now, you’re probably wondering how to imply humor more in your life as a way to relieve stress.
Don’t fret: we’ll guide you on your first steps!
We present to you several tips for a good start:
Tip #1 – Identify Stress
Firstly, it’s essential to identify what you’re precisely stressed about.
And no matter how obvious this first tip is, many people forget about one of the easiest steps, such as naming the root of the problem.
So, we recommend making a list of all the things that worry you right now.
And before you start worrying because you’ve written loads of things from the top of your head, try to highlight what’s stressing you the most. Then, ask yourself: what are the ways I can fix this problem?
If you’re left empty-handed and can’t think of any solution, that’s okay too!
Remember that you don’t have to know all the answers to your problems. Still, by just trying to have a different outlook on it and cracking a few jokes about it, you’ll feel more laid-back and ready to tackle all of them.
Tip #2 – Change Your Mindset
But how do you exactly start having a different outlook on your stress? And is changing your mindset really that important?
Our answer is absolutely yes: the change of your mindset is probably the most important thing.
When you try a little harder to find good things in the otherwise stressful time, it will be easier to laugh at some of the silly reasons you were worrying over.
Being able to laugh during hard times and even joke about it takes a lot of practice, yet it works wonders for both your health and attitude towards life.
However, changing your mindset is not as simple as it sounds.
It’s not enough to only laugh at funny content on the internet or jokes someone else is telling you. Humor needs to come from within you and initiate your willingness to find funny things to laugh at in stressful situations.
Tip #3 – Practice It Regularly
Just remember, like everything else in life: it takes time!
Go easy on yourself and try to work on it more often.
A few years from now, you will probably wish you had started way earlier. In the end, the result will be worth it, and your future self will be grateful.
Your Turn
We hope that you feel good and that you have enjoyed reading this article.
Now, we would love to hear from you!
What are the ways you would relieve stress with humor?
Please share all of your additional tips in the comments down below!
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