Laughter is the human gift
for coping and for survival;
Tips for More Laughter in Life
ringing, pealing, roaring,
1. Practice laughing five minutes a day; fake it ‘til you make it.
2. Look for humor around you—on signs, in people’s behavior, on TV, in
bubbling laughter. Chuck-
newspapers, things others say and the crazy things that happen to you.
ling. Giggling. Snickering.
Keep a journal.
3. Share your embarrassing moments with others.
Snorting. These are the 4. Learn to play with things that are serious, like work, social issues and
money. You might use word play, silly songs or develop a comical view
sounds of soul-saving laugh-
of the issue to help you cope.
ter that springs from our
5. Laugh with others when they laugh.
6. Wear a smile; it puts you closer to laughing.
emotional core and helps
7. Seek out entertainment that makes you laugh.
us feel better, see things
8. Amuse yourself with your own sense of humor.
9. Buy and listen daily to a tape of laughter, a laugh box or a laughing toy.
more clearly and creatively 10. Play around with games and mindless toys that make you laugh.
weigh and use our options.
11. Wear hats that make you laugh.
12. Cultivate your innate playfulness.
Laughter helps us roll with
13. Be creative with fun.
14. Do at least one silly, nonconforming thing each day.
the punches that inevitably
15. Give yourself permission to laugh at anything you need to.
come our way. We unleash
16. Make sure you have fun.
the power of laughter every
Source: Enda Junkins
time we laugh.
ed people playful and funny. She also
created laughter. Why, in pursuit of
serious things, have we short-circuited
both our play and our laughter? In our
Laughter in the Workplace
frenzy to succeed and to have it all,
1. Look for the funny things that always exist, like typos, the funny actions
we have shortened everything. We
of coworkers and your own funny behavior.
have fast food, fast banking, fast fun,
2. Give projects comical names, like Quasimodo or Thumper.
fast shopping, even fast sex. Today,
3. Keep mindless toys on your desk and take short breaks to play with them.
life is a longer process on a shorter
4. Wear a creative hat to express or change your attitude.
schedule, and for that, we need lots of
5. Use cartoons to help with communication.
laughter.
6. Play with the idea of stress and learn to celebrate it.
Our natural laughter is neither
7. Laugh with coworkers for a few minutes for no real reason at all.
fast-paced nor high-tech. It’s not
8. Under your clothes, wear a T-shirt with a saying that lightens you up.
expensive and it can’t be bought.
9. Find playful ways to ease conflict with coworkers. For example: Employ
Others can’t do it for us. All of us can
toys that diffuse conflict; develop lightly humorous things to think or say;
do it ourselves, however, because
or use comical visualizations that help you keep perspective.
we’re born with it, and it’s our right to
10. Exaggerate and play with the issues that annoy you most.
reap all its benefits. On the off chance
11. Incorporate elements of a game into your work. For example: Give your-
that we occasionally find ourselves
self a prize for completing a project; divide the project into a football
headed off to “smell the roses” from
field and see each stage of completion as a first down; give yourself a
a drive-in window, at least we can
cheer; or develop a ritualized, playful way of turning on your computer.
laugh at our own folly.
12. Laugh for five minutes on the way to work.
13. Wear lighthearted, temporary tattoos that serve as handy reminders.
Enda Junkins, known as “The Laugh-
14. Wear a fun tie, scarf or other piece of clothing that makes you feel good
ing Psychotherapist,” is a Licensed
and playful. If it is a serious day or a big meeting and outer attire must
Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed
match accordingly, wear fun underwear.
Marriage and Family Therapist. For
information on her keynote talks,
Source: Enda Junkins
seminars and workshops, visit Laugh-
terTherapy.com.
February 2010 37
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