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

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