There is more than one way to help yourself feel better! And it is very personal.
You may have heard advice from friends, family and/or mental health professionals to try things like taking a walk, exercising, deep breathing, taking a bath, meditating, or drinking herbal tea. Each of these can be super helpful in a moment, and as an on-going self-care habit.
I’d like to also highlight another stress-reducing, life-affirming, joyful practice that sometimes gets overlooked as an option. Laughing.
Studies indicate that laughter can reduce cortisol, a hormone that is produced when stress rises.1 Laughter can also decrease the symptoms of anxiety and depression, and improve overall health and sleep quality.2 It can even support improved outcomes from medical interventions.1
The research supports what you might already intuitively know to be true — laughing feels good and it engages a more positive outlook. Some people also find laughing extremely affirming — that by acknowledging something humorous with the involuntary physical response of laughter, we might find a greater sense of connection with other people and ourselves. Additionally, laughing can bring a deep sense of acknowledgment of something true and personally known.
Of course, laughter is not a magic bullet that will fix everything. But, if it resonates with you, adding a time to laugh every day (or as frequently as you can manage) can be an excellent self-care technique.
How? There are a few ways:
1. Start with the Greatest Hits!
Go to that scene from a movie or TV show, that joke from your favorite stand-up, or that hilarious passage from your favorite funny writer. The one that that that you think of first when someone asks you what is the funniest thing you ever saw.
Make a playlist. Watch or listen or read, for a few minutes everyday somewhere where you feel comfortable laughing out loud — and when you start to laugh encourage your body to go, go, go! Make a big, generous sound!
Sometimes standing with your hands on your knees and your belly round and soft can help create a full physical release into laughter — but whatever position encourages your delight best is the way to go. The important thing is to try to avoid stifling or diminishing yourself. Allow yourself great expression.
Of course, you can do this for a longer time, but even one big juicy, snorty belly laugh a day can be a valuable mental health practice. Some things may resonate so deeply with you that you find yourself returning to them day after day, laughing each time. Or you may find one funny thing brings you to something else, and you keep adding to your collection.
What makes any one person laugh is highly personal and that’s ok. Most likely what you find the most funny connects to something essential in your experience and world view, and that is really important to celebrate and acknowledge. Right now you may not be so connected to funny things in your life, so you might want to explore to find humor — comedians, shows, writers — that you really connect to and then allow yourself to encourage your laughter.
2. Go Live!
You may have someone in your life who makes you laugh when they tell a certain story or make a funny face. Ask them to share that with you for a minute or two over breakfast in the morning, on break from work, or over the phone. Maybe you can reciprocate.
Or you may find that going to a live funny show once a week or even once a month adds to your positive experience. Laughing together with others can add to the sense of connection.
3. Just Do It!
You can practice laughter by just laughing. Start the motor of the body up by making the sound and body of laughing and you may find that sooner or later you are laughing for real at nothing at all. Again, find a place you feel comfortable laughing out loud and just jump into the pool!.
A few provisos to be aware of: Sometimes, when you vigorously engage the body in laughter it can shake up some other feelings that remain in your body. At times, you may find yourself ebbing into tears when laughing. Try not to judge yourself for this! Be gentle with yourself, and then it may be a good idea to share what started to come up for you with your therapist or support system.
On the other hand, if you feel like too much gets stirred up that leaves you too off-balance to manage, you might want to share those feelings with your therapist. You may find that it’s best to find alternatives to this more intentional practice of initiating laughter so that you aren’t left feeling destabilized.
It’s a good idea to both practice self-acceptance and self-embrace, while also choosing practices that feed your sense of well being rather than ones that bring up more discomfort than you bargained for. Again it is very personal. Some people may find a walk in nature nourishing and reinvigorating while others might find it boring, stressful and uncomfortable- choose what works for you!
Also, if you use social media to inspire your delight, be aware of deliberately looking for content that inspires joy and hilarity. The algorithm knows that rage drives engagement and you may find your content provider offering you options designed to bring up anger and anxiety. Those won’t do the trick! Be aware of consciously making a choice to avoid them. Additionally, some humor such as political humor or satire may bring along with the laughs some anger or fear. You may want to consume this type of content for other reasons, but when you are looking to practice delight in service of self care, I recommend nothing too sophisticated!
Sometimes, when it comes to laughter, the simpler and sillier the better!
1Kramer, C. K., & Leitao, C. B. (2023). Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels. PLOS ONE, 18(5), e0286260. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286260
2Akimbekov, N. S., & Razzaque, M. S. (2021). Laughter therapy: A humor-induced hormonal intervention to reduce stress and anxiety. Current Research in Physiology, 4, 135–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crphys.2021.04.002
