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I have decided to dedicate a post on Thursday to therapy, and offer you the many tips I have learned on the couch. They will be a good reminder for me, as well, of something small I can concentrate on. Many of them are published in my book, “The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit.”
I think Rita Mae Brown had the right attitude when she wrote, “The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness. Think of your three best friends. If they are okay, then it’s you.” She attempts to have a little fun with a solemn subject.
So should we.
Because laughter relieves stress, reduces pain, boosts our immune systems, and helps us to fight viruses and foreign cells. Plus it cultivates optimism, that sunny and sometimes-annoying attitude of life that can do wonders for your mood, protecting you from negativity, fear, and panic.
But the most important reason to laugh?
It’s fun.
And it surely beats crying, although from 10 feet away most people can’t tell the difference.
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Previous Posts
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posted 6:00:46am May. 22, 2012 | read full post »
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posted 6:13:58am May. 17, 2012 | read full post »
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posted 6:00:59am May. 15, 2012 | read full post »
In Sickness and In Health
posted 6:00:56am May. 15, 2012 | read full post » |
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Therese Borchard is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
Meet others on the journey in
Therese’s community group
Ask Therese to be your friend
Therese Borchard is the author of Beyond Blue: Surviving Depression & Anxiety and Making the Most of Bad Genes and The Pocket Therapist: An Emotional Survival Kit. Subscribe to Beyond Blue, visit her website, or follow her on Twitter @thereseborchard.
posted January 19, 2012 at 8:54 am
Hi Therese,
Mayview
Have you heard of Laughter Yoga? I just became a certified Laughter Yoga Leader and it really is a fantastic way to lift your mood and helps to fight the effects of stress. Check out http://www.laughteryoga.org for lots more information.
Keep the blogs coming…I am a big fan and I look here every day. Since I have recently been diagnosed with BP2, reading your blog is really comforting and informative.
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posted January 19, 2012 at 10:52 pm
Hi Therese, I have also suffered anxiety, depression and extremely low self esteem. I have spent many years in therapy as part of my recovery and I have found humour to be a lifesaver. My sisters and I have always used humour as a survival mechanism.
posted January 20, 2012 at 9:01 am
Well thanks so much for this. I know what my task is today, to make myself laugh. The simplest things we forget when we are feeling sort of blue…and I am. There is no sun, and even when there is, it’s out for three hours only.
Being BP2, and having learned how to effectively manage it, I’m always a little up, or a little down – but there are times (like today) when I tire of even that. I don’t want to “manage” anything. I just want to be happy always. (I guess so does everyone.)
Laughter yoga…that just might be the trick! Sign me up…it sounds great!
posted January 20, 2012 at 9:13 am
Hi Therese,
I like this blog. I have suicidal thoughts a lot. But when it gets to planning, I just find stuff to do. On the farm where I work, that isn’t hard.
I work for people who do not understand “and get tired of my attitude” (but I work pretty hard, so I guess it evens out). They just say they don’t understand and move on to something else.
I use humor to get by. A lot. For instance, when I clean stalls, I call it, “poop therapy” (my therapist just loves that). I hang out with the chickens and they make me laugh all the time. I’m just another hen to them. That’s cool.
The way I figure it, the animals are much more directly connected to God than we humans will ever be. They are unfettered by stuff like guilt, or shame. I learn a lot from them.
And they make me laugh. At the end of the day, what people think about me IS all about them, isn’t it? The animals just don’t worry about that stuff.
Be very blessed! I know I am.