In the last few months, we’ve watched our world change in immeasurable, almost unfathomable ways. Many days recently – and always – humor has been a salvation for most of us. We learn more about that every day. Probably one of our body’s natural self-preservation mechanisms.
Humor and laughter are important coping skills. Did you know they have real, physical benefits, too? They can be a buffer from the negative effects of all the stress we are under. Laughter has been shown to strengthen our immune system, improve alertness, increase endorphin levels, lower blood pressure, increase the production of t-cells and help the pituitary gland release its own suppressing opiates. It increases our intake of oxygen-rich air and is a release for pent-up tension. That yields a lot of positive benefits for such a simple behavior.
Not only does laughter help us physically, it benefits us emotionally as well. Humor has a way of putting everything in perspective and consequently reduces our fears. Lightening things up also helps us put some distance between ourselves and the difficult things we are facing. Laughter is comforting and relaxing. It can remind us of happier times. It’s also contagious. Even if there is nothing funny happening, there are still physical benefits from smiling and laughing. Your body doesn’t know the difference between you imitating laughter and truly laughing. The same is true for smiling. Laughter yoga and laughing meditation are based on this principal. Fake it ‘til you make it might actually be in play. And there are apps to help you get there.
In addition to finding humor wherever we can, we should be giving ourselves plenty of room. Especially right now. Sometimes this can be tricky.
Adjusting to the new normal is nice in theory but it also suggests that a new reality is a set destination that we can adapt to with just a few simple changes. Realistically, a new normal is going to be a moving target – and that will require repeat adjustment. Which is a lot to handle.
So, for a while, it seems pretty ok to do a whole lot of nothing. Being super productive and organizing yourself into oblivion might be comforting to some – but if not, get rid of the pressure to be productive and practice self-care. The self-care you need right now might be forgiveness. In a broader sense, don’t force yourself to actively adjust every day. Some days, you might just need to do nothing but feel your feelings. Give yourself that space.
All of us at Bliss are eager to begin pampering you again as soon as possible. Until then, take good care. And when you’re ready, we’ll see you soon.