You’ve heard the old adage that laughter is the best medicine. Joy is certainly one of the greatest things that we give to ourselves. You set a timer to take your daily medications. Set aside time to be silly and break out that inner child. You need some Comic Relief! There are countless stories of people who watched comedies throughout a mental or physical hardship. Hepatitis C is a serious virus and Cirrhosis is a serious disease. Going through a lengthy treatment is one of the first places to look for joy. Some of the most ridiculous situations occur while on heavy medications. Make use of those situations. If you cannot find a friend who will laugh with you, have that giggle fit all alone. I remember many days of pulling my car over and leaning my seat back for a nap. I would slide off the wig, set the seat back, and drool. My first thought upon awakening was what a pitiful situation I was in. I’d wake up and reach for proteins and fat to eat, and lay back down until I felt good enough to drive. One day, I just sat there, looked in the mirror, and started laughing at how ridiculous it was. I was a big mess from head to toe. Not only was my eczema covered skin shining with drool, my barely there hair was fuzzy, and my feet were swollen. I had peanuts all over me. I cried at first and then let the laughter roll.
I heard years ago that a study of tears was done and that the chemicals in tears of laughter differs from tears of sadness. The day I just described was shedding both kinds. Your body releases good chemicals while laughing, so go ahead and give your brain a shower of positive endorphins. I’ve also found that getting around people is a great time for comic relief. Yesterday while driving on a crowded expressway, there was this little bitty car with a huge queen size mattress and box springs tied to the top. This guy was obviously moving. You had to laugh at his determination. I though to myself that if he had a whole household full of stuff, he had a long day ahead of him.The world is full of funny people.
Become intentional about looking for the humorous stuff. If you don’t have a little kid in your life, go out and sit at a fast food restaurant or one of those big variety/grocery/automotive/furniture stores. You know the kind I’m talking about. I like to watch people picking out fruit or vegetables. There is serious sniffing and touching going on there. I should know – I’m one of those people you probably laugh at.
I have a favorite restaurant that offers a fairly low sodium salt menu. I’m there with the family talking about our week. All of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye I see a little guy in a booth with his parents. He’s about 12 or 14 months old and pulls himself by gripping the edge of the table. He’s kinda wobbly, but I see the look in his eye. He’s got this! Then he grabs 2 chopsticks and starts poking them in a bowl. His mouth is gaping open as he reaches for food. Nearby, mom’s in her own world. She’s staring off into space chewing. Dad is trying to work his own chopsticks. This round faced, big eyed cutie is having the time of his life. With a triumphant flourish, he flings noodles and veggies everywhere! Now he’s not smiling. He’s beginning to understand that this is serious work. You could almost hear him growl as he tried his best to maneuver food toward his mouth, which is now twisting in a effort to reach some food. His eyes got wider and he flipped a few more pieces of broccoli until one huge bite flew through the air and landed right on dad. Too young to understand any of this, he kept waving those chopsticks while opening his mouth, and his eyes, wider and wider. I burst out laughing. I was the only one at my table with the vantage point that allowed me to see him, and my family gave me an odd look He was my source of entertainment for a full 3 or 4 minutes.
My laugh was spontaneous, loud, and without an ounce of dignity. The pay off was a merry heart and a joyous feeling of being alive. See, at one time, it was a regular hang out for me. I had not been in that particular location of that chain very often since my diagnosis. Lately, I’ve spent every spare dime on doctors and drugs. For another thing, they have only recently added the low sodium lunch menu. It was the restaurant where I dined after my 1st meeting with a transplant specialist. Lots of loaded memories there. All of these thoughts were swimming in my brain. I turned back to the holiday planning conversation at my table. Gosh, it felt good to be alive and planning. It felt good to be out in the world.
I’m looking for laughter. As your best friend, I feel it is my duty to share ways for you to find it. I hope if something totally tickles you, that you’ll share it with me. The word relief means to bring ease or deliverance from stress; to offer a pleasing change. You and I live with serious physical problems that can weigh us down. Yeah, we all need some comic relief. Karen 🙂
