Okay, I’m rather late posting my letter L post. I honestly wasn’t sure about the topic either, so this post may be brief again. Today I want to talk about laughter and humor as self-care strategies.
One strategy in dialectical behavior therapy, which I talked about in my post on ACCEPTS, is to put on a smile. Literally. Curl up the corners of your mouth and force a smile. This may seem fake and it is at times. However, it can actually help you feel better.
Now try making yourself laugh out loud! In The More or Less Definitive Guide to Self-Care, Anna Borges recommends making yourself actually laugh to feel better. Try saying “Ha,” then “ha ha” and so forth out loud. It will be sure to make you crackle up soon enough.
Another way to make yourself laugh is of course to use humor. We are all different in the types of humor we appreciate. I for one am a true wordplay lover. I can’t stand practical jokes and I don’t understand funny videos due to being blind, unless there is a strong verbal component. My humor can be a bit dark, while others prefer lightheartedness. Whatever humor you like, there’s always something out there on the Internet you’ll appreciate.
Let’s make each other laugh! Tell jokes or share other forms of humor in the comments!