Humor is Healing

Learn to laugh at life

Life, in all its splendor and despair, is not a monochromatic painting. The journey of healing and recovery cannot be an unending saga of sorrow and pain. Our existence cannot be swallowed by doom and gloom, nor should we perpetually toil away in the laborious pursuit of self-improvement. Laughter and joy are as much a part of life as tears and challenges. And when we learn to laugh at our own missteps, we pave the way to self-acceptance, reducing shame and shifting focus from sadness and anxiety to resilience and growth.

This is not your typical "live, laugh, love" sermon. I'm not urging you to plaster a smile on your face in the hopes of manufacturing happiness. Spoiler alert: that rarely works. However, integrating humor into your wellness routine is an integral component of emotional health. Humor provides the license to chuckle at life's absurdities, and given the wildly outrageous nature of our existence, it's an absolute necessity.

Part of healing and recovery involves learning to manage intensity and making space for pleasant experiences. Yet, this perspective is often absent from the self-help, wellness, and astrology arenas, among other social spaces offering advice on relationships and life. The importance of humor is often sidelined in a bid to be taken seriously, perhaps in response to a long history of being dismissed or overlooked. We also tend to ascribe a severity to pain, which might stifle laughter.

But humor has its place, even in addressing complex issues. In my practice, I aim to induce at least one laugh from my clients during a session. I've found it to be an effective tool in dissolving tension, reinforcing a positive connection, offering a less intimidating perspective, tackling shame, fostering self-acceptance, and making the therapeutic process more relatable.

So, why not use humor in everything we do? It serves healing, recovery, and relief — the very goals we are striving for, right? Humor reassures us that not everything is terrifying. It reminds us that we can have fun while working on ourselves. It whispers to us: "I am safe. I am okay. I can even laugh a little."

You see, none of us are perfect, and we never will be. Our challenges, or "demons," as some may call them, are birthed from a place of deep meaning. And it's crucial to befriend them. Laugh with them. Otherwise, we risk being consumed by internal contempt and running endlessly on a hamster wheel of shame.

The more I age, the more comfortable I become joking about my shortcomings, being light-hearted, and even silly. I find it easier to laugh at my flaws and the old habits that resurface — the stuff I thought I had left behind.

This approach may not resonate with everyone, but if you take anything from this, know that it's okay, even healthy, to chuckle at your follies. The things we do and the lives we lead are often ridiculous. And sometimes, we really do need to laugh. Don't mistake this for forced happiness or laughter. A sincere chuckle will suffice. But remember, if you can't laugh at your own stuff, you might be taking yourself far too seriously.