My ideal workplace includes laughter. Lots of laughter! Laughter means open heartedness. It means listening. It leads to great release of stress. I really believe that people who laugh a lot are way happier than those who don’t.
I’m not talking about cracking jokes or being sarcastic at the expense of others. I mean the ability to laugh whole heartedly. In her book Kidding Around, Sue Stephenson talks about laughing clubs and how the act of laughing lifts us mentally and physically.
There are lots of resources on the web about the power of laughter. Rob White brings together that thinking in this column from the Huffington Post. For instance, “Nothing is more contagious than uncontrollable laughter” and “learn to laugh at things not usually considered funny, [and] you are able to transcend ideology that stops you from being free”. Powerful.
I’ve mentioned in a previous post that one way I show caring is through laughter. I’m always looking for opportunities to laugh. When I take things too seriously and begin a rant, the only way out is to laugh at myself. When I’m feeling down or blue, I have a little exercise where I get my partner to do her “crazy laugh”. It gets me giggling and then laughing uncontrollably. I feel better, guaranteed. When my niece and I get the giggles, it’s so fun!
I hope that everyone has the opportunity to laugh at home and at work. If you don’t, then make some.
Leave a Reply