Why it’s Important to Keep Your Sense of Humor Even During the Tough Times
“A hearty laugh is more powerful than any other single item in overcoming challenges and driving away gloom than any other single thing.”
~Laura Ingalls Wilder
A routine scan that I had when I was pregnant with my second daughter, Grace, revealed that the fetus had a very unusual and potentially life-threatening cardiac condition.
After that point, my husband and I began traveling down the toughest, most heartbreaking, and most arduous journey that any of us has ever traversed in our lives.
We shed many tears during the trip, but you may be shocked to learn that we also laughed quite a bit along the way.
On the day of the scan, the fetal cardiologist took a great deal of time to examine the heart of our unborn child.
After she was done, she greeted us with a seat at the table and proceeded to discuss her results.
Up until that moment, we were aware that the issue was a significant one; nevertheless, we were unsure of the precise diagnosis.
She pulled out a pad of paper and started sketching a complex design of a heart on it. After that, she looked at me directly and said, “How’s your biology?”
My husband, who has already attempted and failed to pass the biology GCSE once, was anxious, as if he were fifteen years old once again and she was going to test him.
He apologized and said that it was “not good.” Even though this was a really stressful situation, I couldn’t help but laugh at this one particular aspect of it. As a result, I laughed.
There is no use in making an effort to be serious just for the sake of being solemn.
I think that if something is hilarious, you are obligated to laugh about it no matter how dark, hard, or painful things may be at the time.
Seize the chance to get away from the circumstance, even if it’s only for a few seconds, and enjoy the relief that comes with it.
On the day of Grace’s burial, as my husband and I sat together holding each other’s hands, the choir started playing the first song. We were both very affected by Grace’s death.
It was the worst example of tone-deaf shrieking that I had ever been forced to endure, and I had never truly heard my spouse sing before.
It was also quite entertaining, and I found myself laughing out loud many times during the whole thing (everyone else thought I was crying).
You could consider me cruel because you don’t understand how I could laugh at the burial of my own daughter. Believe me when I say that particular day was the most depressing and weighty of my whole life.
When my husband and I were carrying Grace’s little white coffin into the cremation a few minutes ago, the anguish was so severe that I didn’t believe I would be able to make it through.
Then, all of a sudden, my spouse once again demonstrated his extraordinary capacity to make me laugh. The laughing lifted my spirits for a brief period of time.
I just needed a minute of laughing to briefly forget the sadness I was feeling, and I felt a significant weight lift off my shoulders as a result.
Grace’s life was cut short after just a single day. It is impossible for me to imagine the kind of person she might have become.
But despite this, I am certain that she would have liked me, and she would be pleased to know that my sense of humor helped me get through the anguish of our separation, even if it was only for a little time.
My spouse is a really humorous guy who never fails to make me laugh (so much so that there are moments when I am so overcome with laughter that I can’t even stand up).
Because he keeps this a secret from the rest of the world, I consider myself fortunate to be one of the few individuals to whom he reveals this aspect of himself.
Even though he wasn’t trying to be humorous while we were in the doctor’s office or at Grace’s burial, he still managed to make me laugh, which goes to show that he has the capacity to do so even in the most trying of circumstances.
After Grace passed away, a lot of people warned me that the weight of my sorrow will definitely lead our relationship to become more difficult and strained in the future.
We were offered a lot of advise from people who meant well, yet despite this, our relationship did not suffer in any way. Indeed, we got stronger and created an even deeper relationship. I believe that a sense of humor had a significant role in this.
In spite of our sorrow, the fact that we were able to laugh each and every day helped us get through our time of grieving together.
As time went on, I began to respect and adore my husband even more for his resilience, compassion, and generosity, in addition to (obviously) his hilarious sense of humor.
Laughter is a powerful medicine that has the ability to make you forget about yourself and strengthen your connection to the person you are laughing with.
I’ve seen some of my friends, when they’re going through bad circumstances, they will force themselves not to laugh at anything (even though I know they would normally find it funny).
We have a propensity to stifle our laughter when it doesn’t seem proper or suitable to do so and when we anticipate that we will experience feelings of guilt if we do so.
Having a good time and laughing are never wrong or inappropriate things to do, as long as it’s not at the cost of another person.
If you’re going through a tough time, but you come across something humorous, it’s okay to laugh at yourself.
Several studies have shown that laughing and humor offer a wide range of health advantages, including the ability to boost one’s immune system, decrease feelings of pain and stress, and increase one’s level of vitality.
If you are going through a challenging event or are just generally feeling sad, you may discover that comedy finds its way to you by mistake. Embrace it.
Find a means to immerse yourself in some genuine laughing if you don’t stumble onto it by accident. And if you don’t find it, look for it.
You may try watching a movie that never fails to make you laugh, having a conversation with a buddy who is hilarious, or reading a book that is funny.
When times are rough, it is not inappropriate to laugh; on the contrary, I guarantee that it will make things easier.
