November 17th, 2009
The Power of Laughter
My husband and I have jobs we love but that can be stressful at times. After a particularly busy and pressure-filled day at our respective offices, we went to see The Hangover, a movie that had been recommended by all of our friends who’d seen it.
As is our usual M.O., when we are catching up, on the drive to the theatre we filled each other in on the highlights (and lowlights) of the day. My body was sore from not doing enough yoga and neither one of us was particularly hungry. I felt a headache coming on.
We found a decent parking spot and I could feel my tension dissipating as we walked to the theater. The anticipation of having the release of watching a comedy had already lifted my mood.
There were probably about five minutes total when we weren’t laughing, snickering, or smiling ear to ear as we watched The Hangover. The characters were engaging, the script fantastic, and the premise perfect. If you need a good laugh (and heck, who doesn’t need one?), go see it.
Energized by the movie, we grabbed a bite to eat at our local pub and spent the rest of the night unencumbered by the stress of the day.
A good laugh can’t cure all ills but it can certainly help. If you don’t believe me, believe author Dan Pink. What’s keeping you from having a good laugh? It doesn’t have to be a movie; it can be a book, a visit to a comedy club, or subscribing to a joke-a-day service.
It’s easy in this busy world of ours to take our work and our lives so seriously that we forget to enjoy ourselves. Laughter really is the best medicine, so take advantage of it.
