April Is National Humor Month!
We've all heard the phrase "laughter is the best medicine," but it turns out that it's more than just an old adage. According to many reputable sources, it's scientifically proven. Laughter relieves stress and tension, supports your immune system, relieves pain, improves your mood, strengthens relationships and burns calories.
The other day I was sitting in my living room and I could hear my teenage son upstairs laughing uproariously while playing video games online with his friends. Between his exclamations of "dude" and "bruh," his enthusiastic laughter was heart-warming. Even though I had no idea what was so funny to him, I found myself smiling and then laughing. There's a reason they say laughter is contagious.
Our work here is so important and challenging: We provide care for real people – someone's parent, child, friend or partner. It's a tremendous responsibility and we do it well. At the same time, it's crucial that we take care of ourselves, too.
My goal this month (and every month) is to laugh more. I challenge you to find ways to incorporate more humor and laughter in your day-to-day routine. Try to surround yourself with people you find funny and include more humorous content in your media viewing. And let's embrace preventive care, which includes a good rollicking belly laugh from time to time. Bet you can't watch this without laughing: https://youtu.be/RP4abiHdQpc. Be well!
