Humor, Not Stress, Saves Lives

I know I had an interesting childhood: When I was born, the doctor came out to the waiting room and said to my father “I’m very sorry. We did everything we could, but he pulled through.” My mother had morning sickness after I was born. My father carried around the picture of the kid who came with his wallet. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio. My favorite place to play was in the middle of the street.

O.K., it sounds a bit harsh, but if you can’t poke fun at one’s self, whom can you poke fun at. Sometimes we take life way too seriously. When we do that, stress comes to the forefront in our lives.

Stop for a second and take a long breath in and then slowly let it out. Go ahead, I’ll wait. Just that one simple act is a way to let the body relax.

Music calms the savage beast. This very old adage is true. Everytime I turned on the radio in our house, my brothers stopped chasing me. Actually listening to soft, slow music will slow down your heart rate.

Comedy is a sure fire way of relieving stress. First it starts by taking your mind off the troubles of the day, then it makes you do something you probably haven’t done in a while: A large belly laugh. Comedy videos or comedy clubs are great. A quick warning is in order: do not sit in the front row at a comedy club. The comedian is apt to use you for some of his humor.

Here are a few other proven stress reducers. Try them today. Procrastination is stressful.

Get up fifteen minutes earlier in the morning. The inevitable morning problems will be less stressful.

Don’t rely on your memory. Write down appointment times, when to pick up the kids, when library books are due, etc. I am constantly making notes to myself. (Note to self: Pick up a gallon of milk after work today.)

Plan ahead. Don’t let the gas tank get below one-quarter full, don’t wait until you’re down to your last postage stamp before you buy more.

Don’t put up with something that doesn’t work right. If your alarm clock, windshield wiper, or whatever are a constant problem, get them fixed or get them replaced.

Be prepared to wait. How often do you go somewhere and end up in a line? Carry a paperback along. I got through one in a week while waiting to pay for Christmas gifts, groceries, picking up stamps and waiting for a bridge to go down. (When the bridge is down, STOP reading.)

Three words: Simplify, simplify, simplify.

Turn “needs” into preferences. Our basic physical needs translate into food, water and keeping warm. Everything else is a preference. Don’t get attached to preferences.

Add an ounce of love to everything you do.

Become more flexible. Some things are worth not doing perfectly and some issues are well to compromise upon.

Eliminate destructive self-talk: “I’m too old to…”, “I’m too fat to…”, etc.

Create order out of chaos. Organize your home and workspace so that you always know exactly where things are. (Where did I put those refund checks?) Put things away where they belong and you won’t have to go through the stress of losing things.

Lastly, take care of the todays as best you can and the yesterdays and the tomorrows will take care of themselves.

Writer’s notes: Do not disturb me, I’m already disturbed. This column was cruelly tested on small, furry animals.