Find the funny.

Finding the funny in situations that might otherwise be too serious, heavy, or uncomfortable is incredibly important to our health. I tell myself and others this all the time.

Needing to find the funny can be different for each situation.

For example, I’m going to share a story, one that was and still is slightly embarrassing. Thankfully finding the funny is pretty easy to do in this situation.

My kids were very young. My daughter was only months old, possibly close to 6 months as she was still in a capsule and my son was around 2 years old.

A new supermarket had opened up in a nearby suburb and I wanted to check it out. As I walked around my son loved to help me out, he ‘helped’ by placing things in the trolley as we went through the aisles.

I went through the checkout and paid for my items and went to load up the car. Only to discover that my son had placed some items in a spot that was hidden from me when I went through the checkout.

My heart dropped to my stomach, you know that feeling when you know you’ve done something wrong, even if it’s unintentional, there is that instant moment of fear and dread.

That was replaced by a small amount of annoyance because I now had to take two kids back into the store and pay for the items.

I lost the ability to find the funny in things for a while there. But now it’s something I say even in serious situations.

When a friend of mine was going through a tough period, a season that tested her and pushed her to limits she thought were well past being pushed. And I keep reminding her, to find the funny. Because if you can’t find the funny, it becomes too much for us to handle.

If you hold on to the serious side of things too much, it can consume you. Trust me, I know.

You might be thinking that in some situations it might not always be possible to find the funny. And I agree with you. But this is where you look for funny elsewhere.

My partner loves to make me laugh. So, when things got/get too heavy, he can pull me out of that heaviness with laughter.

If you don’t have someone like that, look for the funny in other areas. A comedy movie, a comedy show, or if you love to read find a book that’ll make you laugh.

I can’t stress just how important it is to have laughter in our lives.

It is a well-known fact that laughter is good for your body. It enhances your intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles, and increases the endorphins related to your brain.

It feels good. You just can’t go wrong.

I’m not sure how I would have felt if someone told me to find the funny when I was going through a really hard time. And I guess it all depends on the delivery of it too.

For example, I’ve been told to just laugh at someone if they are being absurdly ridiculous. And I never could. At that time, for me, it wasn’t as simple as that.

But now, a few years have passed, I’m a little older, I hope a little wiser, and I look for the lighter side of things.

Maybe because I’ve seen the dark side of it once before, I know I never want to go back there. So, it’s easier for me to look for the funny, or make a joke out of it, and if not, I have someone in my life who can lighten that heaviness now and then.

My supermarket story is a funny story to anybody who reads it. It certainly isn’t hard to see why either and I hope you got a kick out of reading it.

Oh, and I never did go back there either. LOL

If you need to reach out, feel free to contact me, I’m always here to help out where I can.

Until next time, remember…

Be kind to yourself.