Stress and Humor

Stress is living. Some types of stressors can be more lethal to the brain than others, however, such as chronic, unmanaged negative stressors. Studies by multiple researchers have found that a good stress-management technique is to develop a good sense of humor. You likely know some people (often those you love to be round) with a dynamite sense of humor. You probably also know some individuals who never developed this mental faculty. I keep a 3-ring binder in my office (one of these times I'll probably transfer the contents to my computer--but hey, I started that binder before the days of computers!). Any time I sense a negative stressor, I try to recall something in that binder that my brain finds humorous. Or I grab it off the shelf and glance at a couple of favorite cartoons. Start a file for yourself of things YOUR brain finds humorous. Then laugh and you may even sense the stress reaction fading away . . .