HEALING WITH HUMOR

Humor and laughter are not only fun--they also enhance:

Mood - Immune functioning
Learning - Muscular relaxation
Creativity - Circulation
Intimacy - Respiration
Confidence - Pain control
Coping

In other words, laughter is the best medicine!

10 tips on moving through life at 60 smiles per hour:

1. Keep a "humor journal" or scrapbook: every day, write down something funny that you heard,
saw, said, or did--it could be real-life or fictional. You can also collect funny comics or
pictures. Re-read your journal when you need a boost.

2. Post funny quotations or cartoons on the refrigerator, bathroom mirror, your notebook or
locker, bulletin boards...

3. Videotape your favorite comedies and watch them with friends. Find audiotapes of comedy
routines to listen to while doing household chores.

4. Establish a joke exchange with a friend: write down any good jokes you hear, and swap
jokes each time you talk.

5. Let others know which personal qualities you are willing to be teased about, and which are
off limits.

6. Go to the humor section of a bookstore, or ask your librarian to recommend some humor
writers. Browse, borrow, or buy.

7. Practice funny expressions, accents, or characters. Find a "trademark" that fits your
personality.

8. Carry photos of yourself when you were younger; show them to others and enjoy a laugh
together. Take snapshots of yourself (or others) acting silly, and look at them often to
bring out your lighter side.

9. Do you find yourself complaining to others about what a terrible day/week/month/life
you've had? Take those complaints and work on exaggerating them to the point of absurdity.

10. Stuck on an embarrassing mistake you made? Tell it to others, but try to find a
humorous side to it. How important will it seem a year from now?

11. Add your own ideas here:

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Eric Endlich, Ph.D.
Needham, MA
http://www.drendlich.com