Happy May 3rd…it is, apparently, World Laughter Day.
And yes, I know — “laughter is the best medicine” is one of those phrases that’s been so overused it almost loses meaning, but as I often say, cliches are cliches for a reason.
Because they’re typically true!
👉 When was the last time you laughed really hard?
Not a polite chuckle. Not “haha that’s funny.” Not a forced smile.
I mean the kind where you can’t breathe for a second and your abs hurt a little.
Yeah. That one.
We don’t do that nearly enough, so this week, instead of trying to fix your Sunday Scaries, I’ve got a different idea:
Let’s lighten them up a bit.
1️⃣ Not Everything Needs to Be That Serious
We treat everything like it’s high stakes.
Work. Decisions. Conversations. Emails. Even home can seem like a place where adulting is the only way of life and fun is something we get to have when all the work is done.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a time and place to buckle down and push through the tough stuff because a lot of life is serious.
Some of it is.
As Elbert Hubbard so brilliantly said: “Don’t take life too seriously. You’ll never get out alive.”
💡 Lesson: Where can you lighten up life a little?
2️⃣ You Probably Take Yourself Too Seriously (Same)
This isn’t a call-out. It’s a group activity. 😄
We all do it. We overanalyze what we said, what we did, how we showed up, what people think.
We hold ourselves to standards that no human could ever possibly meet and grind away trying to be perfect, better than “that guy” on your Facebook feed, or constantly striving to get to the next level.
Meanwhile, most people are too busy doing the exact same thing to notice.
If you’ve ever worked with me, I’m sure you’ve heard me say (in a variety of contexts), everyone has their heads so far up their you-know-where to notice!
💡 Lesson: Loosen up and work on satisfying yourself instead of everyone else.
3️⃣ Laughter Is a Fast Reset
You can spiral for 30 minutes…
Or you can watch something ridiculous for 5 and feel like a different human.
It takes 10 – 17 muscles to smile, and up to 50 to frown, so laughter and happiness quite literally takes less energy!
It may not solve the problem at hand, but it’ll change the way you approach it.
💡 Lesson: You don’t need toxic positivity to reap the rewards of a genuine laugh.
4️⃣ Your Body Knows Before Your Brain Does
Ever notice how different you feel after laughing?
There’s a reason for it. A real, physiological one.
Laughter reduces stress, boosts your immune system, and even gives your heart a little workout. The natural, free form of medicine reduces stress, improves immunity, and even gives your heart a little cardio boost.
Who knew!?
💡 Lesson: Your body knows what you need; take the info and run (or laugh) with it.
5️⃣ Go Create Something to Laugh About
We don’t have to wait for something funny to have a good laugh, although happy accidents are known for creating the best of hysterics.
Text the friend. Send the meme. Watch the dumb show. Tell the story. Regardless of what makes you laugh, do that thing and more importantly, allow yourself the moment.
And, if you’re stuck in way too serious of a moment, and it takes starting a joke jar to get the most out of World Laughter Day, so be it. 😄
💡 Lesson: If you want more laughter in your life, you usually have to initiate it.
6️⃣ Find Your People Who Make You Laugh
Have you ever read the book The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon?
No?
I highly recommend it because it’ll have you looking differently at the people in your life.
Not everyone brings positive energy. In fact, some people are energy vampires who drain it, and if we’re not careful to recognize that and minimize (or eliminate) time with them, we can find ourselves down the energy spiral before we know it.
Laughter and positive energy go hand in hand, and while some people drain it, others create it.
Know the difference.
💡 Lesson: Spend more time with the people who fuel your energy bus.
7️⃣ You’re Allowed to Enjoy Your Life Along the Way
At the beginning of each chapter of Scary Good: Discovering Life Beyond the Sunday Scaries (shameless plug), I include a famous, and sometimes not-so-famous quote.
The start of the final chapter of the book includes the following from the great Pablo Picasso:
The meaning of life is to find your gift.
The purpose of life is to give it away.
We’re so focused on fixing things, improving things, building things…that we can forget to be a human on purpose, but when we do, it becomes a lot easier to enjoy life – no matter what it hands us.
💡 Lesson: Joy isn’t earned; it’s embodied (and often found by filling others’ cups).
This week doesn’t need to be perfect. It doesn’t need to be optimized.
It probably doesn’t even need to be that serious.
👉 It just needs a little more laughter than you’ve been giving it.
Happy World Laughter Day.
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie
