Monday Tip: Laugh!

It is Monday already! So here is the Monday Coaching tip...

Don’t forget that I offer personalised coaching programs (www.perfectlyhappy.co.uk) and the first session is absolutely free, so if you want to have a chat don’t hesitate to contact me!

So here you go...

We will all agree, there are days when we feel more like crying rather than laughing... Days when it feels we have spent it shouting at a toddler (who does not want to hear what you have to say!), days when we have changed far (far) too many pooey nappies... when we have put our fingers into poo far (FAAARRR) too many times! Changed our outfits a few times because of spillage of any sorts, and then give up.

That’s not all... Your toddler decided to throw a major tantrum in the supermarket and you could tell those people were thinking “Oh FOR GOD SAKE! Get security, this mother is obviously not in control!!!”...

When the day is over, you sit down and realise you have two options: cry or get drunk see the humour in the situation and laugh it off... the choice is yours!

So what are the benefits of having a sense of humour?

·         It helps you connect with others. It unites people especially if you laugh together.

·         It helps you see situations more positively.

·         It helps managing stress.

·         It helps replacing distressing feelings with more positive feelings.

·         Humour increases energy.

If you want to start bringing laughter into your life, here are a few tips:

·        Start with smiling – practice smiling every day wherever you are. Smile at others or even when you are on your own.

·        Count your blessings – make a list to help you see the positive in your life. Once you are more positive, it becomes easier to laugh.

·        Spend time with people who have a good sense of humour – humour and laughter are contagious, so the more you are around funny people the easier it is for you to see humour in your everyday life.

·        Take yourself less seriously – laugh at yourself and at the moments you took yourself too seriously.

·         Pay attention to children – they have a natural ability to laugh at everything.

And the same as with everything, too much of something kills it. Humour has got its limits so:

·        Don’t laugh at others’ expenses - making humour at the expense of yourself is fine but undermining others using jokes can sometime be mean, even if you don’t mean to.

·        Don’t use humour when someone is going through a crisis or a painful situation - respect their pain and laugh with them when/if they decide to make humour about their situation.

·        Use humour everyone can share – using inside joke can single out some people and laughing all together has greater influence.

·        Realise that humour is not good for every situation – there are times when you need to control your sense of humour for example if you are having a serious conversation with someone who needs your full attention. Laughing might give the wrong message, for example that you don’t care.