How do stressful settings make us grumpy, while others grin or smile and act silly as a counter to chaos and commotion? Is stress a learned behavior and is its opposite, the talent for getting silly and laughing at ourselves, innate? If not, how can we learn to replace stress with its silly and amusing counterparts?
We know that fun and laughter are to a stress free-brain what worry and venting are to its anxious opposite. Yet the jury is still out on how we move from stressful to silly and fun. Interestingly we can learn from small children here though. Research shows that children laugh 300 to 400 times a day, compared to 17 times that adults laugh. Consider a child or adult you admire who laughs easily and often.
We likely have at least one person in our circle who seems laid back, and silly in ways that support others who face tough times by adding a lighter touch. This person likely laughs at self easily and looks for humor in the little things we may miss or rush past in a stressful schedule.
Jump onto that person’s orbit today or whenever possible, and we begin to lighten up our personal game. It’s a surefire way to sidestep any generalized despair where it seems impossible to articulate what makes us restless. How so?
Simply connect with a fun-lover on a regular basis and our brain will do the rest. Our minds come with ready-made mirror neurons that literally copy and paste other people’s personality traits into our own.
See why we need to avoid cynics and seek out those who inspire fun, laughter and silly adventures? No surprise that fun and a good belly laugh offer mental and emotional tools to build less anxiety and more zest for living our best lives – even in difficult settings. What may surprise us, is that we can enjoy more fun and humor with others while at the same time we lower anxious moments and gain back time we typically spend worrying.
Our 5th in a series of 50 brain based anxiety-free tool calls for action that sets in motion how we spend regular time with those who value laughter, fun and a carefree approach to solve problems with silly solutions that work well.
Laugh together like three year olds, and we stay active, curious and ready to be surprised by joy from others.
Hearty laughter often leaves us assured all is well with our soul. We may even begin to understand how another person we admire faces let-downs or disappointments with fewer knots or bumps of stress and frustration along the way.
New Guidebook with 50 fun, practical guides for surviving chaos and confusion of pandemic – coming soon to TpT
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Created by Ellen Weber, Brain Based Tasks for Growth Mindset