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Survival of the Funniest?

An alarming number of people are becoming terminally serious. The symptoms include a permanently furrowed brow, numerous bad hair days and a loss of perspective resulting in the tendency bigstockphoto_Grumpy_Middle_Aged_Man_3105194to take oneself way too seriously (or is it the other way around?).

All this seriousness is resulting in some serious stress. For example, according to an Ipso Reid survey, 51% of Albertans have physically assaulted a photocopier. (This is probably not the healthiest way to deal with your photocopying issues.)

Fortunately, when it comes to overcoming terminal seriousness and maintaining good mental health, laughter truly is the best medicine. (Not to mention the most affordable.)

A good laugh massages facial, shoulder and stomach muscles, reduces blood pressure, increases oxygen flow, boosts the immune system and reduces stress-inducing chemicals. Studies have shown that laughter works faster on our bodies than either Valium or vodka, and that the benefits of a belly laugh can last for up to 24 hours. Dr. William Fry, a pioneer in laughter research, has found that 30 seconds of hearty laughter is the same physical workout as about three minutes on a rowing machine (now I just go to the gym and laugh at the people working out!).

And don’t think you always need a reason to laugh, because even fake laughter is good for us. So the next time you’re stressed, just start laughing. (If you feel a little self conscious laughing alone, then grab a friend, head for the broom closet and start laughing with each other).

Mentally, humor is a powerful stress buster because it’s one of the best forms of mental floss available. As Milton Berle suggested, “Laughter is an instant vacation”—it clears out the anxieties that cloud our brains in the face of stress, allowing us to tackle our problems with a clear head.

 

Humor helps distance us from a tragedy, breaks the tension in a stressful situation and offers us a broader perspective. It’s also an empowering tool. Humor reminds us that although we can’t always control what happens to us, we are always in control of our reactions.

Does this mean you need to sign up for a stand up-comedy class? Although it might help, it’s by no means necessary. Having a sense of humor isn’t about telling jokes or even always about being funny, rather it’s about having a sense of balance, and about finding the funny in our day to day lives. It’s how we interpret the world around us, about learning to laugh at ourselves and going with the flow. And yes, anyone can learn to flex their funny bone in the face of stress. To get started, try out one of the following R’s:

Reward. Give yourself a positive reward whenever you have to contend with a stressor. This has proven to work even with search and rescue dogs, wherein the rescue team will deliberately bury a bigstock-Funny-mask-9098551live member of the team in the avalanche or debris, so that the rescue dog gets rewarded (“I found a live one, over here! Woof!”) and keeps its spirits up during a stressful situation.

Reframe. Do what comedians do and mentally play around with the situation to find the funny. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, turn the event into an imaginary T.V. sitcom, draft a “Top-10 Reasons This is Funny” list or try the old “it could have been worse” reframing technique—but exaggerate wildly until you can’t help but laugh.

Relax. Remind yourself that you really can choose to have a sense of humor about things. If you need help relaxing, then do something different to break free from your serious mindset. Recall a funny story and relive it. Read something funny. Get up and dance. Walk sideways down the hallway. Sing like Tom Jones. Or create a humor first aid kit and stockpile it with toys, photos, funny hats or silly props that you can easily access the next time you feel stressed out.

Remember, in the face of acute seriousness, the only person you have to amuse is yourself. So give yourself permission to tap into the most natural and the most human stress buster available –your “uniquely you” sense of humor.

Michael Kerr, www.mikekerr.com

Michael is a Canadian Hall of Fame business speaker and the author of 8 books, including, The Humor Advantage: Why Some Businesses Are Laughing All the Way to the Bank, Hire, Inspire, and Fuel Their Fire, and The Jerk-Free Workplace.

 

Rave Reviews

“Your presentation was beyond excellent! You have the unique ability to both entertain and educate. It was the perfect mix of a serious business message, along with a very funny delivery.”
Dave Thompson, CFO & President, Sandvik Canada, Inc.
“Michael was brilliant! An incredible session that received a standing ovation. The content was a welcome and valuable divergence from typical educational sessions. If you need to leave your audience energized with great content, I highly recommend Michael Kerr!”
Dana Cooper, Executive Director, Orthotics Prosthetics Canada
“Michael held the full attention of our senior management team for a full 4-hour presentation! His management philosophy is a fantastic approach that I have encouraged my team to carry forward.”
Martine Rothblatt, Chairman & CEO, United Therapeutics
“It was evident, almost from the first word you spoke, that you would be one of the most memorable parts of the two days. Your high energy, fast-paced, powerful style had everyone on the edges of their seats. Beyond being incredibly entertaining, you gave the leaders pragmatic tools and ideas that are easily transferable to their jobs.”
Mark Breslaw, Human Resources Business Partner, Telus
“Michael’s Leading and Laughing During Turbulent Times was the best presentation I have seen in my 40 years in business.”
Rodney Meadows, Director East Alabama Home Medical
“That was one of the best virtual presentations I have been on and the best one since this pandemic! It was the highlight of my week and gave me a resurgence of positivity, motivation and energy.”
Natasha Purnell, Chief Culture Officer, Park Insurance
“Michael Kerr delivered an absolutely outstanding performance – virtually! His energy and humorous content had our event attendees wanting our company to book him again!”
Kylene Donaldson, Western Financial Group
“Michael Kerr’s humor, messages and energy was not lost at all in the virtual format and allowed us to continue an important tradition of having fun and being together. His messages on how to  build resiliency were delivered in an engaging way that really hit home!”
Brier Albano, Associate Registrar, Medicine Hat College
“With his high energy and animated presentation of over 90 minutes, he had everyone’s full attention!”
Jolaine Arsenault, Retail Market Analysis and Liaison Specialist, Co-op Atlantic
“Just wanted to say “WOW!” – that was awesome! We’ve had many speakers over the years, but none the likes of Michael Kerr.”
Richard Dansereau, President, NAPA Autopro BDG
“One of the most enjoyable keynote speakers we have worked with. Not only was it entertaining, it contained valuable lessons for our managers to take back to the office.”
Peter Panaritis, President, Brinks Canada Limited
“Many of the head office staff thought you were the best keynote speaker we’ve ever had! Thank-you for your invigorating and energizing keynote presentation.”
Tanya Dusyk, Territory Manager, Shell Canada
“Your dynamic and interactive presentation was the highlight of our conference. To this day, years later, we will often refer to the topics you enlightened and enriched our lives with!”
Steve Enns, Vice President and General Manager, TGS Harvard Management
“I wanted to share with you the amazing customer comments below. We’ve been employing various techniques that you described and I wanted you to know that your work makes a difference!”
Kevin Walsh, Chief Marketing & Sales Officer, Showdown Displays
“Yours was one of the most effective, enlightening, and entertaining presentations we’ve ever had at a conference (and we’ve had a lot!).”
Mario Bernardi, Executive Director, ClimateCare Co-operative
“You were by far the best rated speaker. Michael’s energy influenced my entire experience at the conference.”
Mary Anne Yurkiw, Food Matters Conference Chair
“YOU ROCK! Michael had everyone in stitches and offered amazing workplace food for thought.”
Janice Vilaca, Program Administrator, Co-operative Education, Wilfred Laurier University
“I’ve seen Michael four times – he’s amazing. You come away with knowledge on how to make your workplace better and you don’t even realize you were being taught because you are so busy being entertained.”
Michelle Kimura, Owner, MicAr Marketing
“Thanks to your suggestions, staff feel engaged and empowered to start creating an inspiring workplace. You have made a huge, positive impact in just 90 minutes!”
Paola Zurro, Senior Director, Real Property Branch
“Michael exceeded our expectations in every aspect. He was nothing short of the star of our event. By far, the best speaker we’ve ever had!”
Rod Smith, VP, Business Development, Century Vallen
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