humor for tough times Archives - Gail KittlesonGail Kittleson

Carol McClain has some GREAT ADVICE and a giveaway this week . . . her humorous take on life reminds me of Erma Bombeck. Welcome, Carol!

Life has been so extra busy this last year. I’ve been busily scheduling:

Book Launch for a new book.
Craft Shows
Concerts
5Ks
Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas
Protests

The busy part wasn’t the activities. It was the cancelling of them all. (Except maybe protests).

How do we stay sane in this awful pandemic/politically charged/economically devastated society?

The prescription can be found in Proverbs 17:22: ^“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine:”

Find the humor.

The very act of smiling—even a fake smile—can change your mood. Go on and give it a try. We’re all in quarantine, so no one can see you grinning when you don’t want to (unless you have your Zoom video running.) PLEASE, always remember, if your camera is on, colleagues can see what you’re wearing or not wearing).

For me, humor has been my coping mechanism. A big zit on my nose? I don’t hide it with a burqa. I tell myself, “Own it, Carol. Make it work for you.” Or I ask for Ms. Pimple for rent.

Laughter isa good medicine. Not only did God tell us this. The Mayo Clinic confirmed it.

According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter has the following benefits:

Cachinnation stimulates many organs.
Chuckling activates and relieves your stress response.
Mirth releases tension.
Hilarity improves your immune system (Take that, COVID-19!).
Got pain? Get snickering. Pain will flee (or escape my escapades in the thesaurus, or my poet’s penchant for alliteration).
Glee increases personal satisfaction.
And proving my initial point, guffawing improves your mood.

Don’t take my word for it. Check out the article.

If you don’t trust the Mayo Clinic, do a concordance check on your favorite version of Scripture. God decreed this truth long before American doctors had.

So, here’s my shameless self-promotion. Skip this portion if you have no interest in considering my latest book (or you don’t mind breaking my heart).

All my writing, even when dealing with intense subjects such as child slavery, drug addiction, or loss, is always dosed with humor. People return to me time and again and speak about how my book made them laugh (even after they cried).

I’ve re-released a book now called The Perils of Cheryl. It’s a LOL novel about divorce, dating, and the divine. One reader said her husband repeatedly asked her what was so funny as she snorted and chortled in bed reading the novel.

Once more: Don’t take my word for it. Check out The Perils of Cheryl

Also, don’t take my word about humor being biblical. Here’s another reference from Proverbs. “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come” (Pr. 31:25).