Do you have Humour Impairment?

‘Being an adult can be serious business, but so many people have lost the sheer capacity for fun, joy and laughter- Even when the opportunity is there, we miss it.’

 

 

We have always told our kids to hang up the phone when someone odd calls.

We have been receiving many calls lately from non-english speaking folk on the other side of the world, informing us our computer is not working-a scam to steal all our money.

Our 11 year old son was in charge of the house for 5 minutes-I had quickly ducked out.

This is what happened when I was away.

‘Ring ring..Ring ring’

“Hello it’s X speaking”

“Hello X, I was wondering if your mum or Dad were home? If so, may I please speak with them?”-A lady with a strong accent queried.

X- “Nope!” -Clunk-He promptly hung up the phone.

‘That’ll sort HER out he thought, pleased with himself.

5 seconds later-

‘Ring ring, ring ring’

“Hello X, please don’t hang up this time. It’s Mrs K- the Principal of your School.”

X-Silence…panic…shock!

“Oooohhhhh- I’m sorry Mrs K, I didn’t recognise your voice, I’m soooo sorry, I’m home by myself and I thought you were a rip-off from Africa”

 

 

This story was re-told absolutely beautifully by my 11 year old, who has always been – ‘one of those people’ that has the rare ability to lighten my life.

His quick wit and his relentless natural humour, is a gift to me.

 

…

Below is an article that’s well worth the read if you think you are suffering from a condition by the name of ‘Humour Impairment’-I’m certain I have suffered from this in the past, and I am equally certain my husband suffers from it now!!

This article has been living on my study wall for a period of 6 years, sticky-taped and blue-tacked, yet if you had’ve asked me what was up there,  I probably would’ve responded with “nothing.”

It’s funny how something I see every day, can be wiped from my memory recall.

It’s entitled:

HUMOUR MAKES LIFE EASIER

-ANON

Humour can be a powerful and effective mechanism for coping with stress, especially when combined with other means of stress reduction. The real power of humour and laughter shows up when you learn to use it in stressful situations. It keeps things in perspective, helps dispel negative emotions, and puts you in a frame of mind that can help better cope with the situation. Combining stress management techniques with a more light-hearted outlook on life won’t make you stress-proof, but it can make the difficult things easier to endure.

If you’re willing to laugh at the little disasters in life, you’ll find that other areas of your life will also become easier. Laughter, especially when you laugh at yourself, does many important things:

 

• It empowers you. When you laugh at your setbacks, you no longer feel sorry for yourself. you feel uplifted and encouraged.
• It helps you communicate more effectively.
• It makes you likeable
• It helps you cope. “Nothing erases unpleasant thoughts more effectively than concentration on pleasant ones”-Hans Selye
• It provides perspective by removing you from your problems. Everyone makes mistakes, and we need to remember that-” I may not be perfect, but parts of me are excellent”-Ashleigh Brilliant
• People tend to be less threatened by you.

 

Using Humour effectively

You may agree that laughing will help with your stress but agreeing with this doesn’t always help when the kids fight, miss the bus, and leave you late for work.

Everyone has his or her own sense of humour. If you’re not attuned to yours, you’ll end up missing many opportunities to use humour skills to deal with life’s stressors. Being an adult can be serious business, but so many people have lost the sheer capacity for fun, joy and laughter. Even when the opportunity is there, we miss it. Many adults have this problem called ‘Humour impairment.’

–Simply defined, it means the inability to find humour even in situations that are funny to most people. Stress can cause humour impairment. Fortunately you can make the choice to change.

 

Finding the laughter in life

You don’t have to laugh out loud to find something funny, but you do need to recognise the types of humour you will be able to  use most effectively to manage stress. Do you life slapstick humour or verbal humour? Do you understand what kinds of humour offend you? Do you like jokes that focus on things you have in common with the comedian? Do you like to see props and gimmicks? Do you find humour in things that weren’t necessarily meant to be funny? Answering these questions will help you identify what humour to seek to help reduce stress and have more fun in life. You also need to ask yourself how long you hold on to misery before letting loose with humour.

 

I wrote an article recently on the benefits of using Humour over Anger in times of confrontation.

It’s difficult to do, but if you can master it over time, the benefits are enormous.

You can read it Here

 

 

 

 

Roaring Laughter-WordPress Daily Prompt

 

What is my favourite post today?

Check out this fabulous story below.

It’s well written, natural, and has a simple, soft voice.

My Favourite Post today.