more stressed<\/a>\u00a0than ever. Humor-focused coping strategies could make all the difference. Here are\u00a0five tips for combating tense situations with a little lightheartedness.<\/p>\nFind A Humor Buddy<\/h3>\n
Have a friend who\u2019s the consummate jokester or shares your love of dad jokes? Make him or her your go-to for a little laugh therapy the next time things aren\u2019t going well. \u201cYou might call your humor buddy and reminisce about something funny,\u201d advises Klein.<\/p>\n
Take A Joke Break<\/h3>\n
Many people take a walk or set aside meditation time to clear their heads. The same can be done with humor, says Sultanoff. Bookmark your favorite memes, joke sites, funny cat videos or short clips from your favorite sitcom to have on-hand the next time you\u2019re feeling stressed.<\/p>\n
Create Your Comic Vision<\/h3>\n
Sultanoff believes that integrating humor into our daily lives is like inoculating ourselves against the stressors of the world. And as we change our perspective, the stress of a given situation will be greatly reduced. According to Sultanoff, a comedic outlook is nothing more than thinking about life with a funny attitude. You can start by noting what amuses you and then include more of that into your life. Sultanoff, for example, has often carried a clown nose and put it on while waiting in line to ease his annoyance.<\/p>\n
Find A Humor Trigger<\/h3>\n
Whether a souvenir, photo or even phrase, Sultanoff recommends having an army of items that spark past events you found amusing. \u201cIf a word is associated with a particular memory, that would tickle you inside,\u201d he says. Klein looks at a photo of his daughter after a cream pie was thrown in her face whenever he needs a good laugh.<\/p>\n
Use Caution<\/h3>\n
Not every moment is served by laughter. Dr. Susanne Cooperman, Ph.D and neuropsychologist at\u00a0NYU Langone Huntington Medical Group, says joking during marital disputes may take the edge off, but should be exercised with caution. \u201cHumor is a tricky one because it can go off very quickly,\u201d she warns. Cooperman believes it works best for couples who have developed this rapport over the years.<\/p>\n
Sultanoff also notes that humor can be distracting. \u201cIt takes you away from the moment,\u201d he explains. What\u2019s more, it can actually increase tension. \u201cIf you\u2019re angry you\u2019re trying to communicate something,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt\u2019s more likely to work if it\u2019s done after the greatest part of the tension has passed. Then the person will feel as though they\u2019ve been heard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Instead, he recommends replaying the argument to yourself with humor after the fight has passed. This action retroactively reduces stress and allows you to think about where you can inject a little levity\u2014and whether it\u2019s actually a good idea.<\/p>\n
About The Author:<\/strong><\/p>\nMelissa Matthews began writing Backstreet Boys fan fiction as a way to pass the time during summer vacations.\u00a0But\u00a0this childhood hobby became a true passion, and she gave up medical school for her own dream of\u00a0journalism school. After a career in marketing, Melissa received her Master of Arts in journalism at NYU. \u00a0Now she writes about business, health, tech, science and anything else that satisfies her thirst for knowledge.<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this article, you may also be interested in:\u00a0https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/cope-with-stress-10-ways\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The signs of stress are all too familiar: the quickening heartbeat, tense muscles and explosive reaction to something small. Avoiding situations that test your patience may be impossible, but it is possible to reduce stress accompanying these unpleasant events. The secret, say the experts, lies in one crucial art: finding the humor. Adapting this mindset…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthandvitality"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4546"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4551,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4546\/revisions\/4551"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.youwealthrevolution.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}