Surviving Grief with Humor
By Dan Gascon

It is important to realize and accept that grieving over a loss is normal and quite natural. It is a process. The affects of grief can show itself in many ways: anxiety, helplessness, sleeplessness, despair, fear, irritability, anger, depression, nausea, shortness of breath, heart palpitations and even thoughts of suicide. These feelings should never be dismissed or judged as wrong and there is no way of judging how long it will take any individual to heal and start anew. It is of the utmost importance for us to be able to cope with our grief with the goal of restoring some sense of joy and well-being to our lives. Using your sense of humor is a principal element in the healing process.

The Four Survival Phases of Grief

1. SHOCK and/or DENIAL

Rejection: loss of awareness: hazy, unreal feelings; anger; hurt; disinterest; uninvolved; sleep and eating disorders; depression.

2. START TO FEEL

Grasping reality; the end of repressed feelings; venting.

3. ACKNOWLEDGE AND ACCEPT

Returning, bringing the balance back.

4. SETTLING PRACTICAL MATTERS AND MOVING ON

Tending to legal and business concerns; family and friends; assessing your situation; Consciously using joy, lightness and your sense of humor to start the next chapter in your life.

"A smile is the curve that sets everything straight."

Phyllis Diller

When we become overwhelmed, we forget that humor can bring relief. It helps us to cope with our anxieties and takes our minds off our troubles. Using our sense of humor allows us to put our distresses in a place where they do not affect us negatively. It gives us a breather by diverting our attention when things get too difficult to handle.

"Humor is another of the soul's weapons in the fight for self-preservation.

It is well known that humor, more than anything else in the human makeup, can afford an aloofness and an ability to rise above any situation, even if only for a few seconds."

Victor Frankl

Smiling and laughing are statements of recovery.

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Copyright 2005 by Dan Gascon. Reprinted with permission. Founder of Humor for your Health. Reach Dan at www.humorforyourhealth.com