When Is It OK To Laugh?

The days following my seven year old nephew's death were a blur of activities. The busy-ness of making funeral arrangements, greeting friends and sharing memories kept us conveniently distracted so that our brains would not stumble into the pockets of grief scattered throughout our mind. We would spend enough time there over the months ahead so the distractions were welcomed.

After two viewings, a memorial service and a graveside service, our family gathered at my parents' home for a needed meal and some rest. We picked at our dinner, a generously donated gift of the usuals. Chicken Tetrazine, green bean casserole with the little canned onion rings on top, buttery homemade rolls and rich chocolate brownies made from scratch. Then we slumped into our seats in the living room and let out a collective sigh. We looked like warriors that had just returned from battle and (Continue Reading…)

10 Tips for Adding a Bolt of “Lighten”ing to the Healthcare Workplace

by Ron Culberson

1. Use HUMOR in communicating information through emails, memos and presentations, discharge instructions, etc.

2. Start all staff meetings, team meetings, nurse's reports and case presentations with a bit of HUMOR to create a relaxed atmosphere.

3. Create a FUN committee to help plan parties, celebrations and recognition events for staff.

4. Create a HUMOR Bulletin Board in the nurse's station or staff area where you can put funny cartoons, jokes and pictures to share with other staff.

5. Hold a LAUGH Lunch once each month where, over lunch, staff have a chance to share jokes, stories, embarrassing patient care moments and other funny things.

6. Collect HUMOROUS books, tapes, and magazines to be made available to patients and their families to relieve stress.

7. Create a FUN Stress Relief Area for staff that includes stress balls, candy, Koosh Balls, etc.

8. Cut (Continue Reading…)

Enjoy Yourself

by Allen Klein

Waiting for my plane one morning, I was not aware of any children nearby, only adults reading their newspapers, chatting with others or gazing into space. Suddenly there was an announcement over the loudspeaker that the flight had been canceled. Disgruntled, the passengers made their way to the counter to be reticketed. Two children, perhaps six and seven-years-old caught my eye. They were the only ones not complaining. They were the only ones who seemed to be having a good time in spite of the situation.

Sitting on the floor, they reached into a small carry-on bag, pulled out a handful of plastic Mutant Ninja Turtles, and proceeded to enjoy themselves. When they tired of this, they traced the lines of the carpet with their feet. They repeatedly counted the number of colors in each section of the rug. And they made up a game by hopping from (Continue Reading…)

Seriously, The Joke Is Dead

by WARREN ST. JOHN

In case you missed its obituary, the joke died recently after a long illness, of, oh, 30 years. Its passing was barely noticed, drowned out, perhaps, by the din of ironic one-liners, snark and detached bons mots that pass for humor these days.

The joke died a lonely death. There was no next of kin to notify, the comedy skit, the hand-buzzer and Bob Newhart’s imaginary telephone monologues having passed on long before. But when people reminisce about it, they always say the same thing: the joke knew how to make an entrance. “Two guys walked into a bar”; “So this lady goes to the doctor”; “Did you hear the one about the talking parrot?” The new humor sneaks by on little cat feet, all punch line and no setup, and if it bombs, you barely notice. The joke insisted on everyone’s (Continue Reading…)

What If the Hokey Pokey IS What It’s All About?

by Patt Schwab. Ph.D., CSP

No matter where you are in life, every so often you need to stop and ask yourself the philosophical question this article poses: What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's all about?

Think about it.

Seriously.

What if, when we get up to those pearly gates, they don't ask us how many awards we received or stuff we accumulated or software programs we finally mastered? What if we are asked how much singing and dancing we did with our friends and loved ones?

The Hokey Pokey is a great metaphor for focusing on the goals that matter. Not the stress and structure goals of youth, but the self delighting goals that come when the hard stuff is done and a new world stretches before you. Here are a couple tips on how to use the wisdom of the Hokey Pokey.

Put (Continue Reading…)

If You Don’t Pause Nothing Worthwhile Will Catch Up With You

by Patt Schwab, Ph.D.
The Pause that Refreshes. Remember that phrase? What ever happened to those pauses where we admired a sunset, laughed with a friend over a beer, or shared the Coke the phrase encouraged?

We’ve lost them. We let technology weasel them away from us and in the process have become a crabby, nasty, me-first nation of soreheads. How often a week do you hear the word “mean-spirited”? How often do you feel it?

The loss of the “pause” contributes mightily to our confused national response to life. Look at us: the economy is basically good, the deficit is going down, statistically even crime is dropping. In the last year we peacefully resolved international hot spots in Korea, Cuba and Haiti and yet EVERYONE IS TICKED OFF. What gives?

When you lose the pauses in your life, you lose the good (Continue Reading…)

HOW TO BE STRESSED FOR SUCCESS!

Part of the Humor Hint Series

by Patt Schwab, Ph.D.

Humor is not a joke! When it comes to reducing stress, humor can help put our problems into perspective. Here are a couple quick ways to try it out:

1. Choose one time of the day to worry.

Day or night, when worrisome things come up, jot them down and save them for your “Worry Time.” (After lunch is good because it’s not a notoriously productive time anyway.)

Allow yourself 15 minutes (max!) to worry. Pace around, flail your arms, chew your fingernails, eat chocolate, cry, look serious, shuffle papers. Do whatever you need to do to express your worrying. If you don’t finish in 15 minutes, leave the rest for the next day – you may even want to add that you are worried about not fitting all your worries into the allotted time!

2. Look for an alternative to (Continue Reading…)

HUMOR'S ROLE IN TRAGEDY

by Patt Schwab, Ph.D.

You're sick! How can you laugh at that? The next time someone says that to you, tell them humor is part of your healing process. You will be right! Humor is a natural response to a tragedy or setback, and it develops in a predictable way. The process is the same whether the initial setback is a horrible accident, a layoff, a broken heart or a national tragedy. To some extent you can even monitor an individual or group's recovery from disaster by the stage of humor to which they respond. What happens to us in a disaster?

First there is a set back – a death, an injury, an important loss of some sort – and nothing is funny. In fact it is horribly inappropriate to laugh. What is most needed emotionally at this stage is a (Continue Reading…)

HOW TO CREATE POSITIVE PEOPLE IN YOUR WORKPLACE

Part of the Humor Hint Series

by Patt Schwab, Ph.D.

Positive, humorous people make life worth living and work worth doing well. If your clients and colleagues are not already positively funny, here are some ways to encourage them without becoming a clown yourself:

1. Ask your co-workers to tell you something funny, or to share a success that happened for them that week.

We have become so programmed to share only bad news, that this request may draw blank looks the first dozen times you make it! Keep at it. Eventually, wonderful things will happen: someone will call you to share a joke, or fax you a cartoon, or stop by your desk to share a funny anecdote from a staff meeting or to relate a cute thing his or her toddler did that morning.

Allowing others to share their humor with you is a gift from (Continue Reading…)

FOUR EASY WAYS TO BUILD A BETTER WORKPLACE WITH HUMOR

Part of the Humor Hint Series

by Patt Schwab, Ph.D.

Work is not God’s way of punishing us for failing to marry rich! We spend too much time at work to ignore the potential for creating a positive supportive environment.

Here are some ideas that can build a more fun-loving, productive workplace.

1. Put up a Humor Bulletin Board.

Invite staff, clients, folks from other departments to contribute to it. Change the cartoons frequently. This keeps the board fresh and it also diminishes the impact of the negative cartoon or joke that inevitably gets posted.

2. Share the funny things that happen in the office.

One sophisticated group with whom I consulted assured me, “This is the corporate headquarters. Nothing funny ever happens here.” A few minutes of questioning revealed an elaborate hoax in which Wilber, a teddy bear mascot, had been stolen from the accounting office. A (Continue Reading…)