Laughter is a vital part of coping with life, let alone life with chronic pain. It's so important it will get a separate tip all of it's own.Finding ways to laugh can be a little tricky if life feels overwhelming, even more so if constant pain has already begun to get you down. One of the easiest ways to laugh, feel happier and therefore in less pain is to do something childish.
Today neighbour and I made birthday cake for her daughter, and giggled like a pair of kids as we licked the buttercream off the beaters. Yesterday glorious sunshine meant I got to go for the first paddle of the year; kicking water into the air never loses it's appeal, no matter how old we get, as irresistible as kicking through autumn leaves.
Anything will do, so long as it's a bit silly and childish, it might only take a second to do, but it'll brighten your whole day and help improve your pain. What childish moments have brightened up your day today?
Laughter is a constant part of my daily routine. It's how I survived my life before my liver transplant, especially since every time I looked in the mirror all I could see was a man that was dying. It's also how I survive life post-transplant, and life in general.
ReplyDeleteIt carried itself over into my medical treatments, as I made 2 Top Ten lists, "Ways Of Knowing You've Been Living With Liver Disease Too Long." (#4, You're so jaundiced, you hold bananas up to your skin to determine if they're ripe enough.)
My humor made its way into the operating room on the day of my transplant. I taped two signs to my belly. The first, over the liver read "THIS LIVER'S FRESHNESS DATE EXPIRES 8/1/97 (The date of my transplant)" The second one, on the other side of my belly, read "OPEN OTHER END," with arrows pointing towards my liver.
Even my surgeon was amused when my hospital gown was lifted to prep my belly. Too bad I was already under anesthesia at the time.
There is an old acting saying: "Dying is easy; Comedy is hard." I think this also applies to living with a chronic condition. You have to work at seeing "the funny" at times, but it beats sitting around and lamenting your misfortunes.