What to do to have more reasons to laugh

When they say that April 1 is not only the birthday of the bishop-cook, a one-day holiday, but also a way of life, this is not always deceitful.

It is true that "time is the same for everyone", but we can choose our attitude towards it, our role and events. Anything that causes an emotional reaction is useful - laughter. But laughter is not all the same.

Older people rarely laugh like children, as if something prevents them from opening up (this is the topic of another article), watch and see that they often laugh with restraint, like clucking hens. Only liberated, "open", unrestrained, unregulated laughter helps better, - says psychologist Andrey Kashkarov .

Learn from children

Don't be afraid to appear natural, funny and don't be afraid of criticism - "not everyone can afford that". Remember the spontaneity of children's behavior, adults can learn from them too.

And the more often, the better. And for this, try to be in the company of young people more often - if possible: this way you will get to know a unique and modern culture and will be positively amazed at many things. At least at how different it is from the typical culture of people "of age", "who have seen things". If the statement that a person is "what he eats" is true, it is no less true that "he is as young as he acts young".

In order to have more reasons for joy and laughter, it is appropriate to divide plans and their implementation into two hypostases: creating a good feeling and mood for yourself - self-excitation for creative behavior and directly active actions. The first includes maintaining the body in good shape.

Taking care of your tone

Give up alcohol and any depressive practices, move more, use contrast showers, cold water dousing and other similar measures, provided that they are safe for health - there are no medical contraindications. Use fruits and vegetables for nutrition. Drink a lot of water.

Don't get carried away with sweets (they make you sleepy). Ensure a night's rest of at least 10 hours with a mandatory influx of fresh air in the room, regularly airing it. To cleanse the liver - with regular prevention, use dietary supplements, drugs - hepatoprotectors such as "Geptral", "Milk thistle" or from a wide group of essential phospholipids.

Other choleretic agents are also suitable in terms of their mode of action; their benefits for humans with regular use have been confirmed by evidence-based medicine studies.

Liver cleansing leads to even greater activity and a sense of energy at any age. So you will feel like you are on the wings of a dream and will never want to lose this magnificent state.

New impressions

Travel, get acquainted with previously unknown cultures, in other words - use any reason for positive surprise. In order to surprise others, you will need your own regular positive emotions, derivatives of surprise. Be open to new knowledge.

Watch feature films - comedies. The anticipation of watching films with your favorite actors already contributes to a good mood, and scenes that make you laugh - to a harmonious state of mind.

Watch, read comics and funny pictures, stories that make you smile, authors who write easily and funny even about the difficult and tragic. Don't just read jokes published in the press, but also create your own. And to do this, observe and don't be afraid to experiment.

When you come to see a therapist and find a queue, don't be shy and don't be sad: call a nurse, a cleaning lady or a manager - anyone who has access to the medical office due to their job, tell her absolutely seriously that you are the doctor's illegitimate son and ask to see you out of turn in order to "remove all questions" before you "make mistakes" by giving an interview to the press. You won't be kicked out or even shot for this.

Study the life stories (biographies) of interesting people. Not every author is a master of artistic words, but almost every writer is an inventor or, as some call them, a "storyteller" who identifies himself with the heroes of his creations. Therefore, they may have boring biographies, but they know a great many stories, and you, the listener, will only benefit from this.

Fixation and recollection of positive emotions

Record in any way (photo, video) and in particular write down funny stories, reread and remember them. But exclude banalities - the lot of "too serious", eternally "right" uninventive natures. Because everything is good in time. Appreciate every moment of life, because it is unique.

By the same analogy, the best smile is not when you smile in a quite expected, strained or "duty" way in response to the photographer's words "cheese...", but at the right moment, remember a really funny story that happened to you or with your testimony (participation); there are always many of these in our turbulent times. For example, remember your happy impressions from recent times, when it was indescribably good, inventive and "magical".

Careful observation

Instead of jumping over manhole covers on the pavement “for luck” or trying not to step on the joints of the subway floor slabs, pay attention to faces, sincerely observe other people (instead of looking at the screen of a smartphone - although it will do in some cases when showing humorous programs).

Watching people, you will see the amazing diversity of the world and faces (you will figure out the characters yourself). Someone has a large disproportionate nose, the creator-creator for some reason attached "non-union" eyebrows or bow-shaped lips to another's face, someone has a creaky voice or a falsetto that is unsuitable for a heavy figure.

Without moving far from the object of observation, imagine: “If this were my husband (wife), what would happen to me then…” Translate what you see into your own stories, imagine yourself as their hero.

Always look for the positive (and funny) sides (they exist, they cannot but exist) in any situation. If you are called "on the carpet" to the boss, this despot and eternally "puffing out" critic of your initiatives, remember how he could bring himself to such a sad life that he can get constipated at the most inopportune moment, or a nervous tic makes his left eye look like a "flashing traffic light".

These are just examples, it is impossible to list all the options. But once you think about them and organize the practice, making it a habit, you will soon see and be surprised at yourself - how much you have changed and began to look and perceive (treat) surrounding events and people with humor and sarcasm.

Don't be afraid to smile for no reason

Don't think that someone will see you with an "idiotic" smile conjured on your face and even say: "Laughter without reason is a sign of stupidity." This is not about you. More precisely, you don't care. After all, it is you (and not someone else) who wants happiness, and only happy people can make others happy.

It's just that others haven't yet reached the level of understanding the truth, which is why there are so many "busy" gloomy faces around. But an understanding nature will always smile back. As kindly as we smile at the talent of C. Chaplin or Baron K. F. I. von Munchausen.

Be unpredictable

If you are paired with a person with "iron logic" and a practical mind, calculating each of his (and your) steps, he needs to be constantly surprised. The "sign" of plus or minus in this action, when everything else has been tried, no longer matters.

But in general, you need to act impromptu, play creatively in accordance with the maxim: "If you want to be happy for a day - get drunk, for a month - get married, and for the rest of your life - play!" So, creating unpredictable situations, you literally blow his (her) brain. Isn't this pleasure and positive emotions? In short, use any creative qualities and don't repeat yourself in your actions. This can also be funny.

Someone will remark to this that everything is good in moderation and in accordance with the conditions - situations. And thus will show his well-founded and stereotyped abstruseness ("the mask has long since grown to the face"), giving away an adult.

But being cheerful does not mean being irresponsible: these concepts are not identical. To be, and not to seem cheerful, is to reflect one's inner world outwardly - free and independent.

And your smile will “make everyone feel better” because sarcasm and humor (against the background of overly serious faces that relax their facial muscles on schedule) at all times helps to cope with any situations, challenges of the time, emotional experiences and “problems”.

Earlier we talked about what active listening is.