It doesn’t matter how you feel; what matters is how you make others feel.
"To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it!"
We've all been there: full of compassion, asking an old lady how she feels, only to receive a detailed list of her medicines and the high costs of prescriptions. She might even show you her hurting knee wrapped in a cabbage leaf, supposedly to remove the pain. As years pass, we start to wonder what kind of storytellers of our maladies we will become. OK! Maybe you're not there… not yet…
When we feel unwell, particularly physically, we want to curl up and wish the world would forget about us until we're ready to rejoin it. Then we hear the famous “How are you?” question. It's at that moment I employ a tip that always works: laugh about yourself. Not only does it make your story less pitiful and more palatable for others, but it also releases endorphins, which can help you feel better. Oh well, you know by now that I am a great fan of endorphins, especially when produced without any use of addictive substances, including the temporary effect of alcohol increasing the production of dopamine and serotonin or even tryptophan (the building block of serotonin, found in chocolate).
To move forward without making you guilty about a piece of chocolate you are going to have with your coffee today or any drink you had over the weekend — how to answer when you have been truly agonising in bed for a good few days… By turning your discomfort into a light-hearted anecdote, you shift the focus from your suffering to a shared human experience. You might say, “I’ve discovered a new diet: a strict regimen of cold medicine and chicken soup!” or “My knee and I are currently in negotiations; it wants to retire early, but I’m convincing it to stick around a bit longer.” This approach not only makes you feel better but also leaves others with a positive impression. After all, everyone enjoys the company of someone who can find humour in adversity.
So, next time you're asked how you are when you're feeling down, try injecting a bit of humour into your response. It's a simple trick that truly doesn’t come to mind as first thought when you’re far from hundred per cent but transforms the miserable into the memorable and spreads a bit of joy. Don’t we all know? Who really cares? If you care about yourself, “produce” a little laughter that will elevate you beyond the pain.
“The role of a clown* and a physician are the same - it's to elevate the possible and to relieve suffering.”
— Patch Adams
*I don't recommend clowning; being a comedian isn't for everyone. However, developing resilience and maintaining a healthy distance in challenging situations are essential skills we all need to cultivate.
Photo by Brandon Cormier on Unsplash