LAUGH AT YOUR STRESS TODAY

Laugh at your stress and see what happens… nothing… nothing short of getting major instant stress relief that is. Don’t believe those party poopers who say one who smiles in a crisis has already found someone else to blame. Have a good long laugh even if you have more problems than a math book, even if you started out with nothing, and still have most of it. This is about ignoring the only person who doesn’t forget you when you have no money, the bill collector; it’s about making a paper plane out of the letter from your bank telling you this is the last time they spend 44 cents to inform you there’s 37 cents in your account; it’s about turning your back to those who say you do the job of three men: Larry, Moe, and Curly.

Actually, there are events in our lives that produce way too much stress to even think about smiling, let alone laughing. 1) Death of spouse or close family member. 2) Serious illness or injury. 3) Divorce or separation. 4) Jail term 5) Fired at work. 6) Menopause 7) Foreclosure. 8) Death of a friend. 9) Military deployment to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Events like those above have no easy fixes, they open emotional wounds that may require a support group and time to heal. Some call a six-pack their support group (salvation in a can), but that's just another way to allow the stress to linger on. Now, a jail term shouldn’t generate as much stress as it does, since in prison you no longer have to work. In prison you can watch TV and play games, at work you get fired for doing it; in prison all expenses are paid by the taxpayer, at work you are the taxpayer. In prison you must deal with sadistic wardens, at work too, they are called managers. Also, in prison you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out, at work you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars. So, you see, being in jail is not that bad after all unless you're on death row or something. By the way, did you know that they sterilize the needle before giving lethal injections to inmates? Crazy! Now, if you've being deployed and find yourself in a combat zone, don't become overconfident, realize that every time an attack is going well, you've walked into an ambush; so don't ever be the first, don't ever be the last, and don't you ever volunteer for anything. Stay positive, you are never retreating, just advancing in a different direction.

In reality, there are many circumstances that can generate as much stress in people as the ones we mentioned, but as far as it goes, it all depends on your stress tolerance level. While a little bit of stress can serve as motivational force for you to accomplish bigger and better things, too much of it can be bad news in more ways that one. Poorly managed stress can easily end up being a vicious cycle, where the pressures lead you into drug abuse, overeating, procrastinating, etc, which in turn can make you depressed, anxious, and angry. As a matter of fact, current statistics on insanity show that one out of four people suffers from a mental illness. So, if your three best friends are all okay, you have to be the one mentally ill. The day you see Elvis sitting in the middle of Bigfoot and a Na'vi, would only confirm the statistics on insanity.

When an individual begins experiencing the physical manifestations of excessive stress, the vicious cycle is completed. Typically: stomachaches, headaches, heart disease, hair loss, skin rashes, sleep deprivation, and the killer one: low sex drive. Even though sex is like air (no big deal until you don't get any), being unable to break the 68 speed limit of sex (at 69 you turn around), can be awfully frustrating and stressful to the max. Not only that, sometimes you finally get your head together, just to have your body fall apart. But, don't worry, we'll talk about handling things like that next time around. Trivia of the week: A hydrant has H2O inside, and K9P outside. Thanks for visiting!