How Important Has Humour Been To Your Recovery?

[onebravegirl]

Hi there!. This is my first thread as a "Member". yay.
So just as the Title says, I am interested in hearing from other recovered members who have come to appreciate the healing powers of laughter. For me even dark humour at times helped more than hugs. So how about you?
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[BethRSA]

Sometimes, you just have to laugh...or cry. If possible, I prefer to laugh.

I see the funny side of "normal", every day things. When trying to learn Afrikaans language, I laughed so much at myself.

I think that laughter is a great tool. My friend says that when she hears me laugh, she knows that I'm fine. No matter what stress is going on around me, if I can laugh, it's better.

 

[Irton Pike]

I can honestly say that gallows humour kept me going. I guess that means it kept me alive. I believe there is humour in all situations.

 

[Manic11]

At first I used (and well..I guess I still use) humor is a defense mechanism sometimes. If something is really upsetting or I'm fighting with someone, I tend to throw in little jokes (not in a rude way).
Sometimes I do that if the subject is a little sensitive to talk about. It helps get it out. But I also find it does help.

Humor, in my opinion, is extremely important in all parts of life, especially recovery.

Manic

 

[Frankie]

I totally agree....Having a sense of humour, especially being able to laugh at oneself makes everything seem so much more bearable !

I told my exbf once "I have noticed many people on the forum have a great sense of humour...just like you" and he replied "yes, definitely...it makes us forget, much easier to laugh then to dwell on what we don't want to remember"

Manic, I agree also with what you say about sense of humour being a defense mechanism....my exbf felt the same way ! Oh and you do have a great sense of humour Manic :)

Onebravegirl...congrats on making it to member :)

Frankie

 

[Grama-Herc]

I personally don't think any of us would survive without our separate and individual sense of humor. It is what helps us when we are in survival mode. At least for me anyway.

 

[This Ends Now]

I agree with what everybody has said so far. I not only use humor as a coping mechanism but as a diagnostic tool as well. When I can laugh at normal things then I know that I am doing OK. When I only laugh at twisted jokes then I am not so great but still hanging in there. When I cannot laugh at all I know I need immediate help.

 

[onebravegirl]

In the trauma ward one night, there were five or six of us girls sitting watching TV in the common living/dinning room. At the far end of the room were all the tables and cafeteria. It was a quiet night, but I sat there with my arms wrapped around myself, my legs shaking. All of a sudden it hit me. I knew what I was feeling. RAGE. All the rage of being victimized, all the lies, the pain , everything. I felt like I was going to explode!
Without saying a word I went across the room, picked up a basket of fruit on the dinning table, climbed on top the table and started throwing the apples and oranges as hard as I could, in every direction. It felt SO GOOD. Nurses came running, the other patients started ducking, and I started crying. It was over in about 90 seconds. The nurses talked me down from the table top and hugged me, the other girls starting crying and saying good for you!
After that moment, I became known as "The fruit thrower".
It makes me laugh every time I think of it.
I think laughter heals us.

 

[Irton Pike]

I used to have a much more robust sense of humour. I used to be able to deal with people I found difficult by taking the mickey out of them. I didn't get angry. I used to wind people up and laugh at them.

These days I get angrier quicker. Its not good as I used to be quite witty when I needed to be.

I miss my wit! I want it back. I used to be able to see fun in every situation. Now less so. I do feel like it is coming back though.

 

[skyp56]

I had a hard time with this question.

At first thought, I would have said I do deal with PTSD with humor.

But on second thought, I have to say maybe I used to be able to deal with others with humor, but seem to have lost it lately. And that, I think, is why I have had such a hard time socializing for the last several years; lost my sense of humor both for myself and for others.
Irton, I agree with you here, totally; it's my anger at my illnesses that has hidden my humor, too

These days I get angrier quicker. Its not good as I used to be quite witty when I needed to be.

I miss my wit! I want it back. I used to be able to see fun in every situation. Now less so. I do feel like it is coming back though

.

Irton, I agree with you here, totally; it's my anger at my illnesses that has hidden my humor, too

So, I guess my answer is that my sense of humor is the benchmark; that I'm NOT in a good stage of recovery yet. I am finding my sense of humor is coming back now, with the good meds, but it's not "back" yet, to what it was years ago. I think when the fibro pain hit me, there went my sense of humor, as well.

Good question, though. Got me thinking about my goals, and my own road to recovery. I've needed some way to track my progress, and this is a good one. And something for me to work on, as well.

 

[damaged goods]

oh yeah - humor helps.
I've learned that i can only loose my mind so many times and it really helps a lot to be able to laugh (even if it's in a hsterical falsetto).

 

[Lionheart]

Although it is sometimes marked by cynicism and sarcasm, humor has been very important to me, but only in the later stages of healing. Early on, there was simply too much pain and anger to release, but as time went on I found that ironic jokes, (even when I didn't really feel happy), was necessary to regain and then retain some sense of equilibrium. This eventually led to a much better attitude about myself and about life in general. I intend to laugh as much as I possibly can, while I still can.