031 - Humour as the Best Medicine!

Welcome to The Fully Lived Life podcast! A podcast for those who are longing to pursue the full life and want to break free from anything that holds them back. Listen in as two friends - a psychologist, Dr. Merry and a life coach, Gillian - talk about life, love and purpose - with wisdom, humour and transparency -  through the lens of science, psychology, and life experiences.

Listen in as Dr. Merry and Gillian kick off the podcast with a few jokes. The good news is that we do have “happy hormones” that we want to foster and leverage in challenging times.

Humour doesn’t diminish our pain but it can provide reprieve, relief and perspective.

Merry shares how she is developing her “feel good kit”. What would you put in your feel good kit to foster humour and joy?

Laughter has many physiological benefits both in the short term and in the long term for our health and well being.

How do we foster humour?

• Invite silliness! Follow your kids’ lead - they are naturally silly, so join in and share some rich connection.
  
• Lean into the bonding that occurs during times of laughter as it helps build attachment.
  
• Poke fun at yourself for things you might normally chastise yourself for.
  
• Merry and Gillian share a few goofy memories.
  
• Exaggerate fears to the point of laughter and silliness to curtail fear.
  
• Break rigid language with some silly talk.
  
• Develop shared couple language or family language from silly experience.

Links:

Dr. Merry’s book: https://amzn.to/2rCrJyI

Dr. Merry’s videos: https://bit.ly/377eFR0

Dr. Merry’s website: https://drmerry.com

Dr. Lin & Associates: http://drlinandassociates.com

Gillian’s Website: https://gillianmcshane.com

Sources: How to Cultivate Humour: https://bit.ly/2Y6iAvL

Sources: Laughter is the Best Medicine: https://bit.ly/2B8xDfj