Can we laugh and grieve at the same time?
That’s a tricky question, isn’t it? Grief has us wrapped up in so many emotions, we almost feel guilty laughing and allowing our souls any sort of relief. Grief can sometimes even cause laughter because it’s our bodies way of releasing stress and emotion. My brother and I laughed our way through one of our planning meetings for our other brother’s funeral. At that point, it was our third funeral to plan together in a short period of time and, I think it was the only way our bodies, and our hearts, could handle the gravity of the situation.
But what if that laughter was the very thing we needed in order to welcome more healing?
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases our immune cells. It releases endorphins that provide us with a sense of well-being and pain relief. What better way to give ourselves a break from our grief and pain than to find a way to laugh?
It might not just be a choice, it might actually be necessary. A great mentor of mine continues to preach to me that even though I speak on grief and all the ways grief shows up in our lives, I must make room for a little appropriate humor in my talk. Research shows that if people don’t laugh, they can’t make room for absorbing more of the true healing message. They aren’t able to hear what you have to say because they have reached their capacity for hearing more, if they aren’t given a break.
And since my talk is 60 minutes of grief healing help, I want to make sure I deliver it in a way that is going to be the most healing for everyone there. Sometimes, a good “Amen” will do the trick…
But I think this idea rings true whether we’re listening to a talk on grief or actively healing and processing our grief in our own personal life. We have to let ourselves have a break. We need to let go of the guilt we might feel over laughing and accept and know that it’s just our heart’s way of making room for more healing to occur. They say, “laughter is the best medicine.” I think that is true in moderation. I don’t know one grieving person that would want to laugh all the time, but this week we can try it for just 2 minutes.
Find a Youtube clip, a Facebook video, a home movie your favorite book, comic strip or television show and give yourself permission to laugh for 2 minutes and see how that feels. Tell yourself it’s OK to laugh right now. Use it as a prescription for healing this week and see what happens. Once you find that clip, please share it below.
We can’t wait to hear how this helped you this week. Share your funny video with us down below so we can laugh along with you. Share how this helped you clear some space or if it was really hard to do. We’re here to support you.
Sending you big love!
Love and Blessings,
Erin
Interested in booking Erin as a speaker at your next women’s church group, grief group or event? Contact us HERE.