Depending on your child’s health or developmental status, our suggestion might sound impossible or just downright wrong. But laughing and creating a more lighthearted atmosphere can greatly help your family. Consider these three benefits of adding humor in your home and how to cultivate laughter into your daily lives.
“Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time” (Proverbs 17:22, GNT).
1. Laughing helps improve your mental health
Laughter contributes to improving your overall mental health, as well as other family members’ wellbeing.
When you’re doing well as a caregiver, your relationships with your child and other family relationships become healthier.
According to the Mayo Clinic when you laugh, the process:
- Triggers chemical reactions that make you feel good
- Improves your mood
- Lowers stress hormones and levels
- Soothes your mind and body
- Reduces tension
2. Laughing helps improve your family’s functioning
When you’re laughing together, those feel-good chemicals are released, and you feel better together.
Laughing together:
- Brings you closer by sharing an inside joke or shared funny memory
- Allows you to have fun together
- Increases positive emotions between you
- Makes life together feel better (at least for a time)
3. Laughing helps give you a new perspective
When you’re in the midst of the intense daily caregiving demands, a brief mental break can make a big difference.
Finding ways to add humor to your day will:
- Bring you joy in the midst of your painful challenges
- Help you step back and see your situation in a different light
- Give you a more optimistic outlook
Try these ways of adding laughter into your family’s day:
Watch a funny show or movie
- Read jokes at dinner
- Tickle each other (if your child likes touch)
- Read a funny book
- Go to the park
- Play in water in the back yard, in a pool, or at a splash pad
- Have a silly string fight
What’s one way that your family has fun and laughs together?
Please share your ideas to help other families in the comments section below!
References
Staff, Mayo Clinic. 2023. Mayo Clinic Healthy Lifestyle Stress Management: Stress relief from laughter? It’s no joke. Accessed March 30, 2023. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-relief/art-20044456.
Todd and Kristin have been married for twenty-one years and have two children with rare genetic disorders and complex needs. As award-winning authors and speakers, they’re passionate about empowering other parents of children with chronic illnesses and disabilities and professionals serving caregivers. They both earned their Masters in Christian Spiritual Formation at Wheaton College and have served together in fulltime ministry in church, camping, and retreat settings. Kristin is a Licensed Masters Social Worker experienced in couples, child & family, substance abuse, and crisis counseling. They enjoy traveling and the outdoors together.
Disability Parenting
Wonderful, helpful article!
Thank you for reading and for your encouraging feedback!
Thank you for sharing practical advice that we can easily do! We have to remember to take time to have fun together!
Thank you for reading! We hope it encouraged you!