Adding humor to a stressful situation can lighten the mood. A former client related to me a story about an argument with her husband. When tempers flared, their dog raced into the bedroom where they were arguing, snatched my client’s frilly nightgown from the bed, and began to race through the house with it. What moments before was a heated argument dissolved into gales of laughter. And in that moment, the couple realized that the basis of their argument was not important enough to risk hurt feelings or worse.

Laughter and amusement feel light, don’t they? When we smile or laugh, the endorphins produced affect our mood. Even the act of smiling when we don’t feel it can affect our energy. There is a famous story of Dr. Norman Cousins, who reportedly cured himself of a life-threatening illness by deliberately finding laughter every day – he watched funny movies as a form of therapy, and healed.

The next time you feel stress about any situation, find something to laugh about. You may be surprised at how much better you feel.