Last updated on June 15th, 2024 at 05:33 pm
If I don’t laugh, I’ll cry: One mom’s COVID story is a personal, relatable look at how one twin mom is using humor to survive the pandemic in her house. Check it out today to learn how to find the humor in your life, too.
I think it is fair to say that 2020 is definitely a year to remember and forget all at the same time. Finding laughter during COVID may be the only thing left to do which is great because if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry.
Just a few months ago, I was on a cruise ship off the coast of Mexico, drinking a pitcher of peach margaritas. This is the last time my life made sense (THIS is when my life should have made the least amount of sense). I returned home from my mini vacation to a world that was hoarding bottled water and rolls of toilet paper.
I am an essential worker for a fortune 500 company, and never did I ever expect that being “essential” meant needing to be there to answer hundreds of phone calls about the availability of toilet paper! This is my life now. And no matter how ridiculous or pathetic it sounds, you can’t help but find it a little amusing! Plus,
These are uncertain times, full of stress, unpredictability, fear and a shortage of toilet paper! Now more than ever, we need laughter! Finding laughter during covid can go a long way to helping you feel better. It relieves stress, soothes tension, improves your mood and immune system. Humor has a way of bringing people together and giving us the opportunity to make light of undesirable situations.
Make “If I Don’t Laugh, I’ll Cry” a Mantra and Focus On That Daily
Find a way to laugh about your own situation. One thing we, as technology and social-media driven humans, can count on during a world crisis are memes mocking said crisis! I believe this may be the best contribution millennials have given us. The best thing to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic are the memes. Everyday a new meme becomes my favorite.
There are memes about the toilet paper shortage and suggestions for alternative resources such as all those unpaired socks we keep around, you know…just in case!. There are memes about homeschooling, social distancing, wearing masks, canceled vacations and comparisons to The Shining and the stay-home-to-stay-safe initiative. Most of these memes are magical, wonderful and best of all hilarious. Many of these remind me that if I don’t laugh I’ll cry during COVID and they give me a great reason to laugh.
If you’re willing to look, there is no shortage of laughter during covid. Simply search “Coronavirus” on any social media platform and you will be overcome with smiles and laughter!
My kids make me laugh multiple times a day. Sometimes they are truly funny and sometimes I am laughing because if I don’t laugh, i’ll cry! Either way, I laugh and get through another moment of COVID.
On occasion I need to outsource for some humor. This is when I turn to my standby list of funny shows! I can ALWAYS count on Friends to make me laugh, even though I have seen each episode at least 12 times! Jimmy Fallon Hashtags often make my cry from laughing and Momsplaining with Kristen Bell is so relatable, honest and hilarious. Make a list of what things will guarantee laughter during COVID and include them in your life often.
Laughter Brings People Together
Isolation is a feeling a lot of us have become a bit too familiar with recently. Even though I have limited (by limited, I mean COMPLETELY cut off) social events, visits with extended family and basically turned my kids into social recluses, surprisingly, laughter during covid has helped my whole family fill that social void.
When I read something that makes me giggle, I immediately share it with friends and family. It often leads to a little back and forth text conversation, and maybe another funny meme or two. It is quick, but it is just enough “social” interaction to get me by for another day.
My personal mantra during this pandemic has been, “Misery loves company.” Stop and really think about it. It is completely true. It doesn’t have to be vindictive or revengeful, it just simply means that we are all in this together and it brings comfort and hope when we know others are miserable, too!
It’s Time to Lower Your Parenting Expectations During Coronavirus
Start sharing those funny memes like your back to school woes and how you are handling the idea of resorting to leaves as a butt wipe. Laughter has the ability to unite people during difficult times. Humor gets you out of your head and away from your troubles and when you share laughter you are doing the same for others!
Get the Kids Involved in Finding Laughter During COVID
Don’t forget that our children are currently living in the unfamiliar, too. I can’t solve my kids’ need for social interaction and longing for the pre-COVID life they once knew, but I can try to help them enjoy their isolation time and make them laugh as much as possible! Laughter during COVID isn’t just for the grownups! If I feel like if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry, imagine how the littles must feel.
We’ve had lots of dance parties and sing-a-longs, we’ve taped glow sticks to our bodies and danced around in the dark. We’re constantly on the search for a funny limerick or knock-knock joke. We are perfecting our silly faces even while wearing a mask. The truth is, if my kids are laughing, so am I! Their giggles are infectious and this is one disease I’m willing to catch.
Laughter During COVID Really Is the Best Medicine
Did you know that stress and anxiety can lower your immune system? (Read about it here.) And who isn’t feeling a little (OK, a LOT of) stress and anxiety these days?
Laughter decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies resulting in a higher resistance to disease. We could all use more of this in our current world! Laughing also releases endorphins, the body’s natural happy chemical. Who couldn’t use a little more happy in their day?
Maybe it’s time to adapt a little ‘if I don’t laugh, I’ll cry’ mantra of your own.
We’ve all heard the saying, “One day you’ll look back and laugh.” No need to wait for the present to become the past. Find a way to laugh now.
Amanda Hadley is a part-time photographer and full-time dishwasher, cook, maid and financial assistant to her 5-year-old daughter, one-year-old twins, and husband of 8 years. She loves to travel, take naps and Atlanta Braves baseball. Most days you will find her at home sifting through the massive piles of laundry and dishes, and getting as many cuddles as possible before the kiddos are too cool to hang out with mom.
