Humour and resilience – Quiz

1.  Read the text and answer the questions.

1. According to the article, what can some events in life do to our psyche?
Sometimes life doesn’t seem to play fair. It blindsides you at the most inopportune moments, and even if we can learn to grin and bear the ups and downs, they can take their toll on our psyche.

2. What does Kristen Lee say is needed to process difficult times?
According to author and clinician Kristen Lee: “Laughter and tears are both therapeutic – we need both to process such hard times.”

3. What are our everyday lives normally filled with?
Our lives are really serious, often filled with mundane and repetitive activities, whether it’s arbitrary bill paying or fighting for a seat on your commute.

4. According to the article, what things can we do to enjoy life a bit more?
You could make funny noises to remind you to stop taking things seriously, or learn some silly jokes, just to tell when times get hard. They could make you or other people around you laugh!

5. What can writing parodies of life help you to do?
Writing parodies in your spare time about events that take place could help you compartmentalize.

2.  Choose the appropriate words or phrases to complete the following sentences.

1. I know it was sad, but don’t let it get you down .

2. I heard that the performance was hilarious and the comedians roasted  each other.

3. Please don’t make fun of me! I have feelings.

4. We need to really embrace the changes the new boss has made.

5. We need to work through this and not get bogged down by the minor problems. 

Humour and resilience

Sometimes life doesn’t seem to play fair. It blindsides you at the most inopportune moments, and even if we can learn to grin and bear the ups and downs, they can take their toll on our psyche. So rather than suffer in silence or let these things get you down, maybe there is another way: what if humour can help you get through the dark times?

According to author and clinician Kristen Lee: “Laughter and tears are both therapeutic – we need both to process such hard times.” But how can we find the tough things that happen funny? Our lives are really serious, often filled with mundane and repetitive activities, whether it’s arbitrary bill paying or fighting for a seat on your commute, we need to make time for fun and play – enjoy the little things. Why not make funny noises to remind you to stop taking things seriously, or learn some silly jokes, just to tell when times get hard? They could make you or other people around you laugh!

When a hurdle pops up in life, it’s easy to get bogged down – but the way we recount events can impact on our resilience. Rather than see the negatives, look for the ironic moments and tell people about them! Why not write parodies in your spare time about events that take place to help you compartmentalise? Script what happened as if it was happening to a character rather than yourself.

We all know that some things in life aren’t fair. But take those events and send them up a bit in your scripts! Sometimes life needs a bit of a roasting to get your thoughts in order, and embracing your comedic side, seeing life’s difficult moments as obstacles that can be made fun of rather than overwhelm you, may help you get through them more easily. And who knows, you may just discover a talent for writing at the end of it.