“I‘ve about reached the max with this intensity biz, Bill. I’m depressed, anxious, holed-up at home, and pretty much fried. Life is a major drag, and I’ve run out of ideas.”
Hmmm. Well, maybe it’s time to think about the woman who hit the bathroom before delivering her speech. You know, the one who had the back of her skirt tucked into her pantyhose as she walked to the podium.
Or how ’bout the time you laughed so hard you passed a little audible gas in front of your friends?
Those do it for you?
People, it’s time to be silly!
Work, work, work – that seems to be all you do anymore. And even if it isn’t in accordance with the traditional definition, life itself has become – well – hard bloody work.
Am I right?
Hey! You won’t get an argument from me that enduring and trying to manage a mood or anxiety disorder is labor intensive.
Guess my question is, what makes you think you can somehow live (not “live”) with the emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical carnage of not being silly once in a while?
Can’t quite figure out how to do that? I thought you’d never ask.
10 Ways to Keep the Silly Crankin’…
- Learn how to let yourself go.
- Learn how to laugh at yourself. Face it, in some manner you really are funny.
- Think back to the last time you had a good-old-fashioned belly-laugh. And re-live it.
- Take a look at yourself in a mirror (in all your intense glory). Shake your head, chuckle, and say, “Well, look at you, you sorry so-in-so.”
- Laugh about a time you were at your depressed or anxious worst in a situation that really counted. You no doubt did something that objectively looked pretty silly (like the time during a job interview 25 years ago that my coughing (vocal tic) was so bad the woman I was talking with kept offering me lozenges).
- Find that movie or TV show from the past that had you in stitches. (Okay, I’ll admit it – one of mine is The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!)
- Maybe it’s books, audio, or something online that does it for you. Get busy.
- Hang with children, and do what they do. Let them take the lead!
- Arrange some time to be with friends or family members you’ve had a goofy time with in the past. Let the script just play out.
- Consider how far your seriousness has gotten you (hmmm).
Oh, don’t bother telling me I don’t understand depression or anxiety. Poop! If you’ve read my history you know I’ve experienced and endured trauma and tragedy to the max.
And through it all, I was always able to muster up a good chuckle. Heck, my anxiety was at it’s pinnacle when my cousin and I went to see The Naked Gun at the theater.
In fact, I laughed so hard and often I darn near keeled-over from hyperventilating.
I more than understand the dynamics of life = work. And I also know for a fact that being silly is a cinch remedy.
Okay, how ’bout this one? It was 30 years ago and the church was packed. The reader (a friend of mine) approached the lectern to deliver the scripture reading. He was stoked to impress us with the words of Paul to the Philippians.
And with great vigor, he began…
“A reading from the Epistle of Paul to the Filipinos.”
Everyone in the sanctuary, including my friend, hit the floor with laughter!
Be silly, people. Be silly. It’s good for what ails ya’…
image credit joechiappetta.blogspot.com
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