Let's face it: the holidays often force us to spend more time with the family members we otherwise wouldn't spend that much time with. Add to that the stress of shopping and cooking, and it's almost a surprise how we managed to get through these few weeks at all.
Psychologists say that taking care of our mental health is very important during the holidays. Almost nine in 10 adults in 2023 said there's at least one thing that causes them stress during the holiday season. Financial concerns, finding the right gifts, and food and alcohol-related issues make people worry the most.
One way we can alleviate the holiday stress is through laughter. What's more, we might even find a connection with our family members through humor. When we're stressed, we may say some things we don't mean. In the heat of the moment, we might insult, disrespect, or hurt others.
But what if we trained ourselves to have a little bit of humor in these types of stressful situations? Researchers have found that humor helps strengthen bonds, improves communication, and results in more satisfactory relationships. Humor can lighten up a tense conversation and the atmosphere around the holiday dinner table.
Laughing together also brings us closer together. Psychologist Rod A. Martin claimed that shared laughter strengthens social connections and makes people feel closer to each other. When we laugh with others, it strengthens our sense of togetherness, creating new relationships and fostering those that we already have.
Clinical psychologist Mitch Abblett, Ph.D., proposes injecting more mirthfulness into our conversations. By mirthfulness, he means actively redirecting the conversation during disagreements and fights to make it more witty. Instead of using passive aggression, we should veer towards something more funny and comical.
Abblett describes mirthfulness as "Intentionally speaking toward what is lighter, what is just funny about the factfulness of the moment in a way that joins people, unites them in a cause, or points to the universality of the struggle people have in such moments."
He gives an example as well; if you and your partner are frustrated about doing laundry and throwing accusations at each other, try out some humor. Say something like "We're losers for letting the laundry pile up like this," propose you'll need a clone to have all this done. Your partner then can respond that that clone better be Martha Stewart who'll make you a soup-to-nuts dinner while she does it.
