A day without laughter is a day wasted - Charlie Chaplin
Fun and play are very necessary to keep things light when you have been stuck at home for months on end. Adults do NOT laugh enough. Look at yourself on your phone camera quickly.... I'll wait......
What did you see? Did you see a serious face? Did you see some tension or frown lines? Did you see someone who needs to laugh more?
I have seen humour dissolve quite hectic conflict but one of the things I think you need to know about humour is that one size does not fit all. So here are some things about humour that I would like to share with you:
Read the Room
When dishing out fun and playfulness you need to notice what is going on around you. If you have just bugged the heck out of someone, don't try and tickle them on the tummy if that is not their thing. You will just make them more angry. You need to gauge their mood and act accordingly. If the person you are trying to humour gets intensely irritated by humour when in a bad mood, leave them alone. If you find that people are not reacting well to your jokes (read their body language or the look on their faces), then stop and find a different way to bring light to the room.
Try something crazy
Tony Robbins suggests breaking the pattern when someone is going on and on about something... so for example, someone is moaning and groaning about something and you are not really in the mood to hear the complaints, do something crazy like flap your arms like wings and cacaaaaaa like a big bird. I've tried it and it really does diffuse a situation.
Humour gone wrong
I personally don't like humour that puts other people down. If you want to put yourself down in a joking way to make people laugh, then fine, but don't put other people down because that's not funny. Also, know your audience.... if you tell jokes about Corona for example, make sure that the people you tell them to will appreciate them and not find them offensive. Be sensitive to what is happening in people's lives, humour should not be hurtful.
Pranks
Playing little pranks like moving someone's plate to a different location when they have just make their food and then suddenly they can't find it for a second or two, can be funny and cute, but putting hot chilli into their coffee isn't (unless that person finds that kind of thing funny and you know for a fact that they do). Pranks that hurt people like tripping someone as they walk past are never funny!
There is a funny side
Having a sense of humour and not taking things too seriously will go a long way to keeping you healthy and sane in these weird times. Seeing the funny side of things is the best way to diffuse tension and to stay calm when things get overwhelming. I would love to hear one of your comments about when you saw the funny side of a situation.
2020 is going to be a time that we will always remember. #Remember that time we had to wear masks everywhere we went? So how do you want to remember Lockdown? WIll it be a time that there was a lot of conflict and strife or will it be a time to remember with fondness?
Find the funny side, okay?