Whimsy on Wednesday
Let’s have some fun! Some days, does it feel like you can’t escape the weight of the world? It only takes a few minutes of doom scrolling through climate change, war, sex trafficking, hurricanes, drug overdoses, and racism to put me in a bad mood. I feel sadder after typing that one sentence. With all the problems, stress, and uncertainty in the world, is today a good day to dress up in a costume, eat cookies, and laugh with my friends? Yes, it is. I’m not saying fun will cure all the world’s problems. However, there’s lots of scientific research to show the positive impacts that fun can have on your health and well-being. You stress less when having fun. I know. I look pretty silly wearing pigtails and a sweatband. I don’t mind. Laughing can lower your cortisol, according to this study . Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone. Ergo, a few jokes can lower your stress. They say a joke becomes a dad joke when it becomes apparent. (Couldn’t resist.) Because lower stress levels are