H – Humour& Happiness

I have chosen 26 tips for married life as my theme for the

A-Z challenge 2016.

 Today’s word is H - Humour& Happiness

One of the secrets to a Healthy marriage is – having a good sense of Humour. When I say humour its something that not only makes me laugh loudly, at tough situations but even some times laughing at our own mistakes can diffuse all stressful moments.  It is said that laughter can release muscles tension and neuro chemicals into the blood stream creating the same feelings of happiness.

Humour brings more than just physiological benefits to a husband and wife, it also helps us cope with difficult situations in life, thus creating a strong bond with each other.  Research has found that laughter produces Oxytocin, a chemical in the brain also referred to as the bonding chemical. According to Bill Cosby “If you can find humor in anything, you can survive it.” Research also reveals that having a strong sense of humor prevents burnout and depression not only in general but also in marriage.

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I have survived in my marriage, because I learnt to smile at all times, they say it just takes 14 muscles to smile and 72 to frown. This was a good enough reason for me to remain cheerful believing and hoping that all will be well. I also developed the habit of reading a lot of funny jokes both printed word, sometimes used to purchase books while I travelled from any transit point’s bus stations and railway stations. These days I started enjoying reading from the internet and whatsapp jokes and keep forwarding to my friends to spread laughter and cheer.

One of my hobbies is also to watch comedy and repeat shows on the television. Usually I switch on to laughter challenge, comedy nights, SAB TV, depending on my mood some times as a family we even watch regional movie comedies in Telugu, Tamil. In my younger days, I loved watching Laurel and hardy, Charlie Chaplain, Lucy show on television, Crazy boys, Herbie goes banana and also cartoon shows.

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I am not very inclined to watch serious stuff on television and mostly preferred humor.  Sometimes I do watch some very good movies to stay relevant to understand youngsters and current trends and style, as I work in counseling centre wherein most of the time I meet young scholars and PG students, who come with various psychological problems. So at the end of the day I would prefer to unwind by watching comedy or reading something light and funny to help me smile, laugh loud at home.

Happiness is a decision I made and help a lot of youngsters to make this decision, to be happy, come what may…. There is no guarantee that there always be sunshine and rain, at times there will be dark clouds of darkness and disappointments, its part of life and the other side of happiness. I remember a book I read some years ago by Fr John Powel SJ and I still remember a sentence that said H = IJ meaning Happiness is an Inside Job. 

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So very true, to be happy in marriage one has to be happy with oneself first, happy people make happy marriages, despite all challenges.  It is sad to see a lot of youngsters today entering into a relationship searching for happiness and so quickly feel shattered and disappointed, and move out to live on their own and at times opt for legal divorce. (I am not saying that one has to live in a abusive relationship and allow one to be exploited and manipulated to an extent that it becomes a threat to the very existence) 

Marriage is a sacred act if one is serious about the commitment made and is willing to take time to understand and build a lovely family.

“A great marriage is not the union of the perfect couple, but an imperfect couple who accepts and embraces each other’s flaws”

Be Happy !