Opinion : In the Middle of a Pandemic? Laugh

I'm a gal that has waaay too many surgeries to mention. The upside is that I got to be a professional on how to go under anesthesia and come out on the other side better. 

Go under laughing. 

Before going under one of those times, it was a stressful, serious, life-threatening time. If you know me, I can find humor in just about any situation and this was no different. I had just been flown via helicopter to the hospital 20 minutes away, for an emergency c-section. I was strapped to a bed, and couldn't hear over the blades of the helicopter for the 15 minute ride. I was then wheeled quickly down the hospital hallway, and getting sick from watching the ceiling tiles wheel by, I sometimes get motion sickness.

The irony of the situation hit me. I'm dying, and my biggest concern was not to throw up from motion sickness, so I laughed. 

Then as we arrived at the room to prep me for surgery. It felt like I was being stung by a swarm of bees. Blood tests, IV's being started and other procedures, and rather than flip out, and I was getting really close to it, I laughed. "Why are you laughing?" one of the nurses growled. "I feel like I just ran into a beehive and I'm getting stung all over!" I responded. She didn't respond.

Next, I was wheeled into the operating room.

From my "seat" in the house, all I can see are the ceiling tiles, and in addition to that, I can see wrappers flying like crazy over my head. It reminded me of a parade, with just wrappers airborne. In addition to that, it was silent. All the faces surrounding me we so serious. Again, no one was talking. 

I laughed. 

"What's so funny?" someone again growled.

"It just looks funny from here," I said, "Well it's NOT funny!" was the response.

I knew that. I knew it was super duper serious, but it was either laugh at the bits of humor that I could see while flat on my back, or totally freak out and I was trying really hard not to freak out. 

I stifled my chuckles and dutifully went under. 

When I came to, I had a beautiful little red-headed girl with brown eyes, the combination that I had wanted to see, 5 times before but never did. Considering what I had just been through I felt pretty good, I felt happy.

The next day, following the "push on your stomach until they wanna scream" procedure, they discovered that for some reason I had ruptured yet again. I have no idea why that would have happened...

I did not go under laughing. I didn't come out laughing either, it was not good. This time there really was nothing to laugh about. 

I was also greeted by a doctor that explained that the nurses were surprised that he didn't "lose it" in the operating room. 

So I'm not sure if things were really tense while I was under, but I knew that I also did not go under in a good mood at all. 

I discovered then that there had to be a connection. 

I applied the same belief to life in general over the last couple of years. There were times I could feel myself going to a dark place and I acknowledged that yes, I had a right to be there, but I was not going to stay there. I definitely got my money's worth out of Netflix. I watched comedy shows one after another. I laughed. I made sure I laughed out loud, and really loud. 

Did you know that your body doesn't know if your laughter is real or if it's a fake laugh? When you laugh, it triggers all of the feel-good hormones in your body. 

Laughter is also an immune booster. 

So do yourself a favor and laugh. You might actually be doing yourself and us all a favor by having a good laugh. Boost that immune system with a comedy. Go for belly laughs.

Find your most hilarious movie and watch it. 

Keep your kids laughing. This isn't a time to burden them with the seriousness of this. Explain it yes, but don't scare them with it. 

Explain again, why you can't so somewhere or have friends over, but then, find something to laugh about. 

The reality of the situation is that we can only do so much, our priority is to take care of ourselves, which helps to take care of those around us. Our mental health is as important as our physical health. 

Take some time to laugh.

It's good for you, and like the wisest man Solomon said, "A cheerful heart is good medicine..."