Good morning, Vikings!
Please allow me the latitude to take a different spin on my message this week. During the first week of school, I witnessed smiles, laughter, jokes, fun, etc., and it really did wonders for my heart. Now, this is only the third week of school, and those same smiles, laughter, jokes, fun, etc. are slowly diminishing. I am not downplaying the seriousness of the work that we all must do. I am merely making an observation.
Just as our children do, adults need self-care to be their best selves in front of each other and our children. Life brings challenges that can either get the best of you or become playthings for your imagination. When you "become the problem" and take yourself too seriously, it can be hard to think outside the box and find new solutions. But when you play with the problem, you can often transform it into an opportunity for creative learning.
On Wednesday afternoon, August 30, 2023, I sat with our Special School District team at Campus Support (Deandria Player, Barbara Champagne, Salena Todd, Riqionna Goines). For about 7 minutes, we had an absolute blast laughing and joking. The problems of the day seemed to be minuscule for the moment (of course, I had to drag Riqi away from the phone), smiling.
Why am I bringing this up? It dawned on me that laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress. Nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a good laugh. Humor lightens your burdens, inspires hope, connects you to others, and keeps you grounded, focused, and alert. It also helps you release anger and forgive sooner.
With so much power to heal and renew, the ability to laugh easily and frequently is a tremendous resource for surmounting problems, enhancing your relationships, and supporting both physical and emotional health. Best of all, this priceless medicine is fun, free, and easy to use. So why don't we use it?
As children, we used to laugh hundreds of times a day, but as adults, life tends to be more serious and laughter more infrequent. But by seeking out more opportunities for humor and laughter, you can improve your emotional health, strengthen your relationships, find greater happiness—and even add years to your life.
More than just a respite from sadness and pain, laughter gives you the courage and strength to find new sources of meaning and hope. Even in the most difficult of times, a laugh–or even simply a smile–can go a long way toward making you feel better. And laughter really is contagious—just hearing laughter primes your brain and readies you to smile and join in the fun.
Sharing humor is half the fun—in fact, most laughter doesn't come from hearing jokes but rather simply from spending time with friends and family. And it's this social aspect that plays such an important role in the health benefits of laughter. You can't enjoy a laugh with other people unless you take the time to really engage with them. When you care about someone enough to switch off your phone and really connect face to face, you're engaging in a process that rebalances the nervous system and puts the brakes on defensive stress responses like "fight or flight." And if you share a laugh as well, you'll both feel happier, more positive, and more relaxed—even if you're unable to alter a stressful situation.
Shared laughter is one of the most effective tools for keeping relationships fresh and exciting. All emotional sharing builds strong and lasting relationship bonds, but sharing laughter also adds joy, vitality, and resilience. And humor is a powerful and effective way to heal resentments, disagreements, and hurts. Laughter unites people during difficult times.
Humor and playful communication strengthen our relationships by triggering positive feelings and fostering emotional connections. When we laugh with one another, a positive bond is created. This bond acts as a strong buffer against stress, disagreements, and disappointment.
This week, let's get back to laughing and smiling more. It will do wonders for you. Trust me, in this short time, I have had many moments that could have sent me tail-spinning, but the laughter, smiles, joking, and fun I had for just 7 minutes last Wednesday was truly medicine for my soul.
So, whether you are teaching our children, transporting our children, preparing meals for our children, cleaning for our children, etc., have fun doing what you love while giving our children and each other THE VERY BEST THAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE.
Consistency is the mark of a CHAMPION. Be a champion for our scholars and each other as I will be for you.
(Referencing - helpguide.com)
With Genuineness,
Sincerely,
