CPH Chemical Dependency Counselor Amber Stickney lets her animal-assisted therapy dog Captain take center stage with a patient during a recent session. It is not unusual for Amber’s clients to get down on the floor in her office to be closer to Captain. April is both Stress Awareness Month and Counseling Awareness Month. Photo submitted by St. Lawrence Health.
POTSDAM – Allow yourself the freedom to let loose a real belly laugh, or take some time to interact with a pet. You may just be surprised to find that your stress level has decreased and your mood has increased.
April is both Stress Awareness Month, and Counseling Awareness Month, and St. Lawrence Health team members have some good advice on how to change up those anxious feelings, or realize the time has come to set up an appointment to talk with them.
“Laughter and humor are a great tool for anyone struggling with a mental health diagnosis,” noted Gouverneur Hospital Director of Behavioral Health Heather Rich, LCSW, CASAC-MC. “Laughter is something that can give a patient a break from the struggles of depression, anxiety, trauma, et cetera. Laughter is something that can take you out of living in the past or future-focused thinking, and put you in the present moment to fully enjoy and embrace that experience.
“Laughter in the immediate moment can decrease our stress response and soothe tension. In the long term, it can help to alleviate pain, increase personal satisfaction, increase social interactions, and improve your mood,” she added.
Learning to laugh at yourself and find humor in a situation can be a good thing, as can realizing not everything is as serious as we may think. Sayings or comments about humor have been around for ages and may be told from generation to generation because there is truth to them. Most of us are familiar with the lines “laughter is the best medicine,” “laughter is contagious,” or “I’d rather laugh than cry about it.”
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