Travel and living

Why So Serious? 5 Reasons Not To Take Life Too Seriously

Life can get a little testing at times. It can sort of be like a sullen child; sometimes it’s brooding petulence and other times, life is like a two-year-old throwing temper tantrums in the middle of a shopping mall.

All of the little things add up and evoke us to take life way too seriously.

According to the American Institute of Stress, 83 percent of working people in the United States have dealt with work-related stress.

Let’s admit it though, it can be really frustrating living in the twenty first century. Things like slow internet connections, emails that always start with the same greeting, people who drive at a snail’s pace, and ambiguous dress codes for events we rather not be at can lead to frustrations. These small frustrations end up becoming the reasons why we take life too seriously because we lose ourselves in the process.

But what good does all that do? A little change in perspective can help us look at life more positively. And maybe, with a touch of humor? Perhaps, we’ll learn to see how funny dress codes really are. Or maybe, the world is ready for new ways to greet people in emails? (Is that going a bit too far?)

Everything is Ridiculous
Have you ever stepped back and saw how strange the world is in all of its remarkable glory? Humanity in itself is strange and so is civilization. Like, reality shows, for instance!

Absurdism is a philosophic movement that talks about how strange and chaotic our world is. To be able to take a step back and be able to laugh at the absurdities that come with existence helps not taking the world too seriously.

So, next time you think the traffic is too slow, imagine how funny it is that we sit in little moving boxes with wheels to commute. Or when you are stressed about going to an event, think how hilarious it is that everyone has to follow this ambiguous dress code that nobody truly understands. We’re all floundering around trying to make our place in the world. And, isn’t that lovely?

Our Connections Are What Really Matter
Over the many years, researchers have pondered and tried to understand happiness. What makes people truly happy? Well, apparently, they’ve all come to similar conclusions. It’s the personal relationships we’ve built and the connections we have that make us the happiest. Not work or anything else.

Your loved ones are good for your health! They help you cope with stress, positively impact your mental health, and even add years to your life!

When you are stressing about work the next time, remember the value of your happiness. Try to spend time with your family, spouse, children, and loved ones. They can surprisingly be good people when you meet them!

In all seriousness, when you look back at life, you won’t remember work or the time you spent working, but you’ll remember the moments you spent with family and loved ones during picnics, vacations, and dinners.

Worrying Doesn’t Give Good Results
Sometimes worries are unwarranted. And it’s human nature to be worried, but if you take a step back and see it from a bigger perspective, sometimes these worries can be avoidable.

Like, getting frustrated over the direction signs and stubbornly trying to make sense of road maps when asking for directions can be an option. Worrying won’t bring you good results and it certainly won’t help improve productivity. If anything, it’ll damper it.

Sometimes going with the flow and laughing at yourself would help you get ideas out of your problems, and maybe help you make a friend along the way. As cheesy as it sounds, life can be an adventure!

Change How You Perceive the World
At the end of the day, it really depends on you how you perceive your world and interpret it. You can view it differently if you try. When you perceive something, it’ll end up being that for you. Like seeing a coat hanging in the dark. Even if it’s not a demon, you’re going to spend the night shivering under your covers. So, in a way, that coat did become a demon. Sometimes we take absurd things too seriously. And things that we should take seriously are considered rather unimportant.

Life and the world we live in are pretty; and when we take life too seriously, people miss out on joys by being too preoccupied with what is happening rather than focusing on what’s around them.

The way you interpret moments of your life will determine how you perceive your life in general and then effect how you’ll make your decisions.

Laughter is Scientifically Proven to be the Best Medicine
One good way to not take life too seriously, is to be able to laugh at it, yourself, and the hilarity of it all.

No jokes, but laughter is a great form of stress relief! It stimulates your organs, boosts oxygen intake, it can relieve your stress response, relieve pain, boost your mood, and soothe tension. And laughter can even enhance your immune system because negative thoughts produce chemical reactions that decrease your immunity.

If you’re worried you have no sense of humor, there’s no such thing! You just haven’t found the right sort of humor yet.

About Reid Champagne
Reid Champagne has been a famous American humorist, observer, and a humorous travel writer for over 35 years! His travel writing shows the mundane as extraordinary with the glitter of life and hope. He is one of the top humor columnists in America with a touch of irony and satire that’s dets his work apart. He is famous for his work in An American Walkabout. Even now in his 70s, Reid’s writing and humorous observations and takes on relationships, the mundane, and food, including his exceptional travel writing pieces that are a breath of fresh air.

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