Laughing in the Face of Transition

Hey expat.  You too repat.  When was the last time you laughed?

Like really laughed.  Belly laughed until your ears hurt and you actually had to force yourself to think of something sad for fear that you might pull a muscle in your gut.  Laughed so hard that you had to fight to catch your breath even after you stopped laughing . . . and then you snorted and started laughing all over again.

I’m not talking “lol” here.  I mean “BWAAHAHA!”

How long has it been?  How often does it happen?

Too long?  Not often enough?

Why is that?

Let me guess.  Life happened.  Transition got real.  Culture shock or re-entry stress hit you like a ton of bricks and you can’t even remember what gut laughing feels like.

In the economy of major life transition, laughter sometimes feels like a luxury that you can’t afford.

I’m right with you . . . but we’re both wrong.

It’s hard to find a better value proposition than laughter.  Your investmentment is virtually nothing and the returns are astronomical.  Try to get that deal from stress . . . or worry . . . or anger . . . or complaining . . . or overthinking  . . . or even venting.

Bottom line?  You need to laugh.

 

Here’s why.

 

Laughing is healthier and tastes better than Kale

The only thing that disqualifies laughter from being classified as a superfood is that . . . well, technically it’s not a food (if you want to be all picky).  However, the studies are in (lots of them) and all of the data points to the same conclusion.  Laughing is actually crazy healthy.  Physically, emotionally, mentally and socially.

Here are some of the benefits (not making this up).

LAUGHTER CAN:

• Lower blood pressure
• Increase short-term memory
• Lower stress hormones
• Protect against heart disease
• Defend against respiratory infections
• Improve alertness and creativity
• Increase oxygen levels in your blood
• Increase pain tolerance
• Improve metabolism
• Make you blow milk out of your nose which makes other people laugh which resets the whole healthy cycle

Seriously.  Kale isn’t even funny.  At all.

 

Laughter is the opposite of everything that stresses you out

Important to note here.  Laughter doesn’t SOLVE all of your transition challenges.  It’s not going to magically infuse your brain with a foreign language or explain to your family why you’re crying in the cereal aisle.  Laughter is not the answer to all of your pain but it might be the break that you need to STOP being consumed by the hard stuff.  Even for a little bit.

A good laugh can be a great reset.

 

There are no Laughter Rehabs

People with issues (like you and me) want to detach.  It’s what we do.  Unfortunately the unhealthy options that offer a break from hard realities are as unlimited as the devastation that comes as a result of engaging with them.  Laughter is all natural with zero negative side effects.  So is kale but we’ve covered that.

A good laugh can give you a break without disconnecting or doing damage.

 

Laughter crosses cultural boundaries

Some of my most enjoyable laughs have been shared with people who speak about five words in my language (which is three more than I speak in theirs).  To be clear . . . HUMOR does NOT often cross cultural lines.

Like, hardly ever.

Your jokes are probably not funny to the rest of the world.  Sorry, but it’s better you find out here . . . from the guy who has learned the hard way.

HOWEVER — humor is not the only thing worth laughing at.  If and when you find that point of connection with someone who is on the other side of a cultural line, it is golden.  A good laugh not only crosses cultural barriers — it crushes them and builds a rapport that is hard to find elsewhere.

A note for repats — You’re crossing cultures too.

A good laugh can be a surprisingly great connector.

 

via GIPHY

Laughing at yourself means you’re doing transition right

If you can’t laugh at yourself in the context of being a bumbling foreigner or returning “home” (and feeling like a bumbling foreigner) you are likely to do one of two things:  Explode or Implode.  Neither of those is good (just in case you were wondering).

There is only one reason you should laugh at yourself.  Ready?

Because you’re funny.

Not so much in the brilliant, well thought out comedic genius kind of way.  No no, you’re funny in the cat who falls off a ceiling fan kind of way.  You’re making mistakes and falling down even though you look and feel like you shouldn’t be.

Frustrating . . . but funny.

Bumbling and falling can be a shot to your pride for sure — but laughing at yourself can be an indicator that your pride isn’t controlling you.  I’m not talking about a self-loathing, self abusive, “I’m too stupid to do anything” laughter — but a healthy acknowledgement that you are not, in fact, the first person to do transition without falling down is a good sign.

A good laugh at yourself is a great gauge for transitional health.

 

Laughter is a good sign of things to come

Transition is a thief.  It temporarily robs you of the comfort and confidence that you enjoyed back when you were settled.  Remember those days?  You had it all figured out.  Now it’s just awkward.  You don’t laugh when things are awkward.

Ok you might “lol” . . . but you don’t “BWAAHAHA!!”

So finding a way to genuinely laugh, even before you’re resettled, gives you a glimpse of something good that is coming.

A good laugh can be a great reminder that it’s going to get better.

 

One important disclaimer that could change everything:

 

It matters what you laugh at

All of this is out the window if it takes ripping someone else (or yourself for that matter) to shreds for you to laugh.  You might still get the sugar rush but it’s not worth the damage you’ll leave behind (and carry with you).

 

So take some time and get intentional.  Try this — Write down five times you can remember laughing til it hurt.  Now start making connections.  What do they have in common?  Where were you?  What were you doing?  Who were you with?  What can you recreate now?  What can you not?

Even if transition has made it impossible to reproduce your most laughable moments, don’t give up on finding some new ones.

 

Why not start with a chuckle? — scroll up to the blue box at the top, right of this page and download my new ebook, “The Day Grandma Got us Kicked Out of Mexico.”  It’s full of some of my most frustrating and enjoyable laughs as a bumbling foreigner.

You might relate.