Managing stress using humor involves laughter as a strategy to cope with challenging life situations. Studies have shown that laughter has beneficial effects on anxiety, depression, general health, and a person’s experience with pain.
The Managing Stress With Humor Handout shares relevant studies about humor and stress. It also provides 7 tips to embrace humor, such as watching comedy movies and reading funny comics.
Kids and teens who read this handout may feel encouraged to use humor as a constructive way to deal with setbacks instead of resorting to unhealthy coping strategies. To make their learning process interactive, encourage them to pick a strategy and put it into action each day.
You can also engage in a discussion in which your child identifies situations where humor could be used to manage stress.
Feel free to check out our 39-page Stress Management Handouts Bundle, which provides a wide variety of research-based strategies to manage stress.
*This item is an instant digital download. A link to download your files will be emailed to you once payment is confirmed.
Want more resources like this? Check out our full catalog of stress management worksheets and handouts.
References:
- Dogan, M. D. (2018). The Effect of Laughter Therapy on Anxiety and Stress in University Students. Annals of Psychiatry and Mental Health, 6(2), 1132.
- Kramer, C. K., & Leitao, C. B. (2023). Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels. PLOS ONE, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286260
