How to enjoy again?

[Sheila]

Thanks for all the recognition and appreciation, Samsara! I do believe we are all going to recover our cognitive and intellectual functioning. I really do. It's scary at times and hard to believe one will recover. But, I’ve really seen people change over the years of recovery.


OK, Redroo, so humor is something you can feel some enjoyment in. That's something to really make the most of.

I completely lost my sense of humor in early w/d. I was so stunningly miserable and terrified, that I really did not find anything funny, nor could I have said anything funny even if my life depended on it. I was very, very serious. And very linear and concrete in my thinking -- which makes it hard to be funny. Then, I started to occasionally laugh and -- really rarely -- make a joke. It has slowly improved from there.

What do you like to do for humor? Do you watch stand-up routines online or on TV? Do you have any friends IRL who it’s easy to be funny with?

This might be a pathway to discovering / re-discovering things that interest you…..


<< now, this new one is funny!

[redroo]

What do you like to do for humor? Do you watch stand-up routines online or on TV? Do you have any friends IRL who it’s easy to be funny with?

I watch a lot of TV, probably to much , I will always go for the comedies ,sitcoms, movies , funniest home videos etc. I have one good friend who is totally mad and it is hard to stay serious around because she is so over the top. Its always good to send time with her.

[Cosette123]

I watch a lot of TV, probably to much , I will always go for the comedies ,sitcoms, movies , funniest home videos etc. I have one good friend who is totally mad and it is hard to stay serious around because she is so over the top. Its always good to send time with her.

Redroo I have this kind of "mad" friend too and she makes me laugh but she is unable to understand my withdrawal problems. She is convinced that I ought to be put on meds again or to see a psychiatrist...

[Sheila]

Cosette -- How frustrating that she's so funny and yet so wrong about this one thing! What we really need is a comic -- but accurate -- movie about someone going through w/d. That might get through to a few of our resistant friends. Maybe Samsara and Luc can write a script for Will Ferrell.....


Redroo -- OK, well here’s a thought. You wish you could find new interests. I think the state you’re in right after you’ve been laughing really opens the doors to your true self and an expanded sense of possibility. So, once every few days, right after laughing with the TV or your friend, you could sit (or pace) and write (or talk to yourself) about what would be fun for you to do or know more about..

Just try the experiment for five minutes so it’s not too burdensome. You need to know there’s an escape hatch and that it will be over soon.

Or try closing your eyes and waiting to see if anything comes to mind in answer to the question. If you decide to try this, let us know!

[Luc]

Cosette -- How frustrating that she's so funny and yet so wrong about this one thing! What we really need is a comic -- but accurate -- movie about someone going through w/d. That might get through to a few of our resistant friends. Maybe Samsara and Luc can write a script for Will Ferrell.....

We will work on it with Samsara. <----- I put a tiger here as it's the closest there's in the emoticons to Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.

[Samsara]

We will work on it with Samsara. <----- I put a tiger here as it's the closest there's in the emoticons to Metro-Goldwyn Mayer.

Good emoticon pick!

Sheila, I laughed at your comment. I've always wanted to write skits for SNL but to write a script for a movie starring Will Ferrell...............that's a whole other thing. (lol)


Luc, we better roll up our sleeves and get busy writing. BTW, I've seen a few of Will's movies and they weren't very good at all (nowhere near as funny as SNL skits) so, we will have to create a blockbuster .......one that surpasses all his previous movie scripts. (lol)

MGM will have nothing on us. IWAP (International Wackyingly Awesome Productions) or Sam-Luconian Productions (SLP) or Luc-Samsarian Productions (LSP). Take your pick or please feel free to come up with something better.

Sheila, we'll be looking for a Director. Interested? Or better yet, you could be the leading lady and the rest of us will be merely your co-stars. (lol)

Stan, we'll need some emoticons or some type of logo/iconic symbol or whatever to represent our new Movie Production Company.


Okay, as usual I'm going a bit overboard to keep the dopamine flowing. (lol)


Samsara

[Luc]

We will also need the storyboard. The pain is, I'm *terrible* at drawing. And when I say "terrible", I *mean* it. Are you good at arts, Samsara?

[Luc]

I watch a lot of TV, probably to much , I will always go for the comedies ,sitcoms, movies , funniest home videos etc.

Keeping your mind occupied is essential at that stage, Red. It was Samsara, if my memory serves me right, who explained at some point what exactly goes on in our body on a hormonal level when we laugh, smile, etc. This not only makes the WD less severe at a given moment, but, in all likelihood, speeds up the healing process itself.

[Samsara]

We will also need the storyboard. The pain is, I'm *terrible* at drawing. And when I say "terrible", I *mean* it. Are you good at arts, Samsara?

LOL! Awww....but you're so good at many other things so not to worry. Your genius will be required in other areas. Leave the drawing to me.......I used to sketch a lot of still life. Still have my sketchbook from years ago.


Samsara

[Samsara]

Keeping your mind occupied is essential at that stage, Red. It was Samsara, if my memory serves me right, who explained at some point what exactly goes on in our body on a hormonal level when we laugh, smile, etc. This not only makes the WD less severe at a given moment, but, in all likelihood, speeds up the healing process itself.

Tis true, twas I and I'm so happy that you remembered this Luc since, that was quite a long time ago.


We just have to:

Keep Laughing. Just keep laughing!

or, at the very least: Keep Smiling. Just keep Smiling!

..................


Samsara