Catching up with Karyn

Stress is a HUGE problem in America.

A recent Gallup study revealed 8 in 10 Americans are afflicted by stress! So how can Americans begin to reverse this trend and reduce their stress levels? An easy way to start is with humor!

You might be thinking…

Stress relief from laughter? Really, Karyn?

It’s no joke!

Now, a good laugh isn’t going to cure all ailments, but it certainly helps most! Here are some of the short and long-term benefits of laughter (Mayo Clinic):

Short-Term

• Stimulates many organs (heart, lungs, muscles) – laughter increases your intake of oxygen-rich air, which stimulates your heart, lungs, and muscles!
• Activates and relieves your stress response – laughter cools down your stress response, giving you a nice, relaxed feeling
• Soothes tension – laughter can stimulate circulation and reduce some of the physical stress symptoms (tight shoulders/neck, jaw, back, and chest)

Laughter can also provide some benefits over time. Check out...

When I’m speaking to nursing and healthcare professionals, certain issues are always top of mind for my audience. At a macro level, their major concerns revolve around the state of flux in healthcare today.

On a day-to-day level, their concerns turn toward stress related to

• High workloads (too much to do, not enough time to do it)
• Poor communication (I know you think you understand what you thought I said…)
• The competitiveness of the job market (recruitment/retention)

But I can help!

I come in and talk to leaders in organizations or staff about how to take better care of themselves, so that they, in turn, can take better care of others.

The two main ideas of this talk are

1. Stress management/self-care

2. Wellness

You don’t want someone taking care of you or a loved one who’s stressed out, sick or tired.

Why?

If the answer isn’t obvious enough, studies (NCBI.gov) have shown that people who are stressed tend to:

• make more mistakes
• give the wrong...

My friend and fellow medical professional, Dr. Lee Berk said it best when he said: “If we took what we now know about laughter and bottled it up it would require FDA approval.” It’s true that when we laugh, we feel better. There’s a reason why Facebook is clogged with funny cat videos and those “fail” videos that always seem to hurt a little but ultimately are just there to make us laugh. 

So, my question to you is, would you rather go to the gym and sit on the rowing machine for 30 minutes, or would you rather sit down on your couch and put on a really funny movie? Now, I’m not judging if you chose to go to the gym, but I feel like most people out there (including myself) would decide to put on their favorite, belly-ache-inducing, movie and call it a day.

The effects of a good bellyache, top-of-your-lungs, barely-getting-any-air-into-your-lungs laughter can be seen in the immune system and even the cardiovascular system. It’s...

It was a dark and stormy night…(really) and I was waiting to board a flight along with around 200 fellow passengers. We were already delayed an hour and a half and the mood was as dark inside the terminal as it was outside.

We were finally cleared to board, and folks—while anxious about the delay—were relieved to finally be moving out of the gate area and onto the plane. The flight attendant sprinted through her safety routine while I and others nervously calculated if there was any way we were going to make our connections. We rolled onto the tarmac and the pilot announced we were #17 in the lineup—seems there were a LOT of folks trying to get-the-heck-out-of-Dodge that night.

Slowly we taxied closer to the runway. #15…#12…#8—the pilot periodically would announce our progress. But the next time we heard his voice, it was anything but progress.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking. While we were waiting for...

One of the most amazing things about laughter is how profoundly and immediately it alters our mood. Laughter is not only the best medicine, it's incredibly fast-acting medicine.

That's why I recommend that people create a Fun List of activities, media, and people that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. When you're feeling down for whatever reason, drag out the Fun List and choose one of the options on it. Laughter doesn't solve our problems, but it does make it easier for us to handle those problems.

After speaking at LaughFest (an awesome event you'll want to add to your calendar every year!) my new friend Dawn asked me to share what's on my own personal Fun List. Here you go - these are the 15 fun things that never fail to put a smile on my face:

1. Big Bang Theory (sitcom)
2. David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall (CD/MP3)
3. Reading Sunday comics
4. Watching funny movies (Top picks: "In & Out" with Kevin Kline, "When Harry Met Sally" and "Steel Magnolias")
5. Youtube: Laughing...

Heart health is a top priority for me. It's also a big worry for the millions of women out there just like me who know that heart disease is our #1 killer. More than cancer, more than diabetes, more than having your brain explode inside your skull when someone says, "Don't worry about it, Little Lady - it's a Man thing!", heart disease is killing us.

This is not a good thing. But there is good news. We're not powerless against heart disease. There are things we can do - choices we can make and actions we can perform - to reduce our risk of heart disease. And if we're at a point where we have heart disease - or we're precariously on the brink - making the right choices and changes can help us slow the disease's progression.

Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum presents a comprehensive overview of the positive changes we could be making to improve our health in her new Heart Book: Every Woman's Guide to a Heart-Healthy Life. I was particularly happy to see her emphasis on the value of humor for...

48 hours out is when the freakouts start. There are two types of holiday freakouts.

The first one is exhibited by the Type A personality who started shopping way back in June, put up their decorations two minutes after Thanksgiving was officially done, and STILL haven't gotten everything they need to get to make this holiday perfect...do you know how hard it is to find purple sequined Santa hats in this world, people?

The second type of holiday freakout is exhibited by people who haven't started yet. Even though retailers have been pushing the message that Christmas is coming pretty well continually for 6 months now, these folks completely failed to get it. Christmas sneaks up on them, surprising them all at once with its imminent arrival.

Whichever type of holiday freakout you're currently experiencing, you can get over it faster with laughter. Smiles and laughs can diminish muscle tension. They’re also contagious. Practice wearing a smile to share with others and notice how...

One of our best tools for beating holiday stress is simply getting enough sleep. Don’t fill every minute trying to cram in 101 more things. Take a power nap so that you feel refreshed and ready to tackle the rest of the day.

When you sleep, you have more energy and are likely to be in a better mood than if you're overtired. This makes you a lot more fun for everyone around you. Be creative in searching out opportunities to grab a few ZZZZ's: even an extra ten minutes in the morning can be a tremendous boost to your holiday spirits!

Kids realize something that we have forgotten as adults: The power of play. Don’t take the holidays so seriously that you have no time to sing, dance, play—even jump on your bed! Make time to play every day, even if it’s only for 30 minutes.

If you have kids around, grab them and head outside. If there's snow. make a snowman! If there's no snow, choose a more active game. Expending the excess energy the kids have stored up means they'll sleep better at night - great for your stress!

Play invigorates the body, challenges the mind, and lifts the spirit. If there's one gift you need to give yourself this holiday season, it's PLAYTIME!

The holidays mean gathering with our family and friends - and that means that unless you've recently purchased a teleporter, you're going to spend some time on the highway with lots of other people who have all promised that they'll be home for Christmas.

Talk about stress!  If you get stuck in traffic, take this as an opportunity to reframe. Take a deep breath and visualize the person behind you - the guy compulsively honking his horn --  driving in his underwear.  Imagine the look on his face when he unwraps a sack full of coal and rocks.  At all costs, keep your sense of humor!

Airports can be stressful as well. Bear in mind that while humor can make the hassles of travel easier to bear, you want to exercise some judgment about when and where it's appropriate to joke. TSA agents, for example, are not well known for their sense of humor. This fact is not likely to change during the busiest travel days of the year!

Many of the travel frustrations are caused by...