Humor is a Friend

I think that humor has its perks. My friend always does. The need to be serious at all times is not an antidote itself but the laughter that sounds loud or too loud!

I remember that I have been unfeeling and robotic to a sense. Remember that I once said, I did ziplines without shouting the loudest I can? Every laugh was controlled into small smiles and giggles. I was groggy from the meds and slow in reacting. It has been one of the things that made me sound obnoxious.

Remember how memes get into a viral or trending whirl on social media? Like, you find yourself hilariously laughing alone. As long as there’s a reason for your laugh, that’s a good thing. Suit yourself.

With or without mental illness, you can laugh your heart out. This is one of the things I used to forget. I was unemotional and numb to a point before. But then, life hits you hard in the head and makes you realize, sometimes life is funny especially with happy people around.

You are also responsible for yourself. As my friend says, some things are solely reliant on you. Sometimes harsh reality is to mind your own business like I’m slowly trying to take care of myself – to be in control many times. Why? It is because if you are not in control of yourself then who else would manage your own healing? The doctors and psychologists would help and our support systems consisting of family or friends would be there but healing starts with you – with the I and me. In the same way, to find laughter is your own choice.

A lot of times, people ask me, “You’ve been under maintenance medicines for a long time, you should know by now how to handle yourself?” I think everyday is a new experience. We have to live one day at a time. Enjoy and laugh, of course, with reasons. This is like a mental health pill that’s too big to swallow but you have to swallow!

I agree with my friend that pushing and going with what we can do is a great move as long as our mind can. When you have been through a tough experience, sometimes you feel you can do more as a breathing human being. You want to be a solution rather than being a problem but sometimes you just want to laugh at your mistakes! It’s definitely okay to do so – laugh out loud!

Congratulations on the journey of the City Health Services Office headed by Dr. Celia Brillantes and the Mental Health Unit with friend and co-advocate – Ricky Ducas. It’s been a long while but you’ve had big and small wins! As you say – one day at a time or maybe, as I say, one laugh at a time!