WELLNESS

WELLNESS
BY: CLIFFORD KUHN, M.D.
The Laugh Doctor
Health, wellness, energy like a child, feeling “top of the world,” and seeing the glass half-full; these are all directly tied to how much fun you are having today. Some people have it backwards, though; they wait to have fun when they feel good, instead of feeling good to usher in the fun.
Joanna knew that her health was below par, she suffered chronic fatigue and general feeling of poor health. Her General Practitioner was treating her depression, but nothing seemed to work.
Joanna Was Sacrificing Her Wellness For...Something Worthwhile, I'm Sure
She had an air of hopelessness. “How long it since you had any fun?” I asked. “It seems like forever,” she sighed, “not since we found out about my husband's illness. There's nothing fun about cancer.”
People Usually Know What They Need To Do...But They're Often Not Sure Why
“I should go out and meet people,” is typical response I get when I ask patients what they think they could do to help themselves. “I should take up a hobby,” or “I need a vacation,” are other solutions offered up. Almost never does the sufferer say: “I need to put some fun in my life,” “I need to experience more wellness, but that is exactly what most need.
Fun Is The Object, No Matter The Activity
Going out, meeting people socially, taking up a hobby or have a vacation are all prescriptions for fun. Of course, all of us, not just the depressed, need fun in our lives; It is a fundamental need for all of us if we hope to main the highest standards of health, wellness and fitness.
A Prescription For Fun
Spend time in any hospital and, despite often-frightening circumstances, you will hear laughter, see patients take pleasure from helping others, enjoying TV, even playing games. In a children's hospital, evidence of fun is even more striking. Even among those with phobia and anxiety disorder, you see attempts to smile and conquer their dread of illness and institutions. But the survivors, the successful, whether that is in health matters, family life or business, all find a way to employ humor. They are humor beings.
So what do they know that some of the rest of us do not? Is there some magic secret or formula? Is there a pain-by-numbers system?
In a sense, yes [...} But it's not a scientific, 1-2-3 mathmatical equation that says: “Step One, do this; Step Two, do that, Step Three......”
You see, we all have a sense of humor, even the most dour among us. Unfortunately, it has been suppressed for some of us through experiences we have had during our lives.
We Knew The Answer...What Happened To Us?
Listen to young children at play. They laugh, they giggle, they scream with delight. They are simply having pure fun. No one taught them how to do that.
If you want the best health and wellness possible in your own circumstances, allow yourself to be a child again. Understand the oft-hear instruction: “Oh, don't be such a child,” or “act your age” or”grow up”. Taking these instructions too literally can destroy the beautiful simplicity within us that finds ways to use T he Fun Factor virtually in any situation and improves our overall health and wellness.