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Essayon Health benefit of Humor and laughter
Essayon Health benefit of Humor and laughter
Essayon Health benefit of Humor and laughter
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One definition of humor is "that which lends itself to laughing, smiling or amusement" (Davis-Evans, 2013). The effects of humor at the cellular level and on the immune system report positive effects on physical and mental health (Davis-Evans, 2013). Humor in nursing is about nurses relating to patients. There 's a bond created between people that laugh together, a bond when one makes another smile. Research suggests that laughter increases pain tolerance; improves respiration and breathing; improves mental functioning, including alertness, creativity a memory; and decreases muscle tension (Davis-Evans, 2013). These benefits can be short term and/or long term. Laughing can be compared to a mild workout, it increases circulation, decreases blood …show more content…
This begins at the early stages in a nurses learning. To be comfortable with humor in nursing the student nurse must have a good grasp of the information they are learning. Nursing instructors can play a large part in the process, making their students relaxed in the setting along with livening up some of their course information. “The traditional classroom, particularly in nursing, often is stifling to students and teachers” (Story, Butts, 2010, p. 291). This stifling effect can be exacerbated with subjective defining characteristics of diagnoses such stress overload related to faulty heating/cooling system. Authentic and non-authoritative portrayal of the information initiated by teachers can help the students translate the styles of teaching/learning into their own nursing practices (Story, Butts, Fart, 2010). As the student passes through their AD nursing classes they are receptive to the teaching styles of their instructors. The instructor instituting humor, and allowing for instances of humor into their teaching by increasing eye contact, creating a casual environment, adopting a laugh-ready attitude, providing humorous materials. (Englert, 2010) The sources the educator may pick from can vary including: the internet (such as The Journal of Nursing Jocularity), books, videos, newspapers, or journals. Pets are also a source of amusement. Similar to what their students are …show more content…
With a good understanding of the materials they learned and a realization of how the use of humor effected their learning experience the new nurses can then take on a role comparable to their teachers. The nurse can then look for material that may pertain to their specific healthcare setting, be responsible for creating their own comfortable environment, and remind themselves to greet each patient with a laugh-ready caring attitude. The nurse may understand the task of needing to alleviate anxiety in a patient, prone to anxiety attacks, prior to surgery, through a thorough assessment of the patients understanding of, and concerns about, the procedure. If not having a prior understanding of the patients anxiety, just initially creating an atmosphere of humor to establish relationship, relieve anxiety, release frustration, avoid painful feelings, or humor to facilitate learning. If achieved, the physiologic benefits of improved respiration and breathing, decreased muscle tension, amongst other effects show to have beneficial postoperative outcomes. This is important because post operative high anxiety, increased postoperative pain, increased analgesic requirements, and prolonged hospital stay are all correlated with preoperative anxiety (Davis-Evans,
Although modern science has allowed us to develop many complex medicines, laughter is still the strongest one available in the real world and in the book. Laughter proves to be a strong medicine in more ways than one and is completely free, allowing anyone to use it at anytime. It allows us to connect socially with people, it can be used as a way of overthrowing power, and it is good for your health. As Randle McMurphy showed in the novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, laughter can lighten the mood in the darkest situations.
Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, M. L. (2013). Care of Intraoperative Patients. Medical-surgical nursing: patient-centered collaborative care (7th ed.). St. Louis: Elsevier.
It is not uncommon for a patient to experience pain and anxiety before or after a major procedure or breathing treatment. Imagining the myriad of complications that might occur during an operation can send one into multiple panic attacks. Coping with the loss of mobility and independence joined by the pain that accompanies recovery are only a few examples of the complex and traumatic experiences awaiting pre/post-operation patients. Fortunately, a medication was synthesized by Armin Walser and Rodney I. Fryer in 1975 to aid patients by easing anxiety and promoting sleepiness before an operation. An added benefit was that the events experienced during the operation were also forgotten while the medication was still in effect.
Laughter is often said to reduce stress and produce pain reliving hormones. It is the ‘fountain of youth’, the secret ingredient to longevity. A person who laughs all the time is, more often than not, healthier and happier than a person who rarely laughs at all. Laughter is known as a natural form of medicine. However, like many other things, some people take the laughter and the jokes too far. This is the case in the story, “The Approximate Size of My Favorite Tumor,” by Sherman Alexie.
American Association of Nurse Anesthetists. Professional Aspects of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company, 1994. Print.
Various populations can benefit from the therapeutic use of humor, often it is used with either the exceptionally young or old populations, but the benefits of humor extend beyond age and gender limits. Commonly, it’s implemented in young populations with severe to mild physical or mental disabilities or with those experiencing serious and terminal illness (Saper, 1990). Humor is used as a method of coping with or coming to terms with life changing illnesses for both old an...
Humor has become one of the most popular tools for stress relief. Positive effects of laughter include reduced muscle tension, controlled anxiety, the ability to handle unexpected events, and simply the joy of humor. It is important for managers to allow employees to have fun. We spend the majority of our lives at work and we need to enjoy the experience.
Laughing is resorted to in times where we need to laugh. It’s an escape from reality, its comfort, its fear. Laughing subdues any emotion that is too high strung in our system. It lets it vapor out in a melancholy form that helps us cope with problems that no one else can really understand and help us with. In One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest it allowed emotional tension escape from the patients and made nurse Ratched lose her ward.
Laughter is a very complex process. We don’t ever think about it, but our bodies can use up to 80 muscles. Meanwhile, body structures and systems of the brain, such as the limbic system are hard at work also. Although it is a rather difficult method, whenever our body produces laughter, it helps us in more ways than just one. It can help us physically by releasing endorphins, lowering the chances of heart attacks, and even our immune system. It can help us both mentally and socially as well, building great relationships and by releasing stress. If the human race did not laugh, more and more people would die of things such as heart disease or even depression. Most people can agree, without laughter, our world would be a much darker place. It’d definitely be an unhealthy society.
During my community placement of the cataract clinic at St. Joseph’s Hospital, one patient I observed looked extremely anxious and when I took a further look and watched her behaviour more closely, I recognized the concepts of stress and vulnerability were playing a key role in how she perceived the upcoming operation. I seized an opportunity to quietly speak with her and she explained that she had not received an adequate amount of rest the night before and the travel down had been exhausting. She also expressed concerns of being fearful about going into the operating room. I overheard a nurse earlier ask the group as a whole if anyone wanted an ativan to ease anxiety and the group consensus was no. I felt that because it was unanimous, she may have been embarrassed if it was only her that requested it. My concern for this patient was for her to remain comfortable and provide any healing initiatives that would reassure her that she was safe. I took it upon myself to advocate for her and asked if she would like an ativan, explaining it would provide a calming effect. She agreed and I asked one of the nurses if I could a...
Our patients have to trust us and using humor can make or break this trust. There is no doubt that humor is a great way to make the hospital setting less intimidating. It puts some humanity back into the patient’s room. They aren’t just being spoken to like a specimen, they are being treated like another human being which patients will appreciate. If a nurse would like to use humor with a patient I believe that it is vital that they talk to their patient about humor during the orientation phase of the patient-nurse interaction. During this phase the nurse and the patient are introducing themselves and assessing the patient's needs (Foust & Sheldon, 2014, p. 16). This a time where boundaries are established so it is important that nurses use this time to get a better understanding of what their patient is okay with and what they are not okay with. 3) Health professionals have to be extremely cautious using dark humor. They should establish a strong relationship with their patients first. In my opinion the patient should initiate this type of humor before the nurse. There is no telling exactly how a patient feels or how they are dealing with a topic
I believe that all nurses have felt a sense of uneasiness or fear when moving into uncharted territory in our nursing practice. It is an uncomfortable feeling when a skill that we have not utilized since a simulation in nursing school or a technique long forgotten after many years of neglect is needed. It reminds me of the low self-confidence look that is often seen in new nursing students as they walk into a patient’s room for the first time during clinical rotations.
The role of the nurse in the preoperative area is to determine the patient’s psychological status to help with the use of coping during the surgery process. Determine physiologic factors directly or indirectly related to the surgical procedure that may cause operative risk factors. Establish baseline data for comparison in the intraoperative and postoperative period. Participate in the identification and documentation of the surgical site and or side of body on which the procedure is to be performed. Identify prescription drugs, over the counter, and herbal supplements that are taken by the patient that may interact and affect the surgical outcome. Document the results of all preoperative laboratory and diagnostic tests in the patient’s record
body's level of cortisol, which aids the immune system. Laughing increases oxygen intake, stimulates heart and lungs, improves overall breathing abilities, and increases the body’s energy level. Laughing exercises several muscles in the body including: the abdomen, back, shoulders, and 15 facial muscles. So when coming home from a stressful day at the office, exercise might not be a top priority. Keep in mind that ...