In looking for the simplest stress busters and easiest pick-me-uppers, I have come across something that is deceptively simple and surprisingly effective. It’s something that we all used to do as children. But, like many things we used to do as children, we seem to think we have outgrown it.

I’m talking about laughter! Laugh until your stomach hurts, laugh until you can’t catch your breath, laugh until you cry!

There have been numerous studies touting the benefits of laughter on your physical and emotional health. But do we really need a scientific study to tell us that laughing will make us feel better?

Life is too short to take things so seriously. Find the lighter side of life by laughing at your own mistakes, stumbles and embarrassing moments!

Here’s a great example of something that happened to me today.

In my rush to leave the office at a normal time on a Friday afternoon to enjoy the long-awaited warm weather, I gathered up my saddle bag and the empty box I had been hoarding under my desk all day (intended for my impending move). I walked to the subway station, swiped my Metropass and proceeded to enter into the turnstile not realising that my waist size was now 3 times larger due to the additional circumference resulting from the bag and box that I was carrying.

You guessed it! With the ticket operator standing in his booth next to me and a young lady paying for her ticket and ready to go through the next turnstile, I proceeded to get stuck in the turnstile. What do I win?!

I had a moment of panic, not to mention mortification, as I realised that I could move neither forwards nor backwards. It took some wiggling and cautious manoevering, but I managed to free myself and my bag in order to let the person behind me pass through.

It’s moments like these where you can decide to crawl into a hole or laugh at the sheer hilarity of the situation! You know that if you had been a witness, you would have been hard pressed not to let out at least a little chuckle.

Why not take the situation in stride, let out a good hearty laugh and realise that sometimes you just can’t avoid the stumbles?