Life is stressful. For many of us, it seems like a constant series of obstacles, both physical and mental, the type that makes you believe you are on MTV’s The Challenge. I get it. In the early moments of these obstacles arising we can become angry, agitated and full of emotions other than happiness. In spite of this, we have no choice but to overcome our obstacles. I learned in my Intro to Psychology class that anger can lead to some serious heart problems, and I would prefer to not have to deal with those you feel me. It’s good to recognize that most of the time everything is out of our control, for some the control lies with God, so we end up carrying invisible weight when we do not need to. Now, I propose a solution which is one that I did not really grasp until this year as a freshman in college, and that is to laugh at yourself.
You can just imagine the freshmen moments we have all experienced or may even continue to experience, but you cannot run away from them because it is a force every freshman entering college has to deal with. All freshmen go through something that leaves them with an everlasting story. My story entails an array of moments, from losing the key to my dorm outside and having to search through all the leaves in the middle of autumn while wearing my lanyard around my neck because I had no other place to store it (yes, I did a freshman don’t, it was the only time I swear). I might have also dropped my phone and watched it get crushed going through a treadmill and pretend to the upperclassman girl that asked, “did that just happen,” and lie and say, “no that happened awhile ago.” Maybe you might have walked into a class in the middle of a lecture just to sit down and realize that is not your class, so you act like flash and get out of there. Unfortunately, I could go on for days on the details of the mistakes I have made this year, but that would turn into series of novels.
After living through these freshman moments I can now relate to upperclassmen when they say, “You can just tell who is a freshman.”
Believe it or not, being able to laugh at yourself is liberating, in that it helps you to gain the confidence that you well deserve. I used to see my flaws as a weakness that created low self-esteem and prevented me from doing the things I enjoyed most. I realized at the end of my high school career, leading up to the start of college, I simply could not continue on that way. I needed to get over myself and see my flaws as a part of my story that separates me from everyone else. I started to laugh at my mistakes and little things that would typically embarrass me or make me uncomfortable. Having a sense of humor about those things has made my life tremendously easier and productive. You have the ability to put things in proper perspective when it comes to where your strengths and weaknesses lie.
“If you can laugh at yourself, you can forgive yourself, and if you can forgive yourself, you can forgive others”
-Susan Sparks
Forgiving yourself is not easy by any means, and that’s why learning to laugh at yourself only comes with practice because at the same time you are learning to find humor in your flaws without allowing it to drag you down. Forgiving others is just as hard as forgiving yourself, which is why the two go hand in hand. I am not saying it is going to be an easy process, but it is worth the effort you are making.
You are only given one life, and I would rather spend it laughing at myself than worrying about the little things, plus I heard you burn calories laughing.
