LAUGHTER really is the best medicine. No, it may not be a universal bandaid that we apply in the hopes it will solve all of our problems or be the miracle medicine that cures all of our ailments but it sure can make life a whole lot better.

I feel that looking at the bright and funny side of life keeps us young at heart and lightens our load of stress/emotions/problems we find ourselves lugging through life.

Let me make myself perfectly clear to ensure my words are not twisted: I am not downplaying, mocking or dismissing the heartache and devastation the virus has caused, not by any means. I have had many sleepless nights worrying about the people around me, thinking about how theyre coping and checking in with my people. It is when I feel I am struggling within myself that my coping mechanism takes over. It gives me something positive to hold on to and keep me grounded through these hellish times.

Ive found my humour has been hyperactive of late, running rampant with rhymes, riddles and rib-ticklers, even latching on to, dare I say it, dad jokes. Sometimes in moments of monumental stress and times of torrential inner turmoil, when I have felt almost every draining emotion under the sun, laughter brings me comfort.

Laughter is like my default coping mechanism. Nothing beats being able to laugh like no one is watching; the throw-your-head-back, clutch-onto-your-sore-tummy, tears-streaming-down-your-face and uncontrollable-fits-of-giggles-flowing-from-deep-within kind of laughter, snorts and all. Thats the kind that seeps into the soul and makes everything okay, even just for a moment. It doesnt have to be pretty or airbrushed, it can simply take you wherever you let it and the people you can laugh like this with are the people who truly belong in your life.

Laughter brings me to a peaceful place and I love to share that with others, even if it is at my expense. It possesses the power to turn any pent-up pain or negative emotions into positive forces and it brings people together. I think humour has often been the underdog in our list of necessities to get through life because it has never been taken seriously. Maybe this is where we truly underestimate it because humour has always been there to bundle me up in a big hug and carry me through tough times.

It has been really nice to see communities all over the world band together, support each other and use humour to cheer each other up. There are some excellent examples of this over social media, one of my favourites being the Bin Isolation Outing group on Facebook. All age groups across all communities around the world have joined and have bin taking part in so many creative ways, each post carefully crafted with purpose: to make others smile and laugh, which all jokes aside, is so incredibly special!

I take my hat off to humour and the happiness it can bring to the world around us.

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TUESDAYS WITH JORDIE: Laughter is the best medicine - Morning Bulletin