Loretta LaRoche: “Give yourself a break from the news!”

Much stress and emotional suffering comes from how we think. Many people suffer from  “catastrophizing and awfulizing,” or the propensity to make things worse than they really are. Of course, you may be thinking that the current pandemic fits that scenario. Unfortunately, when you have thinking patterns that make your days feel like you’re always preparing for a tsunami, you will always be stressed out.

There is no doubt that we are in uncharted territories. Trying to deal with something we can’t see, taste, or smell that could kill us is certainly not normal. However, after 40 years of teaching stress management, and having inhabited this planet for many years, I can honestly say there are ways to cope without going nuts. Let’s examine some of them. If you can incorporate even a few, I can guarantee you will feel calmer:

• Give yourself a break from the news. You don’t need to be on alert status unless you’re an EMT.
• Use a powerful technique called “Tend and befriend,” developed by Dr. Shelley Taylor. She found that when we reached out to others with compassion and empathy, it reduced our stress. The obvious reason is that you have taken a break from thinking about yourself.
• Tired of singing “Happy Birthday” while you’re washing your hands? Try laughing. Simulated laughter gives you the same immune benefits. Just fake it till you make it. Laughter provides you with endorphins, which are chemical cousins to opiates heroin and morphine. Feeling good is an important intervention to help prevent disease.
• Try to maintain a sense of calm. Trying to put out a fire that doesn’t exist is an exercise in futility. If something dire does occur, you will need all of your defense mechanisms to deal with it. Don’t use them up when you don’t need them.
• Take care of yourself as best you can. You don’t have to go berserk. Use common sense. Stuffing yourself to soothe the savage beast will not serve you. Practice moderation and be moderate about moderation.
• Watch a funny movie before you go to bed. One of my favorites is “Being There” with Peter Sellars. Watching the news or a movie full of violence will only aggravate your body/mind.
• Last but not least, count your blessings before you go to sleep. If you can’t think of anything, acknowledge that you’re still breathing.

Loretta LaRoche is an award winning, acclaimed speaker, author and international stress expert and humor consultant who has evoked wit and irreverent humor on her audience for over 30 years.  Using humor to reframe a stressful situation, Loretta captures a new perspective on the difficult parts of life. Her teaching style, credibility and incontestable humor are integral parts to her compelling presence.

She is founder and president of The Humor Potential, Inc, a company offering programs and products for life style management. Loretta’s special brand of optimistic psychology has an undeniable positive effect on the health of all that are exposed to her.

As an acclaimed author, she has toured with the Hay House, “I Can Do It!”conferences.  She is a well-recognized Hay House best-selling author of 8 books. For more information, including how to book Loretta for your next event or education conference, please visit her website: https://www.lorettalaroche.com