Many years ago, I went through a dark season. I actually did not know how dark it was until I was on the other side of it. Nevertheless, I remember as that season was coming to a close, laughing really hard and it feeling weird. I have had other people since share a similar experience—mostly my clients walking through grief. They talk about feeling weird or guilty when they laugh following loss.

I remember laughing really loud and pretty hard and thinking, “this feels weird…and good.” In that season of my life, I did not realize what was missing until I found it again. A lot of stressors had shown up at my door at the same time and as I was trying to sort them all out, I had forgotten to laugh.

Laughter has always been important to me–as is being around people who make me laugh. I have people close to me that I can laugh with. So, when I realized laughter had left me, I knew something was wrong. 

It is important to know what your warning signs are. For example, I now know that if I am not laughing, not spending time with friends, and not exercising regularly I am headed in a negative direction. I guess you could call it my “check engine light.” The loss of laughter is a harder one to notice because in my experience, it kind of slowly and silently fades away. You laugh a little less and take things a little more seriously each day and then one day you realize you are not happy. That is what happened to me during that season.

I encourage you in this new year to assess your mental health. Are you happy? Do you laugh? Are you looking forward to things? If not, you may need support from a professional psychotherapist. We are here to help. We can help you identify your wants and needs and implement a plan to meet them.  Please contact Life Enhancement Counseling Services today at 407-443-8862 to schedule an appointment with one of our experienced mental health counselors.