They say laughter is the best medicine, and we totally agree.
But when you’re feeling stuck, frustrated, or overwhelmed, things may not seem funny anymore. It’s hard to forget we are living in extreme times, and yet at the same time, we still get up, tackle our obligations, make/pick-up dinner, and go about our routines to face yet another day.
Because the truth is that moving forward on a healing journey is rough. We have to do all this inner work and it takes forever, we have to be brutally honest with ourselves and that’s uncomfortable, and we’re just skimming the surface here. But what if we were able to laugh some of it off… maybe the unique parts, the quirky characteristics, the fumbles and missteps that make us the individuals we are… then maybe our healing journeys can be more enjoyable.
To laugh at ourselves is such a release! It’s permission for us to be human and not take everything so seriously. In retrospect, when we share our mistakes and fumbles, it allows us to share the medicine of laughter and when we laugh at ourselves, it doesn’t matter as much when someone else is laughing along.
The journey to intentionally go within and tap into different parts of who we are is quite recent for us. By doing so, we’ve experienced a shift in the relationship with ourselves - less harsh, less judgmental - giving us the space to chuckle along when we make mistakes and fall back into old habits. And when we share these tales with our trusted circle, it passes along the message that they too can mess up, make a mistake, and be human.
So if you have been hesitant to share your story, some tools we have used to help ourselves ease into a place of vulnerability are journaling, private video recordings, calling a close friend, and therapy.
Our ming+ming meditation classes are also a safe and supportive space where we share our stories and have a good laugh. There are smiles and nods of agreement through little small boxes on our screens followed by hands-to-chest and supportive words, before we close out with a calming guided meditation.
As we conclude this month's theme “our story + our community,” we are filled with immense gratitude and love. Through our own individual hardships, we’ve discovered parts of ourselves we once didn’t know existed. We are excited to continue on this journey and share our stories in the hopes that it inspires others to do the same. And we are incredibly touched and inspired by all of you that have taken your own terrifying first steps and decided to come along with us.
Thank you for being part of the ming+ming community and sharing your stories and laughter.
With love,
Ming-Wai + Ming-Cee
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