An alarming number of people are becoming terminally ill. Symptoms include a permanent frown, numerous bad hair days, and a loss of perspective resulting in a tendency to take oneself too seriously (or is it the other way around?).

All this seriousness is resulting in serious stress. For example, according to an Ipso Reid survey, 51% of Albertans have physically assaulted a photocopier. (This is probably not the healthiest way to deal with your photocopy problems.)

Fortunately, when it comes to overcoming terminal gravity and maintaining good mental health, laughter really is the best medicine. (Not to mention the most affordable).

A good laugh massages the facial, shoulder, and stomach muscles, lowers blood pressure, increases oxygen flow, stimulates the immune system, and reduces stress-inducing chemicals. Studies have shown that laughter works faster in our bodies than Valium or vodka, and the benefits of a laugh can last up to 24 hours. Dr. William Fry, a pioneer in laughter research, found that 30 seconds of hearty laughter is the same physical exercise as about three minutes on a rowing machine (now I just go to the gym and laugh at people who laugh!) exercise!).

And don’t think you always need a reason to laugh, because even fake laughter is good for us. So the next time you’re stressed, start laughing. (If you feel a little self-conscious about laughing to yourself, then grab a friend, head over to the broom closet, and start laughing with each other.)

Mentally, humor is a powerful anti-stress because it is one of the best forms of mental silk available. As Milton Berle suggests, “laughter is an instant vacation”: it removes the anxieties that cloud our brains from stress, allowing us to approach our problems with a clear mind.

Humor helps us distance ourselves from a tragedy, breaks the tension in a stressful situation, and gives us a broader perspective. It is also an empowerment tool. Humor reminds us that although we can’t always control what happens to us, we are always in control of our reactions.

Does this mean you should sign up for a stand-up comedy class? Although it might help, it is by no means necessary. Having a sense of humor is not about telling jokes or even always being funny, but about having a sense of balance and finding the funny in our everyday lives. It’s about how we interpret the world around us, about learning to laugh at ourselves and go with the flow. And yes, anyone can learn to flex their funny bone in the face of stress. To get started, try one of the following R:

Reward. Give yourself a positive reward every time you have to deal with a stressor. This has even been shown to work with search and rescue dogs, in which the rescue team deliberately buries a living member of the team in the avalanche or debris, so that the rescue dog will be rewarded (“I found a live one! , this way! Wow! !”) and keeps your spirits up in a stressful situation.

Reframe. Do what comedians do and mentally play around with the situation to find what’s funny. Put yourself in someone else’s shoes, turn the event into an imaginary sitcom, come up with a “Top 10 Reasons This Is Funny” list, or try the old “could have been worse” rephrasing technique, but wildly overdo it. until you can’t help but laugh.

Relax. Remember that you really can choose to have a sense of humor about things. If you need help relaxing, then do something different to free yourself from your serious mindset. Remember a funny story and relive it. Read something funny. Get up and dance. He walks sideways down the hall. Sing like Tom Jones. Or create a humorous first aid kit and top it off with toys, photos, funny hats, or fun accessories that you can easily access the next time you’re feeling stressed. For a checklist of great, cost-effective ways to add more fun to your workplace to help employees relax, visit humoratwork.com.

Remember, in the face of sharp seriousness, the only person you have to amuse yourself is yourself. So give yourself permission to tap into the most natural and most humane stress buster available: your “just you” sense of humor.