Humor is no joke. I mean, it surely is a lot of fun, no doubt about it. But it turns out, it goes a long way in making us feel better emotionally. Having in mind that winter holidays are particularly draining for so many of us, women especially, joking around may be a gateway to a more uplifting and less stressful festive season. No wonder when dinner is over and we can finally lay on our back, giggling over the TV sitcom we like, all these negative emotions go away.

According to psychologist Samantha Symes, the festive burnout which happens so often is rooted in the pressure we put on ourselves. “At this time of year we take on more at work and at home. We want to get home, clean and tidy, and organize the kids, the pets, the holiday—and get it all done by the time we finish up at work so we can start fresh next year,” Syme argues. That’s how a year’s worth of administrative tasks, shopping and celebrations all fall into the timeframe of two weeks.

The end of the year also adds some psychological pressure. “The end of year is a tough time, emotionally. People look around at their families, or they feel the lack of family, or that they should be doing ‘happy families’ but they’re not.”

But what the people in this post have done right is to not take things too seriously and have some fun. Laughter is the best medicine, they say, but is it really? Well, kinda. According to the Mayo Clinic, a good laugh has great short-term effects. When you start to laugh, it doesn't just lighten your load mentally, it actually induces physical changes in your body. One such effect is that by laughing, we stimulate our organs, enhancing our intake of oxygen-rich air, stimulating our heart, lungs and muscles, and increasing the endorphins that are released by our brain.

Moreover, a good laugh activates and relieves our stress response by firing it up and cooling it down. As a result, our heart rate and blood pressure increase and decrease, creating that relaxed ‘had a good laugh’ feeling. And if you’ve been feeling on edge lately, laughing is a great way to relieve that built-up tension. The physical symptoms of stress can be reduced while laughing because it stimulates blood circulation and aids muscle relaxation.

But apart from the short-term effects, celebrating the festive season with a sense of humor is a mindset we all want to have. It aids resilience, eases social situations that otherwise would feel pretty tense, and prevents us from getting into that non-return burnout zone. Not taking things too seriously and simply enjoying the moment should be something we all strive for. Not just on Christmas, but that’s when it should be prescribed by our GPs.