“Laughter is a sunbeam of the soul.” –Thomas Mann

Sometimes you can become so consumed with your hardships that you forget to look for the beauty in life. You may be so worried about one single bad thing that you forget to look for the many wonderful things, and you end up missing them while you are distracted by life’s worries.

Laughter can change this. It can get you through your hardest times and make your best days even greater. It can remind you how wonderful life is and how blessed you are to have the life you do. When I am having a rough day and do something embarrassing (like fall down the stairs), instead of worrying about it, I just laugh at myself, and it makes my day a million times better.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future" (Proverbs 31:25). Learning to laugh at myself has been one of the best things I have ever done. It has helped me through struggles with self-confidence, showing me how to love my imperfections. It has helped me through my health struggles, teaching me to learn that sometimes God’s plan for my life does not line up with mine. It has helped me through depression, leading me back to the beauties of the world. In the words of George R.R. Martin, "Laughter is poison to fear."

Laughter brings happiness, which brings joy, which can turn your life around. When you allow yourself to forget your troubles and just laugh, you can become a happier, more positive person. Happiness is always a good thing. When you are happy, your life is better, and your joy can even spread to others.

When life gets you down, laughter can turn your day around. Sometimes when I have a bad day, spending a few moments laughingwith friends can bring me enough happiness to make the rest of my day amazing. Laughter is one of the best stress relievers I know. When you have a hard day, someone making you laugh can wash away layers of stress and replace it with happiness.

The ability to laugh at my mistakes is something I am proud of. When I do something idiotic, it is good to know that what I did was wrong and stupid but to also own up to the fact that what I did was and hilarious and laugh-worthy. This enables me to not be embarrassed by something like spilling coffee on my shirt, dropping my phone or being so tired that I can’t function.

Perfect people don’t exist (if they did, they wouldn’t be very interesting). I know I am not perfect but those imperfections are simply what makes me the person I am. We should all celebrate our uniqueness and laugh at ourselves every once in a while.

“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” –Charlie Chaplin