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The constant demands make me feel like I don't even know how to laugh anymore. How do you find any type of joy or laughter in your life now that life has consumed you completely due to meeting everyone else's needs?

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My best advice is to find some Facebook people who share lots of bad puns, and friend and follow them immediately. My spirit feels much better now that I spent some time on there today...though now I'm worried I won;t get my book chapter written :-) but I really really NEEDED it.
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sadly in the 6 yrs i spent with my mom i was unwittingly and unwillingly maturing a little bit . now i find very few things humorous .
maybe itll get better now that my slackjoweled renter is gone . when she wasnt chainsmoking and hacking her lungs up she was stomping thru the house like a 3 legged cow .
no offense to handicapped cows anywhere .
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I understand what it's like to feel trapped, watch your life go by, watch yourself be consumed by hours with the crazy parent, not have time for others, not want to get up in the morning. That was me for the first 4 years. Then I got counseling and got stronger with boundaries and more detached perspective. Now I am determined to live my life. I limit my time with my parents and I have changed whatever I could in my life. If Mom needs full time nursing, it ain't going to be me, I don't care what she says or does. I really don't. I am doing what I can and when I see she is trying to take me down with her I am not buying it. I do whatever I can to help myself and then her. I am not going to go out of my way anymore. She poisons our relationship every time.
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Only thing worse than Mom in a bad mood is Mom with UTI and other affflictions.
Took her to Whole Foods to buy a supplement. She occupied the poor employee for at least a half hour while I stood about 15 feet away, within earshot. Mom kept pointing to me and explaining how I told her to take probiotics and now she's sick and whenever I approached to help clarify why Mom was there and what she needed my mother viciously verbally attacked me.
Another customer in the aisle said to me, "What a rude person that is! She was really harsh with you! And look how she is taking up everyone's time, other customers need assistance. What nerve! You are being nice to her. Do you KNOW that person?"

"No, I often don't feel I know her. But actually, she's my mother."

The customer looked at me with pity. "Don't worry, that was nothing. You should see her behavior in the car!" We both laughed. "She has a lot of mental problems going on. Always did."

Back to the real life movie: me and mother. Trying not to take it so seriously. Soon she will be gone and I get my life back. Right now I view her with love,
rage, and pity. I am absurd in my own way and I use my humor to keep perspective. This too will pass. At least we are not in an earthquake. Things could be worse.
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@jennyNYC85 if funny shows mad me laugh I would do it. I'm really at my end . Went to my doctor who knows my history because my body was so weak everything hurt I was dizzy I'm 53 he said he's afraid all the years of stress has finally started to effect my health. I really am depressed. I don't really want to talk or listen to anyone. My mom is so mean and brings up all the things that I did in like8th grade , my sister needs a place to live she lost her house, her husband committed Suicide my parents have 3 empty rooms picked with shot and a patio packed with sh*t I was suddle about my sister and her disabled son and my dad told her "it's not a good idea"'I
I went off!!! I have never disrespected my parents I was so mad I told him
Sit down and I held my hand above in a fist and sit down or I'll knock you down! I'm loosing it! Im serious.
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I am fortunate in having quite a strong streak of "gallows humour" about me. I'm just hoping it's not about to let me down.
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i force myself to watch my favorite sitcoms. (still Friends for me here :) )
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Oh I forgot and my sister and her son
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:( just recently lost my sanity. Been taking care of my parents for 6 years but they for real have big problems but I'm starting to get resentful and hurting my dad now im resentful. Feeling guilty,ANGERY, and just fricken hate everyone my husband of 25 years helps me with my family in every way! Laugh? If you find it please forward
It to me!
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Guido41, I know exactly what you mean. I use to have a fun sense of humor, use to pun my way through life... now my brain is so befuddled that I can't pun quick enough any more :(
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We are all onstage and watching this drama at the same time. The soul is untouched and we are always forgiven. All of us evolve eventually and dissolve into God's love and bliss. Sometimes we can feel it already.

I like to think of God as the Divine Director and the whole thing here as a kind of Seinfeld show. We are intriguing, complicated, funny, unique characters! Every other moment we see inequities, injustice, and strange contrasts. We see mystery, misery, delusions, and absurdities. Write down or mentally tell your story, but play it fast forward, or slightly exaggerated. Juxtapose a section on another memory, listen to poets, writers, tv sit coms.

I sure think that getting old has a ton of humorous moments!! Just not being able to hear what someone said and answering inappropriately can be very funny. Even my Mom laughed at her own moments like that.

Just today I was trying to explain to my mother how hard it is to visit my Dad (who is living alone now). I don't know how to communicate with him because he is now legally blind, and very deaf, plus his mind is getting more demented every month. (He's 95). He has other family members who I am not close to who take care of him and have their own shifts.

"Well what do the other people do when you're not there?" My mother asked me.
I thought a moment and then we both laughed.

Joy is the music of your soul that is ALWAYS prsent. You are wired with it. Just switch the mind's focus and listen to it. A bird, a cat, the sunset or sunrise, the sound of rain, there is always something that will remind you that you are here, you are blessed, and you ARE that joy.
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