For Every Problem, There is a Meme

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2037

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ps. Understanding the pitfalls of my past has helped me to adjust my own behavior. I can laugh at the memes because I’m not engaging in that cycle anymore, but I can relate to it still.</p><p id="f826"><a href="https://news.stanford.edu/news/2011/august/humor-coping-horror-080111.html">Researchers</a> have found that being able to use humor to face challenges has a positive impact on our well-being. <a href="https://positivepsychology.com/humor-psychology/">Dark humor</a> has even been found to increase resilience. While memes might seem like a silly way to pass the time, they can actually serve as a coping skill when we use them to find the absurdity in tough situations and make light of our own struggles.</p><p id="8535">Of course, while dishing out memes can be entertaining, science doesn’t support humor that makes fun of ourselves or hurts others. It’s one thing to laugh at a past pattern in our lives and another to use humor to put ourselves down. Detrimental humor can lower self-esteem and negatively impact relationships. In short, being funny at someone else’s expense (or even our own) doesn’t show benefits.</p><figure id="0cd7"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*796dXRqbwG0Wp2pbNv4fmA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p id="d3b6">Even paying attention to the memes we collect can yield a lot of information about who we are and how we approach life. While we certainly don’t have to sit around and over-analyze it, it can be interesting to note that we aren’t just taking up valuable space on our phones or wasting time when we sit around laughing at memes. We’re actually doing something productive to support our mental health (though try explaining that to your boss during work hours).</p><p id="7d6e">Memes may not seem like the best coping strategy, but they do help us cope. Whether we scroll through Baby Yoda memes, check and see where they’ve Photoshopped Bernie Sanders and his mittens this time, or simply indulge in a good laugh at an outrageous relationship

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meme, finding humor gives us hope, allows us to laugh at ourselves (in a good-natured way), and may even teach us something if we’re willing to look beyond the humor and learn from it.</p><div id="3e9b" class="link-block"> <a href="https://readmedium.com/reach-your-goals-with-these-7-motivating-morning-rituals-6ecb2986dccf"> <div> <div> <h2>Reach Your Goals with These 7 Motivating Morning Rituals</h2> <div><h3>Start the day off ready to hustle your way to your best life</h3></div> <div><p>medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*kh0Bu_K6s8Hiuisr)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="6993" class="link-block"> <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/how-to-move-forward-when-youre-just-spinning-your-wheels-3f74855f95a6"> <div> <div> <h2>How to Move Forward When You’re Just Spinning Your Wheels</h2> <div><h3>Maybe we’re looking at this all wrong</h3></div> <div><p>psiloveyou.xyz</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*A-tUgZFBVjwKjvtP)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><div id="f25d" class="link-block"> <a href="https://psiloveyou.xyz/maybe-not-an-empath-3a41d56a731a"> <div> <div> <h2>Maybe Not an Empath</h2> <div><h3>Empath or hypervigilant? There’s a difference</h3></div> <div><p>psiloveyou.xyz</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*A5RPMDGXp4De7jPb)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div></article></body>

Laughter might be the best medicine, but it’s more than that

It would not be overstating it to say that I have a veritable library of memes on my phone. Not enough sleep? I have a meme. Over the bullshit of adulting? I’ve got you covered. Experience a breakup? There’s an entire section of the library devoted to telling you that you deserve better while throwing shade at your ex. Struggling with mental health issues? Oh, I’ve got memes for that, too.

I’m GenX, so I remember life before memes. I just don’t exactly know how we coped so well without this perfect way of expressing our feelings. Perhaps we didn’t. Or maybe we were just this level of sarcastic in person. What I do know is that while memes can help us find the humor in tough situations, they can also teach us something if we’re paying attention.

My library has a whole host of red flag memes. They are there for a reason. I was very good at seeing exactly what I wanted to see in relationships. I ignored any number of obvious, waving red flags. In fact, I acted like I could just pretend them away with no one the wiser when obviously I couldn’t. Now, the memes I keep on standby to help someone else out are reminders that I can’t afford to ignore red flags in favor of my own narrative. The jokes are funny, but the lessons are real.

Red flag memes aren’t something I laugh at while continuing to ignore red flags in relationships. Understanding the pitfalls of my past has helped me to adjust my own behavior. I can laugh at the memes because I’m not engaging in that cycle anymore, but I can relate to it still.

Researchers have found that being able to use humor to face challenges has a positive impact on our well-being. Dark humor has even been found to increase resilience. While memes might seem like a silly way to pass the time, they can actually serve as a coping skill when we use them to find the absurdity in tough situations and make light of our own struggles.

Of course, while dishing out memes can be entertaining, science doesn’t support humor that makes fun of ourselves or hurts others. It’s one thing to laugh at a past pattern in our lives and another to use humor to put ourselves down. Detrimental humor can lower self-esteem and negatively impact relationships. In short, being funny at someone else’s expense (or even our own) doesn’t show benefits.

Even paying attention to the memes we collect can yield a lot of information about who we are and how we approach life. While we certainly don’t have to sit around and over-analyze it, it can be interesting to note that we aren’t just taking up valuable space on our phones or wasting time when we sit around laughing at memes. We’re actually doing something productive to support our mental health (though try explaining that to your boss during work hours).

Memes may not seem like the best coping strategy, but they do help us cope. Whether we scroll through Baby Yoda memes, check and see where they’ve Photoshopped Bernie Sanders and his mittens this time, or simply indulge in a good laugh at an outrageous relationship meme, finding humor gives us hope, allows us to laugh at ourselves (in a good-natured way), and may even teach us something if we’re willing to look beyond the humor and learn from it.