Journal of Nursing Jocularity

Late one fall evening, Marcus Engel, a freshman in college, was on his way home from a hockey game.  He never made it home. A drunk driver, traveling twice the legal speed limit, plowed into the side of the vehicle Marcus was in.

When he awoke to a world he would never again see, Marcus faced seemingly insurmountable obstacles: survive hundreds of hours of reconstructive facial surgery, adapt to blindness and find happiness in a world changed forever.  It is our honor and privilege to talk with Marcus, author of I’m Here: Compassionate Communication in Patient Care, and amazing motivational speaker.

JNJ: Reading through your book, Marcus, it seems that there are two clear messages that you’d like to share with nurses.  The first is that little things – gestures, conversations, a quiet moment — can mean so much. The second is really a call to remembrance: a directive to hold onto the fact that patients are people too. (more…)

Happiness expert, world renowned author of several books, including Shift Happens! and the forthcoming Be Happy, Dr. Robert Holden is the founder of The Happiness Project.  He is one of the pioneers and innovators in the field of positive psychology, and is dedicated to helping people realize their own authentic success.

Robert recently joined the JNJ team to discuss what happiness truly is, and how we can all enjoy more happiness in our personal lives.

JNJ: Let’s begin right at the beginning.  Your work is so well known.  I’m very curious about how you got started and what drew you to this work.  How did you become an expert on happiness? (more…)

“You’ve absolutely got to have a sense of humor if you’re a nurse.” So says Dave Barry, renowned humor columnist and author of countless funny books, including Boogers are My Beat. He joined us recently for a discussion about health care, humor, and what makes us laugh. (more…)

Pam Wener is a certified Laughter Leader with Radiant Laughter. Laughter leaders are trained to share the many benefits of laughter with others, helping them tap into the power of laughter to improve circulation, strengthen the immune system and elevate the spirit. The JNJ team was thrilled to talk with Pam about her work and sharing laughter with patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia.

JNJ: Laughter has so many benefits for our patients. But there are benefits for the caregiver – nurses and family members – as well. (more…)

“I believe that everyone has a sense of humor. In some of this, that sense of humor was nourished and supported by our families.  In others, that may not be the case.”  Mary Kay Morrison is an expert on humor and education, and was recently the co-chair of the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor’s wildly successful conference, The Biology of Hope. “I like to compare developing your sense of humor with physical fitness: it’s something we have to work at until it becomes so natural it’s an everyday part of our lives.” (more…)

Want to use more humor to celebrate National Humor Month? Here’s the top ten things you need to know about humor in the workplace, whether you’re working in a hospital, a long term care facility, a school, or any of the other places nurses call ‘the office’.

1.     Humor is in the eye of the beholder. Set boundaries of what is appropriate and what is not, because what some people find humorous, others will find offensive. Parameters of acceptable behaviors can be in the form of official written policies, but you want to be aware of your colleague’s verbal and non verbal communications. If you’re in a supervisory position, don’t forget to model the appropriate use of humor.

2.     Keep it clean and kind.  Therapeutic humor is humor that lifts the spirit and creates positive feelings. Avoid hurtful, embarrassing humor — if you’re the one who just went sliding through a spill of unidentified green goop, it’s okay to laugh. But if another nurse does it? You might want to see how she’s reacting, first. (more…)

I’m proud to be a Big Buttinski. After all, I chose to become a Gastroenterologist. And   I want you to get your colonoscopy now.

You think that I am going to harp on the medical reasons, don’t you? About how 40% of Americans at forty have one or more colon polyps, little fleshy mushroom–like growths, sprouting in their colon.  And how these polyps, usually over a ten to twelve year span, may proceed onto cancer in 6% of us. That as our number two cancer killer, after lung, you really need your colonoscopy done to look for and remove those polyps, simply because now you’re fifty.

Nah. Too easy. Instead, I’m going to tweak most Americans two darkest desires: greed and the quest for fame. (more…)

“I didn’t want my friends to be afraid of me,” Kelly Kunik said. “Who wants to be the kid who passes out? So I made jokes. I didn’t want them to be nervous, I wanted to be normal.” That sense of humor that Kunik used growing up as a Type 1 Diabetic (she was diagnosed at age 8) comes shining through her writing, which you can read on her blog Diabetesaliciousness. We recently sat down with Kelly to talk about humor, the role it plays in chronic conditions, and what patients wish their health care providers knew.

JNJ: Humor’s obviously a large part of your life. Why don’t we start out talking about the connection http://www.journalofnursingjocularity.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=3027#titledivbetween having diabetes and the power of laughter?

Kelly: There’s absolutely a very strong connection between humor and diabetes. It lets you own your disease, rather than letting it own you. Once you can laugh at something, you own it. Things become easier, all across the spectrum.

When you find a community of other people who are facing the same situation, and you find you can laugh about what you have in common — cutting your finger and running for your meter because you don’t want to waste the blood! — it makes things more bearable. You don’t feel like you’re alone. You’re not the only person who doesn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. You’re not the only person who has to go exercise, even when you really don’t want to. (more…)

Steve Rizzo has appeared as a national headline comedian with opening acts such as Drew Carey, Rosie O’Donnell and Dennis Miller, and has shared the marquee with comic greats including Ellen DeGeneres, Rodney Dangerfield, Eddie Murphy and Jerry Seinfeld. Steve Rizzo has also appeared on Comedy Central and in his very own Showtime special, earning him honors as a “Showtime Comedy All-Star.”

Then, at the pinnacle of his stand-up career, Steve Rizzo walked away from comedy to pursue his true purpose and passion – to teach people how to be happy and successful no matter what their circumstance. Steve Rizzo has been inducted into the Speakers Hall of Fame and is often called upon as the “go-to” guy on the topic of personal development for many network, cable and other media outlets, including MSNBC and Oprah and Friends.

Steve Rizzo’s immensely popular PBS special revealed why he’s an expert on humor and the power of positive thinking.  Steve Rizzo considers himself a PhB – “Professional Humor Being.”  As a personal development expert, Steve Rizzo shows people how to choose a healthy attitude both professionally and personally. His audiences learn how to succeed and enjoy their lives in the midst of challenging and changing times. Termed “The Attitude Adjuster,” Steve Rizzo is extremely entertaining and has a powerful message.

Steve Rizzo spent much of his own life learning how to pursue and achieve his own definition of success. Luckily for audiences worldwide, that definition has evolved to showing others his blueprint for realizing their dreams and achieving personal excellence and professional satisfaction. (more…)

The Journal of Nursing Jocularity is proud to announce our first inductee into our Hall of Fame: Vera M. Robinson!

The JNJ Hall of Fame honors those brave souls who have made extensive, meaningful contributions to the world of therapeutic humor. It’s only fitting that we give our first spot (and a big Thumbs Up!) to Vera Robinson, an absolute pioneer in the field.

Vera’s 1977 book, Humor and the Healing Professions, has been a handbook not only for me but for anyone who believes that laugher really is the best medicine; that laughing with our patients helps them and us, and that solid science  supports what the proverb says: A merry heart is truly a healthy heart! (more…)