Most of us at some time will suffer from 'a sense of humour failure' - well, for me it went one stage further and led to a change of direction.
I'd always been known for my humour, that is to say I tended to look for the 'funny' in everything I did. What I found funny wasn't necessarily the opinion of those around me. I would hear comments from (friends, family, strangers!!) after cracking a joke saying 'you're not funny you know'. This would usually be said with a frustrating grin starting to break out on their lips. After a time I got used to the comments and looks...it never stopped me. In fact it almost became a badge of honour. If something didn't work I'd try a different way.
This technique of being funny/not funny is something I'd developed from my school years and it got me out of many a sticky situation. I'm not sure if it ever became natural but certainly a lot of effort was put into chasing the humour and making it look like it was easy.
If something didn't work I'd try a different way
A few years ago, I was watching a comedy show, one of the shows that has a comedian compare and a few comedians as guests. I was watching it by myself and when the show finished I found myself saying 'Well that just wasn't funny!'... I realised that I'd watched the whole programme and didn't laugh, chuckle not even crack a smile. Not once. Now we all have occasions when we watch something but our minds are distracted by something else, but this just didn't feel right.
It was a moment of realisation, something just wasn't right. In hindsight it's easier to put the pieces together but at that time I just had to find an answer. The solution came when I took a step back and saw that several areas of my life were off their tracks. Nothing would run smoothly until that was sorted.
Breaking down the effects to get to the cause
I needed to change and I looked for ways of breaking down the effects to get to the cause. We seem to be programmed to resist change and I looked for ways of breaking through this stubbornly defensive line. My journey eventually took me to discovering Hypnotherapy. I researched, spoke to people, read books and when I reached that point when I saw the benefits and how I would benefit from it, I decided to take it further and become a qualified Clinical Hypnotherapist.
I now work with people who are asking similar questions to the ones that I asked. Who know that something isn't as they feel it should be but are not sure how to take the next step. For change to happen you must do something different. Willpower alone is not the answer, because it remains fragile if you don't address the original cause. There are many ways of making the changes you need however hypnotherapy allows you to cut through the clutter of the day to reach a part of your thinking that changes habits and routine.
So...has my sense of humour returned? I would say yes (but now I don't use humour to mask other issues) although I still get enjoyment from seeing others sometimes shake their heads and say 'You're not funny you know!'
Andrew Bond
Co-founder of The Consulting Room in Sheffield
hello@theconsultingroom.co.uk
07772 357117