It is said that the reason we laugh at something funny is because we hear the truth. Comedy, in a way, is the most serious of all dialogue!

There is humor based on the obvious

"I have never been convicted or even been accused of being bright. There is insufficient evidence."

"Your elevator does not go all the way to the top."

"I said for some reason people do not seem to like me, you Fathead, didn't you hear me the first time?"

"No, I have never belong to any organized political party. I have been a Democrat all my life." - Will Rogers

minister, after weaving down the main street in his car and being stopped by the town
constable: "Officer, I was drinking water out of that bottle."
officer: "What you have in that bottle is wine, not water."
ministser: "Alleluia, He's done it again!"

There is humor based on deliberate misuse of language or logic.

"Don't ever misunderestimate me." - George W. Bush

"You can fool some of the people all of the time. Those are the ones you want to concentrate on." - George W. Bush

"Managing a great team was 80 percent player talent and 60 percent managerial genius." - Casey Stengel

weather forecast: "Due to a deepening tropical seclusion we can expect intense scottered thundershatters. It may also rain hail-sized golfballs."

"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra

question: "Should I do this or do that?"
answer: " Yes."

"Let's be reasonable. We'll do it my way."

"Heads I win and tails you lose."

There is humor based on exaggeration.

doctor: "That wart on your nose needs to come off. It is precancerous."
patient: "Could I get a second opinion, would you mind?"
doctor: "Heck no, it's ugly too!"

"The fog is so thick that the continent is cut off from England."

" I run so fast sometimes I get to second bases ahead of my shadow." - Satchel Page or Pee Wee Reese

There is humor based on false compliments and double messages

"You sir, are a brave man. Not everybody has the courage to whine and whimper in public."

"I'm sorry for constantly running down my wife's cooking. Give her credit. After all, she broke the dog of eating off the table." - Red Skelton

"Those who are all wrapped up in themselves come in small packages." - Benjamin Franklin

"You must be a big wheel because you keep going in circles."

"Anthony Eden is like an over-ripe bannana: all full of black spots on the outside, soft and squishy on the inside." - Winton Churchill

Churchill to Lady Astor: "You, madam, ar ugly."
Lady Astor to Churchill: "You, sir are drunk."
Churchill to Lady Astor: "But in the morning I will be sober."

Lady Astor to Churchill: "Sir, if we were married I would put poison in your tea."
Churchill to Lady Astor: "If I were your husband I would drink it."

There is humor which uses stories to make the point.

A painter went after the contract to paint the church. He planned to siphon off some of the paint and sell it on the side. The plan worked well: he got the contract to paint the church inside and out. He kept thinning the paint and selling off buckets of good paint. The plan was working. Nobody noticed and he was getting rich.

Then one day a huge dark cloud formed over the church. It began to rain, inside and outside of the church until every last drop of new paint had been washed away. Next, the cloud parted to allow a very bright beam of light to come down from the cloud to the panter grovelling face down in the mud, terrified. A voice came down the light ray and it said: "Repaint. Repaint. Go and thin no more."

The moral of this article? Humor goes a long way towards defusing tension and stress. Use it liberally, both at home and at work. When all else fails, say something funny.

And, oh yes, make sure the humor is appropriate. Don't be telling seemingly funny death stories at wakes and don't be telling stupid boss jokes when your vice president is trying to give you advice about improving your performance!

Above all: never, ever use sarcasm. Sarcasm while funny, also hurts and so it is never appropriate. Humor is supposed to help us laugh, not hurt.

While it is impossible to predict how stress will affect an individual there are some common symptoms that identify that someone is probably experiencing sudden or chronic stress.

Sudden stress is a one-off occurrence, like your car breaking down in rush hour traffic or having to give a speech. Some of the symptoms of sudden stress are

• higher blood pressure - higher blood pressure cannot always be detected but bulging veins are an obvious sign of high blood pressure.
• clenching of the jaw or grinding of the teeth.
• clenching of fists and tightening of muscles in the arms.
• shallow breathing.
• headaches.
• profuse sweating.

Chronic stress is regular and unrelieved sudden stress. A typical example of chronic stress would be meeting monthly mortgage or credit card payments knowing that you don't have the money to afford them. Meeting tight or unrealistic deadlines at work would also be another example of chronic and unremitting stress. By it's very nature, chronic stress is potentially harmful to a persons health unless treated or managed. Some of the common symptoms of chronic stress are

• heart disease - an increased level of amino acid plasma homocysteine caused by stress is thought to increase the risk to heart disease.
• Strokes - blood is thought to become thicker due to the changes in the biochemistry in the blood which lead to an increase in blood clots and strokes.
• Catching colds, flu's and other ailments often and struggling to shift them - it is thought that stress affects the white blood cell count.
• Stomach problems such as diarrhoea, constipation, cramping or bloating.
• Sleeping disorders - the full gamut of sleeping disorders from insomnia to inability to stay in deep sleep.
• Reduced brain functions - memory, concentration and learning functions are all thought to suffer when under chronic stress.
• Sexual problems - for men, temporary impotence. For women a loss of sexual desire, intensified PMS or a shut down in menstruation.

Some or all of these symptoms could affect the individual. It is often hard to pinpoint stress as the direct cause of, say, catching a cold but by changing simple aspects of your lifestyle you may find common complaints and odd aches and pains diminish. Incorporating a regular exercise routine, for example, could improve your stress levels and health. The body is a remarkable system. If you can ensure that the components can run in harmony then the body will take care of itself.

What can YOU do do reduce stress?

The first thing that you should do to reduce stress is completely change your life style. In addition, you should also change your diet to meet the nutritional demands of stress. Thus, your diet should include foods which, in combination , would supply all the essential nutrients. It has been found that a diet which contains quantities of seeds, nuts and grains, vegetables, and fruits could provide an adequate amount of all the nutrients one would need.

The above health -building foods should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils, honey and yogurt. Yogurt is rich in vitamin A, B complex and D. In addition, seeds such as alfalfa, sunflower, and pumpkin and sprouts are rich in calcium and quite effective as deterrents of listlessness and anxiety. Steam cooked vegetables are best as boiling causes many vitamins and minerals to be dispelled into the water.

Basil Leaves are also highly beneficially the treatment of stress. They are regarded as adaptogen or antistress agents. It has been suggested that even healthy persons should chew at least 12 leaves of basil twice a day to help reduce stress.

Certain nutrients are beneficial in relieving stress. These are vitamins A and B, minerals such as calcium, potassium and magnesium which reduce the feeling of irritability and anxiety. Vitamin A can be found in green and yellow vegetables. Some of the valuable sources of vitamin B are cashews, green leafy vegetables, yeast, sprouts and bananas. An element of vitamin B complex,pantothenic acid is especially important in preventing stress.

In addition, potassium deficiencieshas also been associated with breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and low blood sugar. Potassium is essential for healthy heart muscles. Nuts and unrefined grains are good sources of potassium.

Calcium is a natural sedative. Deficiencies can cause fatigue, nervousness and tension. Dairy products, eggs, almonds, and soyabeans are rich sources of calcium.

There are certain foods which are associated with stress and anxiety and should be avoided These foods are caffeine, many soft drinks, salt, cigarettes and alcohol.

Exercise and rest are equally important and one should set a definite time for exercise activities. You should also take a mini vacation at regular intervals. And above all else, YOU should simplify your lifestyle to eliminate unnecessary stress.