I’m not going to lie, this week was very hectic. We put together the Best in Business section and the New Year, New and Healthier You section in the Jessamine Journal, all while producing our regular content. I certainly could not have done it without our wonderful staff.

We encountered several hiccups and even had some late nights at the office, but through it all, we had some great laughs. This week could have been so much worse without the incredible senses of humor among our staff.

One moment, the office would be almost completely silent, the only sound was the faint clicking of our fingers feverishly typing to get our work done. Then, next thing I knew I would be bellowing out laughter at my computer screen because something Nick Hon, Joe Hall or Jonathan Curry said.

Laughter truly can be medicine for the soul.

I read an article on CEO.com explaining why laughing out loud in the workplace can be a good thing. It allows you to be 100 percent you at work. For most of the week, you’re at your place of business with co-workers, so you can’t be stuffy all the time. Sometimes it helps to let loose.  Laughs can be contagious, and cause your happiness to trickle into the hearts of your co-workers as well.

I stare at a computer for almost the entire day. After a while, I can start to go cross-eyed or quickly become so immersed in my work that I miss the bigger picture. A burst of laughter is a welcome distraction to help me relax just enough to get my focus back, or feel more creative afterward.

According to an article on Psychology Today titled “Laughter: The Best Medicine,” laughter improves your job performance, especially if your work depends on you thinking outside the box.

Chuckling can reduce pain, help to regulate blood flow and battle the impact of mental stress.

I’m not saying goof off the whole time you’re at work, but a joke here and there can lighten the mood of the workday and brighten the atmosphere within the office. A potentially rough week for you and your co-workers can be transformed into a bonding experience and a fun learning curve.

Just in case you needed a laugh too, a joke from GigglePEDIA:

Three co-workers: an editor, a photographer, and a journalist are covering a political convention in Miami. They decide to walk up and down the beach during their lunch hour.

Halfway up the beach, they stumbled upon a lamp. As they rub the lamp a genie appears and says “Normally I would grant you three wishes, but since there are three of you, I will grant you each one wish.”

The photographer went first. “I would like to spend the rest of my life living in a huge house in St. Thomas with no money worries.” The genie granted him his wish and sent him on off to St.

Thomas. The journalist went next. “I would like to spend the rest of my life living on a huge yacht cruising the Mediterranean with no money worries.” The genie granted him his wish and sent him off to the Mediterranean.

Last, but not least, it was the editor’s turn. “And what would your wish be?” asked the genie.

“I want them both back after lunch” replied the editor, “the deadline for tomorrow’s newspaper is in about ten hours.”