Loretta Laroche - RELAX--You May Only Have a Few Minutes Left: Using the Power of Humor to Overcome Stress in Your Life and Work

Life Is ShortWear Your Party Pants:

Ten Simple Truths That Lead to an Amazing Life (available as a book, 2-CD set, and a DVD)

Squeeze the Day:365 Ways to Bring JOYand JUICE into Your Life (book)

The Wise and Witty Stress Solution Kit

All of the above are available at your local bookstore, or may be ordered by visiting:

Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com

Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au

Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk

Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za

Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Relax

You May Only

Have a Few
Minutes left

Using the Power of Humor
to Overcome Stress
in Your Life and Work

LORETTA LAROCHE

HAY HOUSE, INC.

Carlsbad, California New York City

London Sydney Johannesburg

Vancouver Hong Kong New Delhi

Copyright 2008 by Loretta LaRoche

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in theUnited Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published anddistributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www. hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Editorial supervision: Jill Kramer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

First published in 1998 by Villard Books, a division of Random House, Inc.:
ISBN: 0-375-50145-2.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

LaRoche, Loretta.

Relax-- you may only have a few minutes left : using the power of humor to overcome stress in your life and work / Loretta LaRoche. -- Rev. ed.

p. cm.

ISBN-13: 978-1-4019-1769-2 (pbk.)

1. Stress (Psychology) 2. Stress management. 3. Wit and humor--Therapeutic use. 4. Laughter--Therapeutic use. I. Title.

BF575.S75L276 2007

155.9042--dc22

2006029966

ISBN:978-1-4019-1769-2

11 10 09 08 4 3 2 1

1st edition, February 2008

Printed in the United States of America

Three One-Dollar Bills

R ecently my husband, Bob, and I were in Florida for a long overdue vacation. Bob is a wonderful guy, but like most people, including myself, he creates a lot of the stress in his life, mostly by failing to appreciate the humor in everyday situations.

In many ways, Bob and I are very different. Hes a tall, ruddy-faced WASP with a shock of white hair; Im a small, pale-skinned Italian with auburn (at the moment) hair. But our differences extend past the physical and the cultural. Bob is organized and methodical. He does everything in a routine, from eating certain foods (turkeys a favorite for lunch), to the time he goes to bed (past nine oclock, its lights out). On the other hand, I love spontaneity, favor a reasonable amount of disorder, and constantly question the logic behind everything.