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Silly Therapy (tm)

R

RDF

Guest
Around close personal friends: If we're in a clowning mood, it's easy for me to get silly. [Edit:] And I act silly with the wife all the time.

By myself: It's easy for me to be silly by myself, but I forget to do it. I get caught up in my work or my own little dramas or ponder things too hard and too long. So I have to remind myself to get silly and have some laughs at my own expense to release the tension and unwind back to normal. The benefits are obvious enough: It gives me a break from working or brooding and refreshes me, and maybe even gives me some perspective on the things I'm doing by providing some quick distancing. But anyway, as long as I remember to be silly, then the silliness comes easy.

In a crowd of social acquaintances or total strangers: It's always been difficult for me to be silly in social or work situations. I concentrate too hard on making a good impression and avoiding gaffes, with the end result that those environments have always been a strain for me. In recent years I've been working on loosening up and being more natural in difficult social situations, even at the risk of committing gaffes. It's been tough, but it's doable and I find myself enjoying myself much more and interacting much better. I don't worry if I come off as a bit of a chattering clown at first (in fact I cultivate the impression), and meantime the reduction in the stress/aggression/tension level frees up a lot of energy that I can use more productively and creatively in the social interactions themselves. Getting silly in social/work situations makes a big difference in the quality of the interactions. By putting myself at ease, I can cause others to be at their ease and get a better interaction going with them. And that's something that I've only been able to achieve with practice and deliberate intent.
 

Domino

ENFJ In Chains
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
11,429
MBTI Type
eNFJ
Enneagram
4w3
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Twin sister = frequently inescapable unbidden silliness.
 

white

~dangerous curves ahead~
Joined
Nov 15, 2007
Messages
2,591
MBTI Type
ENTP
Twin sister = frequently inescapable unbidden silliness.

:yes: whole-heartedly, unequivocally, agree. Signed, sealed and delivered escape path that's personally yours alone. .
 

Domino

ENFJ In Chains
Joined
Nov 5, 2007
Messages
11,429
MBTI Type
eNFJ
Enneagram
4w3
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
:yes: whole-heartedly, unequivocally, agree. Signed, sealed and delivered escape path that's personally yours alone. .

I knew we'd be mano-y-mano on that one. Twin World.
 

wolfmaiden14

*ears perk up*
Joined
Oct 14, 2007
Messages
590
MBTI Type
Infx
Yes, actually... but only one.

That is showing people they've underestimated you, but when it's too late for the information to be useful to them and you've already won.

Good point. ;)
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

Well-known member
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
7,263
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Around close personal friends: If we're in a clowning mood, it's easy for me to get silly. [Edit:] And I act silly with the wife all the time.

By myself: It's easy for me to be silly by myself, but I forget to do it. I get caught up in my work or my own little dramas or ponder things too hard and too long. So I have to remind myself to get silly and have some laughs at my own expense to release the tension and unwind back to normal. The benefits are obvious enough: It gives me a break from working or brooding and refreshes me, and maybe even gives me some perspective on the things I'm doing by providing some quick distancing. But anyway, as long as I remember to be silly, then the silliness comes easy.

In a crowd of social acquaintances or total strangers: It's always been difficult for me to be silly in social or work situations. I concentrate too hard on making a good impression and avoiding gaffes, with the end result that those environments have always been a strain for me. In recent years I've been working on loosening up and being more natural in difficult social situations, even at the risk of committing gaffes. It's been tough, but it's doable and I find myself enjoying myself much more and interacting much better. I don't worry if I come off as a bit of a chattering clown at first (in fact I cultivate the impression), and meantime the reduction in the stress/aggression/tension level frees up a lot of energy that I can use more productively and creatively in the social interactions themselves. Getting silly in social/work situations makes a big difference in the quality of the interactions. By putting myself at ease, I can cause others to be at their ease and get a better interaction going with them. And that's something that I've only been able to achieve with practice and deliberate intent.

Great post. :)
 
O

Oberon

Guest
What's the last silly thing you did?

Okay, here's something. Last night I was teaching my teenagers the last section on Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. A couple of days ago we had watched the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera on DVD.

The odd thing about that film is that, in it, almost all the lines are sung. Absently, at the beginning of the class I rattled off "The PHAAAAAN-tom of the opera is here... inside your mind!" And we proceeded to conduct the next ten minutes of class in operatic form. All the questions and answers were sung to melodies made up on the spot.

My 12-year-old ENTP son immediately caught on. My 13-year-old (ENFJ?) daughter took about ten seconds longer, and my 14-year-old (ISFJ?) nephew didn't want to have anything to do with it and kept threatening to leave.

The part of the story we were studying is the one in which Robin Hood dies, so at one point I sang "We know that Robin died, now tell me if you can... How did he BIIIITE the BIG one?!?" And my daughter echoed in chorus fashion "...BIIITE the BIG one!" Thereafter it was a theme.

"What the prioress do... to help him BIIIITE the BIG one?!?"
"...BIIIITE the BIG one!"

What did the merry men do... after he BIIIIIT the BIG one?!?"
"...BIIIIT the BIG one!"

So then my nephew protested "What's with all this biting the big one? No! No more!"

"Very well then... how did he KIIIIIIICK the BUCK-et?" I sang.
"...KIIIIIICK the BUCK-et!" my kids echoed.

A good time was had by all.
 
O

Oberon

Guest
Wanna hear something silly?

Do a Google video search on "Porky's Blue Christmas."

[snerk!]
 
O

Oberon

Guest
You mean Porky's Blue Christmas, or conducting a homeschool class in operatic form?
 

Sandy

New member
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
552
MBTI Type
INFP
Okay, here's something. Last night I was teaching my teenagers the last section on Pyle's Merry Adventures of Robin Hood. A couple of days ago we had watched the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera on DVD.

The odd thing about that film is that, in it, almost all the lines are sung. Absently, at the beginning of the class I rattled off "The PHAAAAAN-tom of the opera is here... inside your mind!" And we proceeded to conduct the next ten minutes of class in operatic form. All the questions and answers were sung to melodies made up on the spot.

My 12-year-old ENTP son immediately caught on. My 13-year-old (ENFJ?) daughter took about ten seconds longer, and my 14-year-old (ISFJ?) nephew didn't want to have anything to do with it and kept threatening to leave.

The part of the story we were studying is the one in which Robin Hood dies, so at one point I sang "We know that Robin died, now tell me if you can... How did he BIIIITE the BIG one?!?" And my daughter echoed in chorus fashion "...BIIITE the BIG one!" Thereafter it was a theme.

"What the prioress do... to help him BIIIITE the BIG one?!?"
"...BIIIITE the BIG one!"

What did the merry men do... after he BIIIIIT the BIG one?!?"
"...BIIIIT the BIG one!"

So then my nephew protested "What's with all this biting the big one? No! No more!"

"Very well then... how did he KIIIIIIICK the BUCK-et?" I sang.
"...KIIIIIICK the BUCK-et!" my kids echoed.

A good time was had by all.

OMGoodness!!! That sounded like so much fun! :smile:
 

OctaviaCaesar

New member
Joined
Oct 18, 2007
Messages
211
MBTI Type
INFJ
Homeschool Power! Oberon, you sound like a fabulous teacher, a lot in teaching style like my (surprise!) ENFP mother. She had the perfect balance of silly, enthusiasm, and routine, and I adored my homeschool experience, mostly because of her. If one can't be silly about education, then it's truly a dreadful experience!
 
O

Oberon

Guest
Thanks for the props.

My approach to homeschooling has been, in part, to teach serious content and serious concepts with a measure of silliness. This is the opposite of the public school approach, which is to teach silly ideas and to treat them with uncompromising seriousness.
 

Sandy

New member
Joined
Oct 10, 2007
Messages
552
MBTI Type
INFP
Thanks for the props.

My approach to homeschooling has been, in part, to teach serious content and serious concepts with a measure of silliness. This is the opposite of the public school approach, which is to teach silly ideas and to treat them with uncompromising seriousness.

There's something to be said about having an imaginative teacher. They'll learn a lot from you. (double duty enjoyment because you are their father!)
 
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