Some mornings, I wake up dreading the day ahead of me. I have no motivation to get up and start my day. My mind spins with stressors: appearances, an upcoming test or homework. I carry the negative mindset that my day will be terrible.

However, I have discovered each day offers little moments of joy. A day has never gone by where I have not found something to laugh about. The “funnies” (what my friends and I refer to funny moments as) most definitely have gotten me through hard times. That is why I find it so important to surround myself with humorous friends.

Having funny friends is essential. Of course, friends should be kind and caring, but  mostly I look for a friend who shares my sense of humor. Here’s why: During the good moments of life, having funny friends is great, but in the bad moments of life, having funny friends is even better.

Laughter has the ability to turn dreadful situations into amusing ones. Over the summer, I went on a backpacking trip. The first night there was a blizzard and the temperature was below freezing. My friends and I were cold, scared and uncertain of what was to come. As we were sitting in the tent, crying and complaining, one of my closest friends looked over at me with an absurd expression on her face. We both burst into laughter. During a really stressful situation, my friend was able to make me laugh, enabling me to feel safe and more comfortable.

Laughter is actually proven to shift people’s moods. A scientific study in “Physiological Reports” revealed how laughter reduces anxiety in people. Another study in “Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine” explained how humor decreases stress hormones. Laughter really is a natural medicine.

Sometimes when I am sad, I don’t openly talk about it; I just carry it around with me. Sometimes my friends detect something is wrong, but other times they don’t. I cannot expect my friends to automatically recognize my feelings and constantly offer me reassuring advice. Something I can look forward to while being with them, though, is they will make me smile. When I’m having a bad day, week, or month the car rides, Target runs, and doing homework at Starbucks with my friends always cheer me up. It’s not anything in particular that makes those moments extraordinary, but the little comments and jokes that are said during those times offer a sense of relief from my worries. Laughter results in an automatic mood change, even if it is for a split second.

Some people don’t understand the humor my friends and I share. It doesn’t always make sense. Honestly, most of the time it’s so stupid that it’s funny. Opening an umbrella in the school hallway, for example, made my friend and I buckle over in laughter. It’s okay that people may not share the same humor as us, but I think it’s important to find people that you can laugh with.

Laughter is powerful. It opens doors for happiness in times of despair and hopelessness. For me, it helps me recognize the positives in everyday. I am thankful that my funny friends are an important part of my life because each day they bring me joy.