JoJO Sutherland at The Scottish ParliamentI think I will leave the running of the country to people more qualified than me, but it was a great opportunity to go inside the seat of power at The Scottish Parliament and discuss and show work that we are doing with Charity Universal Comedy.

Universal comedy is a registered charity that works with people with long term ill health and mental health issues by running a series of workshops run by professional comics to teach them comedy performance skills to aid confidence and well being.

The participants are usually self referred  from their GP surgeries or social care provider and offer a real and tangible way to combat stress and anxiety using humour. The humour can sometimes become quite dark in places as people who suffer either physically or mentally find ways to laugh at their own situation whilst shining a bright and funny light on the reality of their condition.

I know it sounds ludicrous to suggest that we laugh about such things as depression, schizophrenia or cystic fibrosis but then that is exactly what they do and with quite startling and enlightening results!

Fear and self doubt are the most common obstacles to most of us and through laughter we can find ways to relieve those pesky intruders which is exactly what we did in front of a gathering of MSP’s.

Having different avenues to help people other than just conventional medicine is something we all need to wake up to and recognise humour as a real tool to aid recovery.

To also get a tour of the parliament and a cheeky little drinks reception was a fantastic way to round off the day.

If you would like to find out more about how comedy workshops and events can help wellbeing in your workplace, contact us to discuss it.

 

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