from him, saying that he was starving her on purpose. This upset Rudy, and he shouted back that he was working hard for them as a couple, that he had to be the one to do everything, and that he couldn't take it anymore (he was very hungry by this time, too). They stood in the kitchen with the broccoli between them on the countertop, shouting at the tops of their lungs. They both vented all the anger stored up inside them ever since they had been depriving themselves of food on this diet. They kept yelling and yelling until finally, with nothing left to say, Rudy realized they were arguing over a green vegetable. He began to laugh, and she soon followed suit. This broke the tension. Then they cooked their dinner, ate it, and re-stated their proclamation.
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In this case, humor gave the couple some perspective and allowed them to continue living out their proclamation. The stress of the diet could be released, and they could step back from the argument to see how difficult it was for both of them to diet at the same time.
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The second great advantage of humor is that it keeps you from taking yourself and life too seriously. Laughing at something makes it easier to bear. When you are feeling stressed or pressured in your relationship, do something that will make you laugh. A funny movie, a family game of charades, or a small pillow fight can be helpful. Having fun is a key to creating cooperative action. Teams who enjoy the games they are playing often are more relaxed and do better. You can be serious about practicing, but you must have fun to make a relationship work well on a continuing basis. Dreams can provide a humorous look at ourselves or our everyday situations by combining images from the distant past with recent days, or by putting together imaginary characteristics.
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Maxine had been studying for her real estate brokers' examination for weeks. She was tired and irritable all the time.
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