MSI Press Blog

Humor is more than entertainment. It’s a survival skill — a way the mind keeps itself intact when life becomes too heavy to bear all at once. When people laugh in the middle of difficulty, they’re not denying reality. They’re reframing it — turning pain into something that can be held, examined, and even shared. Used well, humor doesn’t erase pain. It makes pain bearable . 1. Humor as a Psychological Shield Strong emotions — grief, fear, anger, shame — can feel overwhelming. Humor acts as a buffer, giving the psyche a moment to breathe. It’s the mind saying, “Let me translate this chaos into something I can survive.” That’s why people often crack jokes in hospital rooms, funerals, or moments of crisis. It’s not disrespect. It’s resilience. Humor transforms helplessness into agency. It gives people a way to participate in their own survival. 2. Humor Eases Social Tension In difficult situations, humor can diffuse discomfort and restore connection. It signals safety — “We can still be h...

  People talk about painkillers like they’re magic — and yes, they can bring real comfort. But they also do something subtle: they blur the edges. They make it easy to believe everything is fine when your body is actually waving a bright red flag. Because I can’t take most painkillers (NSAIDs are the exception; local anesthetic is not), I’ve had to build a different relationship with pain. Not a heroic one. Not a martyrdom one. Just… practical. Pain gives me information. It tells me where the problem is, how intense it is, and whether it’s getting better or worse. That’s incredibly useful when you’re trying to explain something to a doctor — especially for things like dental work or small outpatient procedures. Pain becomes a guide, not an enemy. Now, NSAIDs are a different story. They work well — sometimes too well. They can make me feel like I can do anything, even the things I probably shouldn’t. So I use them sparingly, because I know myself and I know my tendencies. That’s a ...

  People love to say, “Well, everything hurts when you get older.” As if aging is some kind of warranty expiration date. But here’s the secret no one tells you: Bodies don’t fall apart because of age. They respond to how we treat them. I’m not talking about kale smoothies or gym memberships. I’m talking about the tiny, everyday choices that either support your body or grind it down. 🌼 Sleep matters If you spend eight hours a night in a position your spine hates, your spine will complain. If you spend eight hours in a position your spine likes , it will stay quiet for decades. Ask me how I know. 🌼 Movement matters Not “exercise.” Movement. Scooching, lifting toddlers, climbing stairs, carrying laundry, reaching, bending — that’s functional strength training. Your body adapts to what you ask of it. If you ask it to move, it stays capable. If you ask it to sit still, it stiffens. 🌼 Listening matters Pain isn’t the enemy. Pain is information. “Tight” means keep...

  From Dennis Ortman PAIN PATIENCE “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces character, and character produces hope, and hope will not leave us disappointed.” Romans 5: 3-4   What is more natural than to seek pleasure and avoid pain? We Americans entertain high ideals. We aspire to greatness, to being the best, number one. These aspirations, however, may at times shade into excess.    Our remarkable advances in technology promise to fulfill our dreams. So we seek lives of the most pleasure with the least pain. The pharmaceutical industry invests billions of dollars to help us attain this goal. Their medications promise wellbeing and the possibility of killing all pain. This mentality and the easy availability of drugs spawned the opioid epidemic. We sought a better life, a pain-free life, through chemistry. Soon, the dream of wellbeing turned into a nightmare. The more pills we consumed to escape the pain, the more we needed to take, until we rea...