Laughter exercises to alleviate stress for HKSKH Social Service staff

Publish Date: 30-Mar-2021

Members of the social service sector are working under immense stress during the COVID-19 pandemic and it may have affected their mental health. The HKSKH Integrated Community Centre for Mental Wellness – The Club – organized a thirty-minute “Fighting against the pandemic with Laughter at 2:30 pm” activity, which was conducted three times a week from October to December 2020 to help HKSKH social service staff alleviate their working pressures and improve their sleeping quality and mental wellness. The findings of the effectiveness of the activity were released at the Promotion of Mental Health Sharing Session for the Social Service Sector held by The Club on 19 March, which was coincided with World Sleep Day.

The “Fighting against the pandemic with Laughter at 2:30 pm” activity was based on Laughter Yoga. It was adapted according to the individual working environment of the HKSKH social service staff. Participants could engage in the activity alone or with other colleagues during the session.

Apart from using traditional questionnaires, The Club also assessed the effectiveness of the activity with the Belun Ring, a locally developed and FDA certified sleep analysis device and tool. The participants were split into two groups, the first was actively engaged in the activity while the second group was not. The assessment was done before, during, and at the end of the activity showed that negative emotions, such as depression, had been alleviated. Participants of the activity enjoyed a better quality of sleep and were better able to adapt to the environment.