Comedy as Therapy for Christmas
By: Michell Stanley, LICSW, CPC, RYT
Whether you celebrate Christmas or not: the holidays can be a time when people intrude on each other with akward, inappropriate or even invasive conversations.
Regardless of your comfort with social gatherings, I am gonna give you some ways to authentically relate, lighten the mood, and bring humor to even the heaviest of moments.
These holiday suggestions were born from a show I did with Ali Cherry, a pioneer in bringing comedy to mental health conversations.
“I have spent a decade trying to learn my feelings, so if you’re having trouble with them, no shame, it takes a while identifying them.” — Ali Cherry
1. What’s hard, weird, stupid or scary about this?
Being honest and opening up, sharing what is true, is the essence of what good comedy is. Although vulnerability is the impotence for connection, You probably don’t want to be telling a sob story during a family dinner. However, you can share your experience relatably without having a meltdown by extracting the parts of your experience that are hard, weird, stupid or scary”.
“What’s really hard about going home to be with the family: It’s really hard about being home because I feel like I’m a 37 year old woman who acts like I’m twelve.” — Ali Cherry
2. Replace “How are You Feeling?” with “What’s this Really About?”
Knowing what your feeling is already hard. Sharing how you’re feeling can be terrifying. This redirection question circumvents emotional intensity to find common ground and objectivity in both sharing and listening. Common ground and relatability lighten the mood and allows people to see what there is to laugh about.
3. Watch Your Tone or Get Tomatoes
Don’t use spotlight moments to sarcastically express your true feelings in a way that puts others down or leaves people doubting your intentions. Remember good comedians make fun of themselves more than they make jokes at the expense of others.
4. Choose to Be Real over Perfect
Perfectionism is good for gaining approval but authenticity is better if you want to be loved.
5. Take a comedy break
You can find a healthy dose of humor for every hard thing you are going through during this holidays. Do an internet search for holiday comedy, or choose some of your favorite holiday shows to watch alone or with others. You’re sure to catch a laugh.
Michell Stanley, LICSW, CLC, RYT
Holistic Psychology Therapist, Teacher and Coach
My mission is to help people use emotional challenges as opportunities for self-growth and evolution. My holistic approach shows people how to get more Balance, Intimacy, and Trust in themselves and in their lives in order to thrive in the present and secure their legacy.
