Tickle Tactics: Ten Inappropriate Tips to Laugh at Troubling Times

A 5-minute practice to Laugh Your Ass Off ('cause sh*t is cray cray)

Hey, Brave Creative! Let’s melt fear, doubt, and self-sabotage so we can share our brave voices with courage. If the weight of the world feels heavy on your heart & shoulders, today’s 5-min. laugh therapy session is for us (jump to steps). Plus, a soothing song for our sponsor, Water.

Costa Rican kids David and Sophi always make me laugh (happy they love these shirts I designed)

In the face of angst, let’s grab the magic power of giggles.

Does our future/politics/fascism/genocide/misogyny/racism get scarier each day? WTF can we do? VOTE. Beg family and friends to VOTE. Encourage others to VOTE (we may not love our options, but we can still VOTE for Democracy, with all its imperfections and corruptions, until Pr0ject 2025).¹

Beyond voting, advocacy, and civil engagement, what if laughter is the best medicine? Laughing triggers endorphin release, feel-good chemicals that also relieve our pain (temporarily). Laughter is bonding and contagious. Our brains are wired to join in, so in the face of potential disaster, let’s spread the joy.

Ten UNACCEPTABLE ways to make yourself laugh:

1. State the obvious. Rant about this total sh*tshow 26 times a day. So amusing.

2. Worst Case Scenario. Picture your nightmare vision coming true. Got any missing limbs, festering wounds, or horrific smells? It’s not that bad, silly.

3. Break things. Make a colossal mess. Toss your Fruit Loops all over the shag rug. Spill red wine down the back of your blind date. Do not clean it up. Such a hoot.

4. Indulge in Revenge Fantasy. Who’s responsible? They’re guilty AF. They lied. Imagine how to inflict a precision-targeted payback. Hit their weak spot. Wicked!

5. Make fun of people. Point out petty details about their appearance, the way they walk or talk. People need to know about their boogers! Sharing is caring.

6. Take Control. When a person does a thing the obvious WRONG WAY, correct them. Loud and proud. Priceless.

7. Trip your best friend. Next time they walk by, wait for the perfect moment. Be sly. Look the other way. Gut-busting.

8. Overtickle. Sneak up on a sensitive kid, a frail elder, or that workmate who’s too serious. Go for the underarm. Get your hand in there. Do NOT stop. Uproarious.

9. Perform an idiotic “I do my own stunts” move for your boss, grumpypants mother-in-law, or an officer of the law. Get hurt, even if it requires stitches. Side-splitting.

10. Be Inappropriate. When someone makes a stupid comment, falls off the roof, or reveals their fallibility, laugh extra hard. Sensitivity is for wimps. Right?

What makes you chortle, snort, (and maybe pee your pants)?

I laugh a lot at myself these days. Miss an important text? Comical. Twist an ankle dancing in heels? What a scream. Deep Bow to these humor pros who lift me up:

• Alex Dobrenko / BOTH ARE TRUE (breaks my guts and my heart regularly)

• Caroline Clifford / THE AUTHENTIC COMEDIAN (fab tips from a standup coach)

• Carlos Greaves / SHADES OF GREAVES (we need to laugh about writing)

• CansaFis Foote / THEE CANSAFIS FOOTE SHOW (wild rides with a wild mind)

• Julie Vick / HUMOR ME (generous, fun, supportive plus one-liner challenge)

What activates your tickle bone? See you in the comments 💗

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Today’s 5-minute practice: The Feather

From my deck, HeartsQuest: Creative Tools to Navigate Change

May this 5-minute game of imagination lighten your load. This video features my ridiculous alter-ego Queen Poopicina sharing the potty-mouth, ‘Holy Sh*t’ 💩 version of the tool and a spontaneous song. Or follow the steps below.

The Feather: How can I lighten things up?

• BREATHE. Soften as you exhale. Smile.

• IMAGINE a feather tickling you under your chin or other sensitive spot. Feel it?

• LET OUT a real laugh, chuckle, giggle, snicker, snort, cackle or hoot. Feel any resistance? Laugh anyway.

• LAUGH bigger, deeper, for a full minute.

• GET SILLY! Make faces and funny sounds.

• NOTICE your body sensations, breathing, mood, and energy level.

• REFLECT: “Now I feel... ”

Creative Prompts to Tickle Your Funny Bone

• EXPLORE: Write or tell how it feels to laugh. Get specific: “I laughed so hard, my… throat, belly, face, eyes, etc….” (In the comments?👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽)

• CREATE: When things get too serious, find something funny in your world. Laugh with a friend. Or search for Laughter Yoga videos & do one of the exercises.

• MANIFEST: This week, find 3 new things that make you laugh out loud. Tickle someone. Start a giggle fit. Make a silly video. Share with others.

🗣️ Your turn: Make Us Laugh!

1. Is it ok to laugh at truly terrifying Sh*t-u-ations?

2. What’s your most inappropriate laughing moment? (e.g. during the vows at my first wedding; when my dad nearly choked and died on trail mix…)

3. Is laughter the best medicine right now? How can we lift each other up?

Thank you for Laughing Out Loud 💝 Please like, comment, subscribe, or share with someone who could use a good laugh! Help us become more Brave in a world of fear.

Spontaneous Love Song for Mama Earth, Diamante Verde Waterfall, Costa Rica

More to come,

1. If you’re not a US Citizen, or you live in a state of bliss or under a rock, many of us are scared shitless by Project 2025, “The fascist playbook put together by Trump administration insiders and the Heritage Foundation… written for him.” ~ Mary L. Trump