How to Get My Sense of Humor Back--Creatives

[fairfarmhand]

The last 7 years have been a wild ride for our family. Basically, for the last 7 years, every 12-18 months there has been a major crisis that takes tons of energy and attention.  Think deaths, mental health admissions, major illnesses, etc. Through it all, I've managed to keep my sense of humor and my creativity. 

The last year has been relatively peaceful. 

And I've lost my sense of humor.

What I mean is that all along the way, for the last 10 years I've written comedy for my homeschool drama to perform. And suddenly, I'm struggling. I can't think of any ideas, nothing seems funny. I'm just floundering. 

Any thoughts as to how to get my sense of humor back?

[Katy]

Give yourself some grace. Trauma changes us. 

Watch or listen to as much funny stuff as possible. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Hey!!! I've been working on this myself personally.  For me, I had to start back with reconnecting to my creative self.   I had to value and prioritize the creative work as a first step. Life kept hitting so hard I had no margin.  My creative work helps me process what I've been through. It's more effective for me than journaling or talking with friends. 

Learning how to laugh again is very different than generating material for a homeschool group.  I mean, you could look at kid rated stuff like Studio C or whatever for ideas on that. Personally, my own sense of humor isn't the same as it was. I'm a bit more cynical---British and European tv is often easier for me to tolerate and chuckle at than the US stuff because I'm....darker isn't quite the right word....but different. I'm not laughing at the same stuff as my teen kids. 

Learning how to laugh again is about reconnecting with your joyful self. And, being peaceful isn't the same as being joyful, iykwim. If you haven't Marie Kondo'd your life to find space for the things that bring joy, I highly recommend it. I left my religion. I left most of my friends. I left a lot of my obligations. I put a lot of distance from some toxic family. And, frankly, I'm deeply happy for the first time in a really long time and my marriage is fantastic.

[Melissa Louise]

Be patient. 

Yeah, I know...

The well won't ever run truly dry, but sometimes you've got to have a break from carting water, kwim?

Ask where your creativity wants you to go. 

Be kind to yourself. 

 

 

[J-rap]

I get it.  What I've found is that if I let myself experience dark humor and actually laugh at the terrible stuff with someone else -- because a lot of it really is funny in a very bizarre way -- it seems to lighten my heart and helps me zoom out to a broader picture of my circumstances, which then gives me energy to move forward and try new things and get involved.  

[klmama]

9 hours ago, fairfarmhand said:

The last 7 years have been a wild ride for our family. Basically, for the last 7 years, every 12-18 months there has been a major crisis that takes tons of energy and attention.  Think deaths, mental health admissions, major illnesses, etc. Through it all, I've managed to keep my sense of humor and my creativity. 

The last year has been relatively peaceful. 

And I've lost my sense of humor.

What I mean is that all along the way, for the last 10 years I've written comedy for my homeschool drama to perform. And suddenly, I'm struggling. I can't think of any ideas, nothing seems funny. I'm just floundering. 

Any thoughts as to how to get my sense of humor back?

I don't have any advice regarding the sense of humor problem, but for the script could you reuse something you wrote before?

[wintermom]

Sorry that it's been a really rough series of years and events. Could you take a break from writing the drama and have your dc and/or other homeschooled teens write it, with your guidance? It might be nice to pass on the torch and see what the younger generation come up with. Or lead the group through improv activities.

I've never had to create comedy, so I have no idea about the state of mind it takes to do this. My fil used comedy in his professional work, and was constantly reading joke books and watching comedy TV shows, routines, etc. for ideas and inspiration. Creating comedy intentionally for an audience is very hard work. 

[Garga]

In my saddest years as an adult, I wrote a blog every day. I was learning photography and it was meant to be about taking a picture a day and sharing it, but I do tend to have a humorous streak in me, so the posts were often funny.

But there was plenty a time when I would write my blog post straight, and then “humor it up.” Once I start making the change, I’m able to keep writing in the same silly vein.  So, I would suggest starting to write something straight…and then humor it up. Exaggeration is usually what gets me into a funny mood.

 

Edited July 16, 2022 by Garga