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Guaranteed Laughs: How to Deal with Anxiety through Laughter

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One of my favorite posts from looooong ago rounded up some of my favorite, short little ways to guarantee laughter and help mitigate anxiety. But it's been WAAAAY too long. So let's discuss! What are your favorite ways to laugh? Do you have any other guaranteed ways to deal with anxiety through laughter? 

Short, Funny Videos (Under 10 Minutes):

(These are all pretty old, but they're my go-tos…)

{related: our favorite fashion movies}

The Best Sitcoms to Binge Right Now

  • Schitt'$ Creek (Netflix) (so good! so funny!) (screencapture at top)
  • The Good Place (Netflix) 
  • Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix)
  • Better Off Ted (Hulu) (long ago we actually interviewed Veronica's stylist)
  • 30 Rock (Hulu)
  • Veep (HBO) (these were our suggestions on how to dress like Selina Meyer in Veep)
  • I haven't watched these yet but I've heard good things about Derry Girls, Letterkenny, Superstore, Kim's Convenience, Brooklyn 99, and Working Moms. 

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{related: underrated movies we loved}

Funny Books to Take Your Mind Off Things

It may feel like books are hard to focus on right now, but I find them easier to get into than sitcoms or movies when I'm really stressed — they demand your attention in a way that television does not. See all of our selections for brain candy reads here, but some of my favorites for easy-to-read, light books include:

I also like to check this page on Amazon where they keep track of all the bestsellers in humorous literary fiction. 

Readers, I'd love to hear from you — what are your favorite funny books, short videos, and sitcoms to take your mind off things? 

(Social media image (girl laughing) via Stencil.

34 Comments

    1. Well, not pure. Joy with a side of very funny snark. But also so much love.

    2. I just started watching this on Monday (first day WFH) and love it! It’s great when you need a quick 20min break. Almost done with season 1 already.

    3. So…I’ve seen the first two episodes…and I don’t love it. Is it going to grow on me, or should I just let it be enjoyed by others?

      1. I didn’t love the first few but I love the show. I’d give it like 2 more episodes before deciding

        1. But do go back and watch season 1 at some point after you get the know the characters! The fruit wine episode should not be missed.

      4. I don’t like it either, and I’ve seen a few seasons. It’s just not my kind of humor, I guess.

  2. To Say Nothing of the Dog is an old favorite of mine! Eligible was excellent.

  4. Ooh… can we talk recommendations? I would love some none too heavy escapist fantasy right now . Something entry level in the vein of Harry Potter.

    1. These are all technically YA, but I really love anything by Robin McKinley (esp the Blue Sword). Patricia McKillip has some great books, too, but they can be a little harder to get “into” than the McKinley stories. Anne McCaffrey’s Pern series is a go-to for me (check out the Harper Hall triolgy) whenever I am craving something light-hearted (but still engrossing).

      If you’re looking for something you have to work a little harder for, but still want to lose yourself in, check out the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey. They’re pretty…raunchy…but the story and world-building is fantastic.

      1. Thank you!

        FYI – the New York Public Library is letting people get library cards thru an app now so you can check out ebooks…

    2. Dark Lord of Derkholm by Diana Wynne Jones is one of my favorite books. Actually, I’d recommend many many things by DWJ. She also wrote Howl’s Moving Castle. Her Chrestomanci series is definitely middle-school/early YA, but she’s written quite a few older YA and adult books too.

      Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar, Elemental Masters, or Tales of 500 Kingdoms series, among her many many many books. (Although I want to say that her older works like Valdemar are much better written than the most recent book.)

      Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate and Custard Protocol series. I like the Custard Protocol books more, but you kinda need to read the Parasol Protectorate books to understand the universe.

      I’m currently reading the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire – I know I started the series years ago and didn’t like the first few books BUT now that I’ve jumped ahead to book 5 and beyond I’m enjoying it a lot more.

    3. I’ve been enjoying books by T. Kingfisher – that’s the pen name of Ursula Vernon. T. Kingfisher is the name she uses for her books for adults (she uses Vernon for her YA), and they’re quirky, funny, and still really smart fiction. Try The Clockwork Boys.

    5. Have you read The Mists of Avalon? It’s old and the author turned out to be an ogress but I love that book. DO NOT watch the movie, whatever you do. It’s thoroughly cheesy and totally misrepresents the book.

  5. I love the Six of Crows series. They’re a bit darker than HP (mention of people being forced into prostitution), but the world building is so good.

    2. Seconded. Leigh Bardugo has the Shadow and Bone series (3), then the Six of Crows duology, and now King of Scars which is the first in a trilogy. Very well written, YA but not terribly cheesy, and all in the same universe. I’d say start with Shadow and Bone even though I ended up liking Six of Crows more, as they are all in the same universe and you’ll lose a lot of the context if you skip to Six of Crows.

  8. Veep is HILARIOUS, it’s my favorite TV show possibly of all time, but I wouldn’t call it escapist right now. There are disturbing parallels to our current government, in terms of both the big picture incompetence but also in some of the trivial details (like a “Families First” bill and Tom Hanks’ health being in the news). It’s almost creepy how much life is imitating art right now with that show.

  9. LetterKenny confuses the isht out of me. I just don’t get it. People sit around talking nonsense, occasionally someone drops by to get beat up, and the sister randomly bangs groups of guys so dumb they can’t breathe with their mouths closed. I tried so hard to like that show, and I just can’t. Weird, because I love the types of shows that algorithms connect to it (like B99, Archer, and Always Sunny).

  10. If you haven’t watched The Good Place, by all means start at the beginning and enjoy. SO GREAT. We just started a few months ago and got caught up in time for the final season.

  12. Pushing Daisies is a 10 year old, 2 season, magical realism show that is just gorgeous (showrunner Bryan Fuller) and largely wholesome. The set up is that Lee Pace is a piemaker with the ability to (briefly) awaken the dead, who teams up with Chi McBride as a PI. Kristen Chenowith and Swoozie Kurtz are supporting actors. It’s all free on CW Seed app. I feel like no one else remembers that this show exists, so I may be outing myself for mentioning it!

    Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist on NBC/Hulu is also great musical escapism.

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