Why Is Life So Hard? How Laughter Actually Helps Burnout
There is something nobody tells you about leaving a toxic work environment. The relief you expect to feel does not always show up right away. Sometimes what shows up instead is exhaustion, numbness, and a quiet wondering of whether you will ever feel like yourself again.
A few years ago, I walked away from a competitive coaching environment that had completely drained me. On the outside, the messaging was all about balance, peace, and wellness. The reality inside those walls was something very different. There was constant pressure around how many clients were on your schedule, how many classes you could fill, and how much you could produce. As I always say, you never really know what is going on inside a place until you work there.
By the time I left, burnout was not just something I understood professionally. It was something I was living in my own body. As someone who now supports others through their own healing, I consider that experience one of the most important teachers I have ever had.
The Last Thing I Expected to Help
During my recovery, my business partner Mark started doing something at the beginning of our meetings that honestly irritated me at first. He would pull up stand-up comedy clips from comedians I had never heard of and play them before we got into anything work-related. I remember thinking it felt completely pointless.
By the fourth time he did it, something shifted. A laugh came out of me that I had not felt in a very long time. A real one. The kind that catches you completely off guard and lingers for a few minutes afterward. In the middle of recovering from prolonged stress and burnout, that laugh felt like a window opening in a room that had been sealed shut for far too long.
Mark was not trying to fix me. He was creating a small moment of safety and lightness, and over time, my body started to remember what it felt like to exhale.
What Was Actually Happening in My Body
Laughter is not just a pleasant experience in the moment. It actively reduces cortisol, the stress hormone that keeps your nervous system locked in a state of high alert. It releases endorphins and dopamine, the chemicals your body produces when it finally feels safe and connected.
For someone recovering from chronic stress or burnout, laughter helps regulate a system that has been running on survival mode for far too long. This is not about toxic positivity or being told to smile through your pain. This is about your nervous system getting a genuine moment of relief, and what becomes possible when that starts happening regularly.
Healing Is Not a Prerequisite for Joy
One of the most damaging beliefs people carry into the healing process is the idea that joy has to be earned. The belief that you have to resolve everything, process everything, and fix everything before you are allowed to feel good again. In reality, moments of genuine laughter and connection are often what make the deeper work possible in the first place.
You do not have to wait until you are healed to let something feel good. Sometimes joy is part of how you get there.
Somatic Coaching and Support in Virginia Beach
At Healing Arts Center, my business partner Mark and I created a space where real healing can happen without the pressure, performance, or pretense. My work as a somatic coach focuses on helping people rebuild their relationship with themselves from the inside out, starting with the body and working outward into every area of life.
We also have the privilege of sharing our space with Erin Freeman, owner of But First Heal Thyself, who brings somatic therapy into her work with clients. Erin operates as her own practice within Healing Arts Center, and together we have created an environment where people can do meaningful work in a setting that actually feels good to walk into.
Why I Chose Somatic Coaching—and Why You Might Too
Healing from burnout and toxic environments requires more than just mindset shifts. Read more about my personal journey with narcissistic abuse recovery and how somatic coaching provides the body-based tools to move out of survival mode and back into a state of self-trust.
Ready to take a breath?
We work with clients locally in Virginia Beach and virtually. If you are ready to start feeling like yourself again, or simply need a compassionate and understanding expert, we are here.
Book an Appointment through Vagaro
Healing Arts Center 4652 Haygood Road, Suite A
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
Connect with us: Website: healingartsvb.com
Phone: (757) 251-9301
Email: info@healingartsvb.com
