Permission to Laugh

Why It’s Okay to Find Joy in Hard Times

Let’s be honest—these past few months (or years?) have felt like one long anxiety loop. Between the chaos of world news, the very real fears surrounding ICE activity, rising costs of just about everything, and the emotional weight many of our families carry, it can feel… wrong to laugh. Wrong to rest. Wrong to enjoy something small when so many big things are falling apart.

But I want to offer a gentle reminder—one that may feel counterintuitive right now: it is okay to have fun. In fact, it’s essential.

A Heavy Season

In home visiting, we carry a lot. Not just diapers and developmental assessments—we carry stories. Worries. Grief. Hope. We carry the unspoken fear of what might happen to our families. And sometimes, we carry guilt for not being able to fix it all.

You may be one of the many who are directly affected by ICE raids—either through personal connection or the heartbreaking fear in your clients’ eyes. You may be navigating your own rising rent or grocery bills that stretch your budget further than ever. Or, you might not feel the immediate impacts of some of these things, but find yourself feeling a strange guilt for being okay when others aren’t.

All of this is valid. Every single reaction, emotion, or even lack of emotion—it’s all part of the human experience. And in the middle of all this complexity, I want to plant a little seed: joy and grief can live in the same space. Fun and fear can both be true.

Guilt Doesn’t Have to Run the Show

Let’s talk about guilt for a moment. Guilt is a sneaky emotion. Sometimes, it’s useful—it points us toward our values and helps us repair things when we’ve made a mistake. But a lot of the time, especially in times like these, guilt becomes a chronic companion. We feel guilty for resting. Guilty for being safe when others aren’t. Guilty for laughing at a meme or having a good weekend.

Here’s the thing: feeling guilty doesn’t actually help anyone else. It doesn’t feed families. It doesn’t protect our clients from harm. It doesn’t lower gas prices or rewrite laws. All guilt does is sap our energy, and that’s the very resource we need in order to keep doing this work well.

So if you’re feeling that tension between “I’m doing okay” and “others are not,” that’s normal. But you don’t need to punish yourself for it. You are allowed to be okay. You are allowed to be joyful.

Fun Is Not Frivolous. In fact, joy and fun are not luxuries. They are necessities. Laughter can lower cortisol, improve immune response, and help our brains process stress. Dancing in your kitchen, watching a silly show, or sharing a goofy meme with your coworker—these things aren’t distractions. They’re medicine.

Burnout doesn’t only come from overwork. It comes from a lack of joy. And in a field like ours—where the emotional labor is high and the heartbreak can be frequent—we have to intentionally create space for the things that make us feel alive. Otherwise, we’re running on fumes, and eventually those fumes run out.

If we’re serious about showing up for our families with empathy and compassion, we have to show that same kindness to ourselves. That might mean taking a walk on your break. Saying no to yet another after-hours meeting. Or planning a team potluck just because you all deserve a good meal and a reason to smile.

You Deserve Peace, Too

Sometimes we convince ourselves that as long as the world is in crisis, we’re not allowed to feel peace. But that’s just not sustainable.

Peace isn’t something that has to wait for the world to calm down. If that were the case, we’d be waiting forever. Peace—internal peace, moments of it at least—is something we can cultivate even in the middle of storms.

You don’t have to earn rest.You don’t have to prove you’re exhausted enough to justify a weekend off.You don’t have to justify why a funny dog video made your day.

You’re a person. A whole person. And whole people need joy, just as much as they need justice.

What Joy Can Look Like Right Now

Let’s break it down. Joy doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive. Here are a few simple ways to reconnect with your own well-being, even in the mess:

• Have a “No News” hour each evening. Give your brain a break.

• Reclaim your break time. Even 10 minutes of sunshine or a quick stretch can shift your mood.

• Connect with your team for non-work chats. Create a “joy thread” or drop a silly question in your group chat. (“If you could be any snack, what would you be?”)

• Watch something light. There’s no shame in needing a feel-good show right now.

• Get creative. Doodle. Sing badly. Bake something. Creativity brings joy.

• Move your body in a way that feels good—not to “be productive,” just to feel like yourself again.

• Ask for help if you’re overwhelmed. That’s not weakness—it’s wisdom.

What About When It Still Feels Too Heavy?

Sometimes, even when we know we “should” take care of ourselves, it still feels like too much. If that’s where you are right now, you’re not broken. You’re human. Try not to isolate. Reach out to someone on your team. Let them know you're struggling. Chances are, they’ve been there too.

There’s power in being real with each other. One of the best things we can do right now is to normalize talking about how heavy this all feels—without staying stuck there. We don’t need to fix each other. We just need to remind one another: “You’re not alone. And you’re allowed to feel joy.”

We can hold space for the suffering in the world while still tending to our own hearts. It’s not an either/or. It’s both/and.

We are in a hard chapter, and there’s no denying that. But even now—especially now—you are allowed to find lightness. To create tiny moments of relief. To laugh. To dance. To exhale.

So if no one’s told you lately: go ahead and enjoy something today. You don’t need permission—but if you were waiting for it, here it is.