“I think laughter is underrated. I think if everybody laughed a good belly laugh for five or ten minutes a day, they’d feel a heck of a lot more different than if they didn’t.”— Jackie G.

Laughter really is the best medicine. From sitcoms to comedians to real-life quirks and absurdities, humour can be a powerful tool for raising the spirits and overcoming dark times.

This instalment of the Living Jewishly Podcasts is an episode of What’s in Your Toolbox?, a podcast about mental health and the tools that we use to improve it. In this episode, Bobby K sits down with his friend and former co-star “Wacky Jackie” G., a fellow alumni of the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario’s Laughing Like Crazy program.

In this episode, the two explore the power of comedy, creativity, connection, and planning out your “me” time!

“You have to be so kind and compassionate to yourself.”— Jackie G.

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• The importance of being kind to yourself, especially during times when you’re feeling vulnerable
• How Jackie deals with her bad days — and the methods that she uses to self-soothe
• The healing power of laughter and where to find humour in the world

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:53 Intro

02:22 Meet “Wacky Jackie”

04:29 Laughing Like Crazy

07:16 Back to Niagara Falls

09:36 Crystals

11:48 Parenting at a distance

12:57 Getting through a bad day

14:05 Be kind to yourself

15:46 Laughter as medicine

18:02 “Me” time

20:04 Meditation

21:40 Being assertive & setting boundaries

22:55 JAST

26:07 Jackie’s advice

29:04 For Darnish

Links:‌ ‌

Laughing Like Crazy

https://mooddisorders.ca/program/laughing-like-crazy

Jackie’s shop

shopcrystaldragon@gmail.com

To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:

Visit‌ ‌our ‌website: https://livingjewishly.org

Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw

or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org.

Shalom!