How A Good Laugh Helped Me Fight Anxiety

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“Do you have any health conditions like pregnancy, asthma, or claustrophobia?” We were heading into an adventure park in Cancun, Mexico and this question totally confused me. I knew we would be doing ziplining, cave swimming and ATV riding, but what did claustrophobia have to do with it?

As we walked into the heart of the adventure park and they handed us helmets, it suddenly became very clear. The only way to get from one attraction to another was through underground cave walkways! We had no idea it would be this way, and even though my anxious feelings aren’t really claustrophobia related, anxiety (which i lovingly refer to as Helen—because it’s like the feeling from Hell) was definitely at it’s peak as we began our adventure.

We went through the maze of stalactites and stalagmites searching for the little hut that served shakes. The maps were confusing and we could not figure out the right way. At this point I was hungry and Helen (anxiety) was pretty certain we’d never make it out of the cave.

We decided to stop wandering in circles and do one of the attractions instead: cave rafting. It ended up being an open raft, similar to an ocean kayak, with paddles shaped like the sole of a giant sandal. You strapped the paddles to your hands and paddled through the little cave canal from point A to point B. There was a sign at the beginning that said if you want to stay married, opt for a single raft. Apparently we thought we were better than that so, naturally, we took a double raft.

It was so funny trying to steer and paddle together with sandals on our hands. It definitely tested our communication, and we finally understood the advice of the sign. Actually, hubby was our designated camera man so he was mostly taking video and pictures while I tried to paddle us both. Every time we ran into the rocks along the side, it made me laugh a good laugh.

These little cave rafts turned out to be just the thing I needed to cut through the fear and step into the moment. And lo and behold, guess what we found at the end of the cave raft? Our shake shack!

With proper nutrition and a good laugh under tow, I was ready for whatever came next.

You see, I don’t think anxiety is really a problem unless I let it win. I think it’s possible to feel anxious, and still live a really fun and meaningful life. There are a lot of tools for helping ease anxiety, and at least for me, the worst thing I can do is start to feel ashamed of the anxious feelings. The minute I wish they were gone, it’s like adding oxygen to a fire. But if I can just hunker down and accept how I’m feeling, practice techniques, and move forward anyway—the anxiety eventually passes.

So this is a story about how I beat anxiety with a good laugh. Abby 1, Helen 0. Thanks to Mark Twain for this awesome quote that goes well with my point: