Laughing Emotional Release Wave Recipe (5–7 minutes)

This recipe helps you safely move stress and emotion through your body using laughter so you can shift out of heaviness or tension and come back to connection, breath, and choice—without bypassing what’s true.

Disclaimer:
This is an emotional embodiment and self-reflection practice. Strong feelings, memories, or physical reactions may arise as you explore your experiences and your relationships. You are responsible for your own emotional and physical safety. Go at your own pace. Take breaks when needed. If you have a trauma history or feel overwhelmed, pause and ground yourself: feel your feet on the floor, notice 5 things in the room, place a hand on your heart, and breathe slowly. This practice is here to help you unpack emotional baggage and move toward connection, not blame, shame, or re-enact harm. Always listen to your body first. READ FULL DISCLAIMER BEFORE YOU START IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY

Use this when
When you feel tight, heavy, brittle, stressed, or stuck in seriousness—and you want a safe “pressure valve” that brings more breath and softness into your body. This is especially supportive if you can feel emotions underneath the surface, but you can’t quite access them yet.

Ingredients

• Journal + pen (or notes app)

• 5–7 minute timer

• Water + tissues (optional)

• Something comforting (tea, blanket — optional)

Safety
If you feel flooded and overwhelmed with emotions, shorten this to 2 minutes, slow your exhales, and orient to the room (Name a few colors, shapes and sounds. Notice your feet on the ground. Get up and shake your body or any other exercise that brings you calm). If it still feels too intense, stop and reach for support.

Opening: Lightness + Permission
Before you begin, take a moment to look around and name three things you can see.

Now, feel your feet on the floor (or notice your body supported by the chair) and take three slow breaths, only as deep as feels comfortable.

Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly and say quietly:
“Lightness is allowed here, and so is truth.”

Let your face soften. Unclench your jaw 5%. Let your eyes blink slowly.

Remember: you’re in charge. You can pause, skip steps, or stop at any time.

To finish, place your hands on your heart and say: “Emotions are welcome here. I am willing to meet myself with compassion, and I can stop at any time.”

The 3-Step Experiment

Step 1: Name the moment (2 minutes)
Set the timer for two minutes and then write in your journal or note pad and then fill in the blanks. Write from your heart. Don't worry about spelling and grammar. When the time is up move to step two.

“Right now my body feels ________ (tight, heavy, restless, braced, buzzy, tired, guarded).”
“Right now I feel ________ (stress, overwhelm, anger, sadness, fear, irritation, grief).”
“What I need most in this moment is ________.”

Step 2: Let the wave move (2 minutes)
Set the timer again for 2 minutes. As the timer runs, invite laughter gently—without forcing it to be “real” or “big.”

Try this “laughter warm-up” (repeat slowly):

• Take one comfortable inhale through your nose.

• On the exhale, do three soft “ha” sounds: “ha… ha… ha…”

• Smile slightly (even if it feels fake).

• Let your shoulders bounce lightly once or twice.

If real laughter comes, let it come. If it doesn’t, that’s okay—breath + vibration + softening is still release.

Then answer from your heart (you can write a few words while you pause):
“What happens in my body when I allow a little lightness?”
“What emotion is underneath the tension?”
“What would it mean if I can be human without being hard on myself?”

Step 3: Anchor it (1 minute)
Lastly, write down the below sentence and spend 1 minute making a sentence that captures what you’re choosing as you come back to connection.

“I am choosing to soften and come back to connection because ________.”

I invite you to write this statement down and allow it to be your guiding light as you practice feeling and releasing. It can serve as a touchstone on the days that feel hard.

Closing: Senses Reset + Gentle Return
To end this practice, it can be supportive to let your nervous system know the emotional processing is complete for now.

First, slow everything down. Place one hand on your heart and one on your belly. Take three slow breaths, longer exhales than inhales.

Now do a “senses reset” to return to the present:
Notice five things you can see.
Notice four things you can feel (feet on the floor, clothing on skin, the chair under you).
Notice three things you can hear.
Notice two things you can smell (or two smells you like).
Notice one thing you can taste (or one thing you’re looking forward to tasting later).

If emotions are still releasing, allow your body to do what it needs to do—shaking, crying, sweating, yawning, or laughing—and let the wave move through you without forcing it or stopping it, if you have the time and space.

To close, place a hand on your heart and say, “That was one small step toward choosing connection.”

Nurture and Integrate
Can you do one small act of playful regulation today—right now or later? Put on one song and sway, watch a 60-second clip that makes you giggle, or do a silly shake-out in the kitchen. Let it be simple and private if you want—this is for your nervous system.

Over the next week, notice what shifts for you—maybe you recover faster, feel less tight in your chest/jaw, or find it easier to reconnect after a hard moment. It’s not your fault; you’re learning, and your kids are lucky to have you as their parent.

Affirmation: (Optional)
Choose one affirmation to take into your day or week. Write it on a sticky note and post it somewhere you will see it. Read it as many times as you can remember each day.

“I can hold truth and lightness at the same time.”
“I can breathe, soften, and come back.”
“I am doing my best and taking responsibility to support myself more and more each day.”

Want to go deeper?
This is just a taste. In the FREE guide, you’ll go deeper by learning the five pathways of emotional release and how to practice them safely—so you can build trust with your body and keep moving toward connection.

Understanding Emotional Release (FREE GUIDE PDF)

Peace & Love, Julie
Emotional Release: The Missing Peace