Grief and Joy Can Coexist

(shaker sifting) (mouse clicking) (bright music) Headspace Studios. (light music) Hi, welcome to Radio Headspace. It's Dora here. A few years ago, I was going through a breakup, the kind where everything feels a little gray. Food doesn't taste the same, time slows down. You start to wonder if you'll ever feel like yourself again. One night, a friend came over with snacks and we didn't talk about anything deep, we just watched old episodes of "Girlfriends." And something happened, not right away, but slowly, I felt it. The ache in my chest softened. My breath came back. I laughed. And for a few minutes, I forgot I was heartbroken, not because I was ignoring the pain, but because I was remembering I was more than the pain. I was still here, still human, and still capable of joy. That night reminded me that laughter is sacred, especially when it's shared. We don't always think of laughter as a spiritual practice, but it can be. It's connection, it's resilience, it's a reminder that we belong to each other, and that we're allowed to feel good even while things are hard. In grief and fear and loneliness, if you can still laugh with someone, you're still alive in there, and that matters. I remember being at a family gathering after we had lost someone dearly. The grief was heavy, but so was the love. There was food, music, and the kind of closeness that only happens when everyone squeezes into the same room. At one point, my aunt told a funny story about my mom, and the whole room burst into laughter, loud, joyful, deep laughter. It didn't erase the sadness, but it softened it. For a moment, we weren't just grieving, we were connecting deeply. That night reminded me, joy isn't the opposite of grief, it's what helps carry it. And that laughter shared in the middle of sorrow is a kind of sacred survival. So today, I wanna say this, if things feel heavy, you're not failing, you're human, but you're also allowed to laugh, not because things are perfect, because they're not. Laughter can live right next to grief. Joy can sit beside sorrow. And that's not denial, that's resilience. And one of the most beautiful things you can do for yourself and the people you love is to make space for both. So if you've been carrying something hard, maybe don't wait until it's gone to feel better, maybe you just need one episode of your comfort show, one friend who makes you wheeze laugh, one story you've told 100 times that still makes you both cry with laughter. Those moments aren't meant to be a distraction from reality, but rather they invite us back to our bodies, back to connection and back to possibility. (bright music) So, today, maybe find one small reason to laugh, a funny meme, a goofy dance, an old inside joke. You don't have to feel good all the time, but you're allowed...