Giggles, giggling and breathwork
Laughter, the nervous system, and energy releases
Recently, someone commented that I was ‘such a giggler in the background’, which I thought was a very insightful comment. Because I giggle a lot in the foreground — visibly, that is.
I have giggled so much in my life.
I was sent out of class so many times at school for giggling.
My dad would send me to my room because I interrupted lunch, giggling so much.
I interrupted University tutorials. At work, I’ve interrupted meetings with my giggles. I've interrupted theatres, weddings, and funerals because I’ve giggled inappropriately.
It’s a nightmare.
I’ve woken myself up in my sleep, giggling.
I’ve even woken myself up on a train in public — yes, giggling.
I’m a giggler.
I’m 50-fucking-1, and I’m still giggling uncontrollably.
There should be support groups for it.
It’s hilarious. But in the moment, it can be one of the most stressful things I regularly experience.
But all of that is in the foreground.
In the background, I amuse myself with 101 thoughts all by myself that rarely make it to a ‘giggle’. Maybe not even to a lip crease. But I’m still mildly amused.
It’s not that I’m always happy. Far from it.
This ‘giggle’ energy is more a sign compass of how my nervous system is. If I look back, I can track the times when my giggles have got me into trouble, and these are also the periods in my life where I’ve been the most lost and hyped up.
There is a fine line between finding everything hysterically hilarious, terrifying, absurd, and beautiful.
An activated nervous system can take on many forms—mine twists itself easily into giggles.
Other people’s turn into temper, or tears, or anxiety.
Giggles are more socially acceptable.
Actually, they are even contagious, so you can attract people with your giggles. Like smokers, if you’re a giggler, you find the rule-breakers — the people who see the absurd, those who find the same things as hilarious as you. My dysfunctional nervous system connects me to others like me.
That said, when you're a regular giggler, you also learn that giggles in the wrong place can annoy the hell out of people. People glare at you. They give that look as if to say, ‘Quit giggling or we’re done’ — and they mean it.
Many also have their own core wounds around people laughing at them. So I often have to explain that I wasn’t laughing at them. Why it’s up to me, winds me up. But somehow, because I’ve breached the social rules, if I’m to be accepted back into the group, it’s a ritual I need to abide by. It goes with the territory of being a giggler. It’s the code.
What about giggles in Breathwork?
Surprisingly, I don’t giggle that often in my breathwork. If I do, it’s very transient—seconds, maybe. I smile. Perhaps it’s a slight microsecond upward flinch of the lips.
I have had a couple of huge belly laughter breathwork sessions at home on Zoom. I had no idea what I was laughing about, but it felt great. It came up in the breathwork, and so I released it.
I have giggled at in-person ones breathworks and others have joined in a bit until I have calmed down. There seems to be a compassionate understanding that these are just nervous, energetic giggles that I just need to release. And it’s ok. And then, when they’re gone, I can get on with the journey, and settle down. It generally helps me to calm down when others join me a little to co-regulate with them.
So one of the things I include in the frame that come up for breathers are giggles — in addition to tears, or whatever emotions. Giggles are a strong energy. They’re a release. Giggles are in all of us, just as the breath is too.
Thank you for reading!