Coping with anxiety is a journey that varies from person to person, and for some, humor becomes a powerful weapon in the battle.
Improv for Anxiety at Stomping Ground is led by licensed professional counselor Andrea Baum with support from Sydney Daly, drama therapist in training, using a mix of therapeutic techniques combined with improv to help participants learn more about and process their anxiety triggers. Added bonus? Anxiety often keeps people from trying new things and having fun, so by creating a supportive environment led by an experienced mental health professional, people with anxiety can experience play, too.
On the evening of Saturday, March 23, I had the privilege of watching the hilarious graduates from the Improv for Anxiety class courageously confront their anxiety in a public setting. For many people, standing on stage and speaking to an audience might be their greatest fear. Now, imagine the heightened difficulty—or should I say, terror?—for someone grappling with anxiety. Despite any nerves, the Improv for Anxiety students took to the stage to perform improv games for the audience and demonstrate the positive impact of improv has on mental health along the way.
I have been a performer at Stomping Ground for several months now, yet I witnessed a show component that I had never seen before: Throughout the performance, cast members had the opportunity to pause the show to ring a bell and reveal their inner monologues and anxious thoughts!
DING! I’m feeling anxious.
The added element of performers ringing the bell and sharing their in-the-moment thoughts showed the audience in real-time how someone can encounter a difficult feeling like anxiety and move through it on the spot. For instance, during the game Family Reunion, students embodied different characters at a gathering of the Pickle family, and a student rang the bell to let us know that they regretted a physical choice they had made during the scene. During another game, a student rang the bell and shared that they felt anxious while standing on the sidelines, waiting for their moment on the stage. Pulling back the curtain on what’s happening inside someone’s head during a performance reminds us that we can’t know someone’s insides by their outsides and shows us that anxiety doesn’t have to stop us from having fun or being bold.
As the laughter echoed through the theater, I couldn’t help but marvel at the transformative power of comedy. In a world that often feels overwhelming and unpredictable, finding humor in our shared struggles becomes an act of defiance. These performers refused to let anxiety dictate the terms of their lives!
Incorporating the anxious bell pauses into the show both gave the performers a release valve and served as a wonderful, comforting reminder that we all struggle with frequently destructive inner dialogue.
In a society that too often stigmatizes mental health issues, comedy has the ability to break down barriers and foster meaningful dialogue. This comedy show was not just entertainment; it was a powerful reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the healing power of laughter.
Beyond the laughs, there was something deeper at play—a sense of solidarity and camaraderie among both performers and audience members alike. In performing with vulnerability and grace, the comedians created a space where it was okay to not be okay—to embrace the messy, imperfect nature of being human.
Sometimes, all it takes is a good laugh to light the way forward.
Avy Taylor
Stomping Ground Student & Improv for Life Intern