About this quote

We spend too much time trying to find grand, spiritual meaning in our daily struggles. The truth is much simpler: you need calories and you need a good laugh to keep your sanity intact. Why do we treat joy like a luxury when it is actually a basic need? Strip away the heavy self-help advice and focus on what actually gets you through a bad afternoon. A hot meal and a stupid joke will do more for your mental health than any complex strategy.

When to use it

• When you are sitting in a sterile hospital waiting room for hours, and your sister cracks a terrible joke about the vending machine coffee to stop you both from crying.
• After pulling a twelve-hour shift at the warehouse, you and your coworker share a greasy pizza in the parking lot, laughing at how bad the manager's pep talk was.
• When the Thanksgiving turkey burns to a crisp, and instead of panicking, you order takeout and laugh about the ruined dinner with your kids.