Learning to Stand-Up
This past semester as a senior at USC, I stepped out of my comfort zone and into my first ever stand-up comedy class. As someone who has grown up with social anxiety in a fast-paced world, stand-up comedy gave me the opportunity to slow down, speak up, and show off my humor and personality.
Writing stand-up jokes is unlike any other form of writing. As a communications major accustomed to essays and articles, learning to craft one-liners, sets with tags, and crowd work - all from memory - was an exciting challenge I embraced. My classmates supported each other every step of the way. We laughed, clapped, practiced together, and provided feedback. The stand-up community is beautiful; we're all a bunch of silly, anxious artists coping through humor.
After 15 weeks of writing, revising, rehearsing, and plenty of flops, I got to show my growth on stage during our final performances. An extremely nerve-wracking yet amazingly fun time! As a queer, Jewish, disabled comedian, I learned to use my identity to my advantage. I'm inspired by young female and non-binary stand-ups like Mae Martin and Robby Hoffman who are paving the way.
In addition to being a creative outlet, stand-up comedy has proven therapeutic for my anxiety in several ways:
Cognitive reframing - Shifting my perspective to find the humor in life's challenges. As we edit our jokes, we edit our thoughts. Finding the funny helps heavy emotions weigh less.
Releasing emotions - Yelling, screaming, and hollering about what makes us mad, glad, and sad is cathartic. Jokes lighten our loads and restore the audience's levity too.
Finding levity - Levity is the ability to laugh and not be weighed down by seriousness. Stand-up reinforces that life should be about laughter, not fear.
Learning presence - Quick thinking and handling unexpected reactions require total presence. With ADHD and anxiety, being present is a challenge for me. Stand-up has helped me grow tremendously in remaining grounded in the moment.
Stand-up comedy has allowed me to find my voice and learn to stand up for myself in my day-to-day life. It's helped me combat anxiety and build confidence. Though an unconventional art form, stand-up has pushed me outside my comfort zone and been one of the most rewarding experiences of my college career. I can't wait to keep honing my craft at open mics in the future!
