Do you remember what it was like as a kid, when going to bed could actually feel scary? I remember lying there, bundled in my blankets, convinced there were snakes under my bed or monsters hiding in the closet. Even though nothing was actually there, the fear felt just as real as if my life were truly in danger.

One night in the '70s I saw an episode of Cliff Hangers—something about vampires—and for the longest time after that, I couldn’t fall asleep without worrying that something would swoop in and suck my blood.

Fast forward to when my daughter was ten—something planted the idea in her head that someone was going to break in and kill her after bedtime. Terrifying, right? I tried everything I could think of to help her sleep peacefully: music, prayer, EFT, reading... and still, night after night, bedtime remained a struggle.

But one night, we finally had a breakthrough.

She started in again, explaining her fears, and the more she talked, the more worked up and emotional she became. I gently interrupted and asked,
“Kayli, what are the odds—what are the actual chances—that someone out there really wants to kill you? I mean really?”

She thought about it and answered, “Maybe 5%…”

I said, “Uh, maybe more like half of a half, of a half, of a quarter, of a fraction of a percent! What are you doing to people out there that I don’t know about, that’s SO bad they’d want to break in and kill you? Of all people!”

She paused and said softly, “I don’t know…”

So I pressed on:
“Are you clipping your toenails and putting them in someone’s cereal??”

And that’s when the giggles started.

“Are you putting Charlie’s poop in people’s hamburgers?? What are you doing to make people that mad?? Are you flipping boogers onto someone’s windshield? Are you putting eyeballs in their fruit cocktail??”

With every ridiculous suggestion, she was laughing harder, and soon the other kids were rolling too. They begged me to keep going, and the next morning, the very first thing out of my son’s mouth was, “Tell me another one, Mom!”

I didn’t plan it. It wasn’t some clever technique I read in a book. Honestly, I was at my wits’ end. I had tried everything I knew, and nothing worked. Then this happened. Sometimes, the real solution shows up right after you’ve run out of everything else to try.

Apparently, attaching laughter to fear can flip a switch.

Even now, as an adult, I’ve noticed that when fear creeps in, if I can laugh—even just a little—I calm down. The mood shifts. I stop obsessing over worst-case scenarios and can finally breathe.

The truth is, anything that helps us find peace in a tense moment is powerful. When we’re calm and centered, we’re more open to inspiration and intuitive nudges that help us make better decisions. But when we stay stuck in fear, we can unintentionally block the good things life is trying to bring us.

Fear is deception. It lies to us. So instead, focus on hopeful things. Imagine best-case scenarios. You’ll be surprised how much more likely you are to attract them. And if hope feels hard to reach, try laughing at your fears. You just might find they shrink, or even disappear altogether.

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