The Best Tools for Uncertainty and Fear

Five Years Later, We Can Still Find Ways to Laugh

March 2020: the world pressed pause.

Nearly everything shut down, offices emptied, pants were replaced by pajamas, and we all added “You’re on mute” to our daily lexicon.

A virus sent us inside, away from each other and closer to our webcams. Zoom calls became the new normal. Baking bread became a personality. And for the briefest of times we stopped to celebrate all of those essential workers… by banging on pots and pans at 7pm.

I also did some WEIRD virtual events…

That was five years ago.

And while the world has slowly spun its way into a new version of “normal,” today marks a strange kind of anniversary. A global déjà vu, where uncertainty is still hanging around like that one coworker who won’t stop talking when you’re clearly trying to end the meeting.

Yes, the world has changed. But some things remain the same.

We still feel overwhelmed. We’re still navigating uncertainty. And we’re still searching for ways to make sense of things when the world refuses to make sense.

So how do we deal with all of this?

Tools for Dealing with Uncertainty and Fear

There are a few strategies that still hold up, pandemic or not.

First: reconnect to your purpose.

In a world full of noise, confusion, and an endless barrage of asking “is this really happening?”, coming back to why you do what you do can be your own personal North Star.

Purpose isn’t just about your work—it’s about remembering what gives your life meaning. And connecting your work, free time, and thoughts to that meaning.

Second: find community.

Not just any community—the kind that aligns with that purpose. Whether it’s an online community, a close circle of friends, or that coworker who also hates words like “synergy,” connection reminds us we’re not alone.

That shared experience—of joy, frustration, awkward Zoom waves—makes the hard stuff a little easier to carry.

And third: use humor.

Even when your purpose feels unclear and community feels far away, humor is always there. It’s one of the most accessible, adaptable tools you have. A way to cope, to reframe, and to remind yourself that, yes, the world is weird—but you’re still able to laugh.

Humor as a Coping Mechanism

During the early days of the pandemic, humor remained as one of the few coping mechanisms we had. You couldn’t go out with friends or to the gym, but you could find ways to laugh.

It was our way of taking control—not by fixing everything, but by reframing it.

Whether it was watching late-night hosts broadcast from their basements, scrolling through endless TikToks, or laughing with coworkers about the weirdness of “virtual happy hours,” humor gave us a sense of shared humanity.

A brief moment where things felt a little less heavy. A little more possible.

And if you’re reading this five years later wondering, “Why does it still feel hard?” or why, on Earth, do we still greet each other with handshakes when fist bumps are clearly so much cooler (and transfer less germs)...

So close, AI, so close…

Well, you’re not alone.

The world didn’t suddenly get easy just because we went back to restaurants and started wearing real pants again. Jobs are still stressful. The news is still hard. And life still throws curveballs, and change-ups, and fastballs hurled at your head.

But the same strategy that helped us through then, can help us through now.

Humor is still one of the most effective tools we have for managing stress, building resilience, and reconnecting with each other. It’s not about making light of serious moments—it’s about finding light in serious moments.

Yes, studies have shown that laughter reduces cortisol levels, increases oxygen intake, and releases endorphins. But even without the science, you feel it, right?

A single well-timed joke can diffuse tension, foster connection, and give us that little breath of “Okay, maybe I can get through this.”

Remotely Funny

That’s why we’re choosing today—on the five-year anniversary of the lockdown—to release something special. Something we created during that strange, surreal, banana-bread-filled time.

Today, we’re making our comedy special, Remotely Funny, from early 2021, available for free on YouTube.

It was a project born from Zoom calls, Wi-Fi hiccups, and a desperate need to laugh during the weirdest time in recent memory. Recorded virtually during the pandemic, it’s a mashup of observations, stories, and puns—all created remotely, with humor as our shared language.

It’s not just a time capsule—it’s a reminder. That humor helped us then, and it can help us now.

So if you’ve been feeling a little heavy lately, if the headlines have you sighing more than smiling, or if you just need a break from pretending you understand your company’s new AI-driven workflow optimization tool... take 30 minutes and laugh with us.

Watch Remotely Funny here.

Share it with a friend. Rewatch it with your team. Or use it as an excuse to finally schedule that virtual comedy lunch-and-learn you’ve been putting off since 2021.

Because the world may still be a little weird—but at least we don’t have to go through it humorless.

Stay safe. Stay human. And stay funny.

(an)drew

P.S. We first launched the Humor That Works community in 2020 to help get through the craziness of the world. Given everything going on, we thought now was a good time to re-launch. There’s still time to fill out this 2-minute survey to help us shape that community.