The Sad Clown Paradox

The state that describes how that a clown 🤡 who makes people laugh but still battles depression and anxiety is called 'Sad Clown Paradox'.

There's a research that showed many comedians battle with self-esteem and childhood trauma issues. Some very early saw making people laugh as a self-preservation technique in the sense that it can detach them from any adversity faced allowing for perceived control over uncomfortable situations.

Whilst they make you laugh, some cry in their rooms. Some even settle for drug and substance abuse.

The research further showed that there is an ever-present anxiety amongst comedians that their popularity may disappear tomorrow and hence they may be driven to exhaustion in their work. 

Some of them go back home and start pondering why out of everyone who laughed at a joke, one guy right in the front seat didn't laugh.😂

It is amazing how your eyes can race past the laughs of many in the room to catch just one person who seem to be uninterested.

In the words of Blyton 'A clown needn't be the same out of the ring as he has to be in it. If you look at photographs of clowns when they are just being ordinary men, they have got quite sad faces.'

Generally, there are people with easy mood swings. These guys can be happy for 5 mins and before you know it are sad again. So it's easy to predict when to counsel them to cheer up.

But when a person is the life of the party, people naturally assume that the individual never has a downtime.

The internet has projected a false world that suggests that what you see is all there is. 

As humans, we must care.

When you have been hurt many times, the default stance will be to become ruthless in your dealings with humans.

This stance is a sign that you haven't quite healed. You are blood-thirsty and seek revenge. 

We must care for one another in how we receive and give it.

To comedians who feel depressed but mask it 🎭 by making people laugh, you really need to be in a community of people you love, connect and can support you. Open up to people you trust, make positive affirmations, pray and visit a therapist if you must.

Sò gbò?

Oluwapelumi Awe