Laughing and crying at the same time

[geewhizzpop]

Genuinely was laughing and crying at the same time. It was really weird. DH brought up something from my childhood which made me think about it in a different way.

It was also quite unexpected when he mentioned it so took me by surprise. He thinks I don't enjoy stand up comedy - I do, but I don't lol much. He criticises me for not laughing out loud, saying I don't have a sense of humour. I find this insulting but he doesn't care and seems to enjoy my reaction when he says it.

This evening he related my apparent lack of humour back to my childhood, saying that just because I had 'trauma' from my dad and uncle taking the piss out of me all the time and making me cry as a kid, I now see comedy as something attacking me and therefore don't enjoy it.

Well, I've literally never made this connection before. I felt quite vulnerable and embarrassed when I realised that what he said might be true.

DH came over and said he was sorry for upsetting me but because I was laughing and sobbing at the same time, he couldn't make sense of my reaction. Neither could i. Has anyone else ever reacted like this?

I don't like how my DH thinks it's ok to criticise how I enjoy comedy. He also does this with our son too, who has just been diagnosed with autism.

It’s a bit fucking rich him saying you have trauma from being criticised and then criticising you.

Thick unfeeling bastard.

If I laugh so hard I cry (with said laughter) I sometimes end up crying with pent up emotion.
So for example sometimes I can’t cry even though I feel I need to for a couple of weeks, then I may end up crying unexpectedly because I watched something so funny I cried.
A different situation for sure but you’re certainly not the only one who does it - also I’m not a fan of what he’s said to you. Even if he were onto something he sounds dismissive.

Thank you. That does make sense about the pent up emotion. Especially as DS only got diagnosed yesterday. With the laughing and crying thing, it was crying first and then laughing which made me annoyed because I didn't want to be laughing, almost like a nervous laughter.
I've definitely experienced it the way round that you said - laughing so hard that you cry and it wasn't that.
Yes, I know my DH is a dick.

Sorry if I was a bit harsh, I just felt outraged for you.

I sometimes laugh to release all kinds of non-amused emotions (relief, surprise, joy, awkwardness, and sometimes when I feel sadness welling up).

It sounds like it really took you by surprise but it sounds like a breakthrough of some kind - which could begin a new line of thought about your past and what you need now? I wish you the best.

Obviously might be very off track but you couldn't be pregnant could you?

I'm quite an emotionally 'calm' person but in one of my pregnancies (only one!) then even the smallest of upsets would send me into hysterical laughter, then hysterical sobbing, then both together.