Make yourself laugh, and you set the frame. This is the most fun way to build self-acceptance.

Inside jokes are designed to bring some people in and leave others out. They are wonderful between friends, but they are also a classic bully move, and I love using bully tactics for good.

By having inside jokes with yourself, you bring yourself in and leave the world out. This isn’t full exclusion only partial denial…basically we let the world wonder what makes us tick, which sparks their curiosity.

We never let them in on the joke, setting boundaries is empowering, but we invite them to join us on a funny adventure just by being playful.

The ability to self-amuse shows you don’t depend on others to have fun.

Anti-bullies are non-needy and can remain calm, the opposite of bf qualities like reactiveness and anxious agitation.

Being able to laugh at yourself first, others are far more likely to laugh with you than at you.

And having a good time brings you into the moment, making you present and aware.

Plus you’ll be able have a great time in any situation if your main goal is to amuse yourself.

And you always get to be the judge of how things go, because you’re the comedian and the audience.

Listen for some of my favorites ways I make myself laugh!

Whenever you self-amuse it’s an inside joke with yourself.

Inside jokes are meant to go undetected, which means you shouldn’t overdo it or reveal it.

Bullies use inside jokes to exclude people: They don’t want to uplift anybody with humor, so the joke is no more than mean sarcasm, and it’s seems inside but they make sure it’s revealed to hurt the target.

To reverse the power of an inside joke from divisive to self-accepting, you must keep it chill and private. Nobody can think you’re doing it at their expense or to leave them out.

It’s about having fun on your own and accepting yourself as one of the most fun people around.

I cannot stress this enough: They joke is for you. It’s never about making others laugh. As soon as you do it to make others laugh, it looses its power for you and for them.

You might as well hop back into your clown car because you’re acting a fool.

These jokes are to make you laugh on the inside, and the happy side effect will be others’ appreciation.

You make your own fun, others will see you as fun. You accept yourself, others will accept you on your terms.

Have fun coming up with some good ones!