Lately I’ve been thinking about those times when life throws something at you—something inconvenient, exasperating and just the very last thing you need in that moment—and all you can do is laugh. It’s a cliché to say that “comedy is tragedy plus time” and I don’t know that it’s true-there are some things I suspect are never funny—but I do believe the farther away you move from “tragedy” and toward “mishap,” the faster you should look for the humour in the situation.

This week in my own home I experienced a cascading series of mishaps that started with one of my beloved cats having an “accident” on the couch and only got worse from there. And at the end of the day, my fiancé and I were stressed, frustrated and a little angry (mostly at ourselves), but within hours we were laughing. What else could we do?

I’ve dealt with everything from feline misadventures to house floods and the number one thing that has made each curveball easier is a sense of humour, especially one that was shared. Whenever I’m at my wit’s end, cracking jokes to my fiancé in person or even texting them to a friend has been one of the best ways to get through it.

So the next time you’re faced with a frustrating situation, go ahead and feel your anger and frustration; it’s better to go through than try to go around. But once you’re out the other side, see if you can make yourself or someone around you smile. You may not be able to “make the best of things” or “turn a negative into a positive,” but when life hands you lemons, you might just be able to crack jokes about them.