Narrative Box: Lately, reading the news has been freaking me out. So here are some tips on surviving/dealing with today’s stress-inducing headlines!
Panel 1
(Character sitting in front of a computer opened to a Canadian webpage, on the phone, saying “Oh yeah, I love Trudeau. He’s the hot one, right? And poutine! Love me some poutine.”)
Narrative Box: Don’t read the news in the morning, and then spend the rest of the day trying to move to Canada.
Panel 2
(A character is sitting at a sunny kitchen table, sipping on a cup of coffee and reading the comics, chuckling while saying “That Marmaduke is a card.”)
Narrative Box: Do start your day with something that makes you happy instead.
Panel 3
(A character is reading the news on the phone in a bathroom, sobbing and using some toilet paper for tissue, saying “I don’t want Trump to introduce us to the new aliens!”)
Narrative Box: Don’t read the news on the toilet alone (even though the proximity to toilet paper/tissue paper is convenient).
Panel 4
(A group of people are standing around a computer, which has a news headline that says “All news is fake news.” One stick figure says, “What’s it say today?” Another stick figure says, “We are so fucked.” And another stick figure says, “Yes, but we’re fucked together.”)
Narrative Box: Do read the news with people you know so you can commiserate.
Panel 5
(There are popups and ads galore with multiple arrows from each ad pointing to the text “Avoid Clickbait.” The popups and ads are in a tab that say: “What Russian Missile Are You? Breaking News! New Message. Fake News. Trump Tweets Annotated with Emojis. Horoscope Predicts Next Democratic Nominee.”)
Panel 6
(There are three images: One is a cassette with a kitten on it that says: “Watch kitten videos!” The other is a mug that says: “Drink some tea!” The last image is of a hammer and bubble wrap that says: “Pop bubble wrap! With a hammer!”)
Narrative Box: Do plan a stress relieving activity for after reading the news.
Panel 7
(A character looking frazzled, surrounded by all the headlines that read: “Pipeline Moves Forward. Fake News [written backwards]. ACA in Danger. Putin, Pootin, Russia Woes [written backwards]. Deportations begin.”)
Narrative Box: Don’t freak out and let the news hold you back from living your life.
Panel 8
(A character is standing on a porch, sipping some tea and looking off into a picturesque scene of trees. The character says “World’s still turning. Awesome.”)
Narrative Box: Do go outside to enjoy nature and reaffirm that society hasn’t collapsed.
Panel 9
(A character is in the tub taking a bubble bath.)
Text: And remember, if you’re already in a bad mood, the news can wait! That story or update will be there later. Why not take a bath instead?