New one-pager: Improving a Blah Day

[lb_lee]

A pocket one-pager zine for improving a garden-variety crummy day, when it rains on you at the bus stop and people are wrong on the Internet.  This one might get a new title and some tweaks.

 

You can buy the print copy here if you want!  Like all our one-pagers, they're $1 each.

Transcript:

Front Cover:

Title: Improving A Blah Day

Image: A zombie-like figure with Xed out eyes and a protruding tongue says, "BLAH" in big ugly wiggly letters, which makes up the title.

Back Cover:

Fill me out when you're feeling good; keep me in your wallet for when you're feeling blah!  Remember, you're the only you there is!  Please, take care of yourself!

Image: A gray stick figure flexes their little arms with a big grin.

Pages 2-3

This zine is for the blahs--ordinary crummy days, not emergencies. (For that, try the Bad Day Book.) First, chart your position!

There are two charts, one for each question.  Both start with a white background, darkening to black the further down you go, and have little faces or stick figures with speech bubbles expressing how they're doing.

HOW DO YOU FEEL?

Sunshine face: "Fantastic!  I hardly need this zine!"

Smiley face: "Good, but could use a little pick-me-up."

Blank face: "Meh.  Bleh.  I dunno."

Sad face: "I'm down.  I want to feel better."

Devastated face: "Everything is AWFUL!"

HOW PERKY ARE YOU?

Flexing stick figure: "I got tons of energy!"

Shrugging stick figure: "I'm up for stuff, sure."

Standing stick figure: "Is this gonna be work?"

Slumped stick figure: "Blehh.  Don't wanna."

Flopped stick figure, with protruding tongue: "pbbt forget it."

Pages 4-5

BUMMERS AND BOOSTS (decorated with sunshine and sad faces)

When you feel lousy, what makes you feel better?  Worse? (I can't be online when down; it's too easy to wander into a crisis clickbait cycle.)

What do you need to avoid?

(blanks for the reader to fill in)

What makes you feel better?

• Do something nice for someone. (I like finding gifts, or thanking folks.)
• Keep a cheering book/movie around! (I swear by James Herriot.)

(blanks for the reader to fill in)

Pages 6-7

TIME SINKS AND RECHARGERS (decorated with slouchy and flexing stick figures)

The more tired you are, the more tempting it is to do mindless things that require no effort... but don't recharge you either. (I molder on the Internet.) Name some of your time-wasters:

(blanks for the reader to fill in)

Rechargers help you regain energy, not just kill time--a nap, a snack, time with pals. Name some of your rechargers:

(blanks for the reader to fill in)

Comments

[pantha]

Interesting. Most stuff only asks you to rank how you feel, not also the 'perky' bit. But actually, that's an equally useful marker... *considers*

[lb_lee]

Yeah, because I figure one can get mistaken for another! For instance, we're often pretty worn out, but that doesn't necessarily mean our MOOD is bad; it's just hard to focus or do much, and we have to be careful not to fall into habits that'll make our mood worse. (A common behavior loop was, "I'm tired, I'll just rest on the Internet," only to find ourself getting sucked down the crisis clickbait whirlpool and feeling worse and worse.)

Plus, how much gas you have in the tank dictates what kind of action you can take. When you're exhausted, volunteering at a soup kitchen might be too much, but leaving anonymous nice comments to people on DeviantArt may be easier! (And still be worthwhile to do.)