Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for November 06, 2020

El estrés no es bueno para nadie (stress isn’t good for anyone).

C’mon Jack, help her out with her stress!

BINGO -STRESS. Number One – killer

Gee Bern.

You forgot, Sanctimonious, Sarcastic, Snarky, Stagnant, Scared and Silly.

Jack? You may want to Seriously consider going back to “helping” Luann and ONLY Luann.

You’re gonna have your work cut out for you “helping” this young lady. ;)

A devoted, serious student, Bernice is already an expert at analyzing everyone’s problems. Except her own.

Jack and Bernice – the perfect couple, they compliment each other.

Bingo Jack!!

yes she’s VERY stressed. she overly anxious about—-well—-everything. but despite her sarcastic and snarky nature, Bernice DOES have a sexy and sultry side. Sadly it’s hidden deep under multiple layers of depression. You, jack will have to work extra hard to get through all those layers.

It wasn’t sex? (My shrink thinks everything’s about sex…)

Nah, “STRESS” is about two letters too long…

Greg is really playing with us.

Un peu de stress can provide incentive and energy. Beaucoup de stress can create a self doubting, anxious Bernice.

She needs less, he needs more. Hope they share.

Exercise definitely helps some forms of stress. But looking for jobs, trying to pay rent, etc are issues that don’t go away after exercise.

Bernice grew up in a frugal household, where she learned to immense herself in the world of studying. She created a ivory tower where can she can pass judgment on others.

So, a week ago Bernice was stressing out about stuff and after this week we learn that Bernice’s problems are….“stress.” So what have we learned? What Bernice learned? If this were a timed competition, like a basketball game, I’d swear the writer is trying to run out the clock. But there is no clock so why is she wasting our time?

Stress is the number one enemy of living a normal life with the possible exception of genetics if you are born with a pre-existing condition or in your DNA have a likelihood that some horrible disease or affliction will stricken you…. My Dad is a good example of how stress can harm and how if it is taken away can help improve one’s life. My Dad was an Army guy as a young man got commissioned in the dying days of WWII, became an ordnance specialist (not a nice job guys;)) in Korea (with a guilty conscience as he told me and a couple of my sisters over some triple Canadian Clubs about 30 years ago), and an engineering degree from a school in Massachusetts.

Next he had an opportunity when he was still young (the ’50s ) to work for a company called Raytheon, a well known company and he was slotted in mid level management. In 1960 he had the opportunity to move to Tampa and act as a liaison from Raytheon to MacDill for certain projects, occasionally he was also working over at McCoy (now Orlando International hence MCO is the call letters) and even over to Patrick on the East Coast, he was NEVER home. Everyone from my mom to my younger sister knew to avoid Dad if he had a BAD week. One day in 1975, my Dad got dropped by a massive chest pain (this is what he told me) at the local Publix and he started to black out, next he woke up at Tampa General. Long story short, he was lucky to survive, a valve was shot, the VA gave him a new one (It kept him alive until 1998).

What I think is a miracle: 1976: My Dad was recovered from surgery and suddenly he cared about my Little League and my older sister’s play where she played a key role! My Dad after that surgery, only did small jobs for Raytheon and diverted his attention to his family and the big vet community in Tampa. Today is my Dad’s birthday so I thought I would write about him, for better for for worse.

Well, “stressed” is “desserts” spelled backwards, so there’s that.

Today’s episode of “Luann” is brought to you by reruns of “Match Game ‘77” on GSN:

Gene: I saw Bummed-Out Bernice today and she was SO stressed.

Studio Audience: HOW STRESSED WAS SHE?

Gene: Bernice was so stressed, she suffered from ___________ Suppression Syndrome…

Stress is a killer, although I have read it is a lymphatic system response designed to protect, but not to linger. Lingering is very destructive. Jack has a very well thought out reaction to stressors in his life, I think of how he faced losing his football ambition, he didn’t give up, or get better, or stress over it; no he found peace, moved on with life, and has found positive ways of being personally healthy. His advice to Bernice is right on point, very needed, and goes right to the heart of her personal over-expectations. Lighten up B! Now I hope it extends further between them, but if not this advice is priceless by itself.

Please teach her, O wise one. Jack will take Pru and Dez’s place as supporting-character sage. Maybe Nil will get a crack at that too someday.

One word, doesn’t start with ‘S’ …

Bernice may not be stressed, but she certainly is stressful.

Why did I automatically think “sex”? Hahaha! Is it a Freudian thing on my end? Although…. it’s a fabulous stress reliever….

Jack has diagnosed Bernice’s problem in general. Now, to find the cause of Bernice’s Stress, looking at her life recently there are a “few” reasons for her to feel stressed. Giving in to her inner self’s feelings toward Jack, might ease some of that stress.

Yes Bernice, you need to think and keep it, another ‘s’ word, ‘simple’.

This is dragging along at a snail’s pace. Watch where you’re stepping, Jack.

The word is “sex” (a total lack thereof).

Heck, 2020 is such a wonderful year, what is there to be stressed about? /S

and if you’ll come over to my dorm room I’ll help you with your stress.

What she needs is a good workout!

I’d go so far as to say she’s self conscious.

Jack should be the counselor, not Bernice.

I dunno about the “not snobby” part… But self-perception isn’t exactly Bernice’s forte.

Oh Bernice♡. So intelligent, yet so clueless about how to deal with the world and her own feelings♡♡♡! It’s really a good thing she has meet Jack. He’s a practical person, able to understand others.

Jack is smarter than anyone gives him credit for.

I know a cure for stress. It’s a short word. Starts with “s”.

Sleep. What were you thinking?

Thanks for the common sense, Jack.

“Not snobby”? Looks like Bernice is in some deep denial here.

I was guessing “sex”.

Assuming for the sake of argument that Jack’s diagnosis is correct, what program of Stress Management is he going to recommend? Some worldly types would answer with another short S-word….

…self-absorbed?…

What we’re all feeling right now.

Bernice may not be stupid, but everything else she mentioned describes her perfectly.

Comic Strip Psychobabble 101:

What Bernice is suffering from is existential angst. She needs to feel needed and wanted. She needs an anchor outside herself. Someone she can accept as there being for her without BFF or familial “baggage.” Someone from which she will accept positive feelings. Someone she perceives as safe. Someone that is steady, caring, trustworthy, perceptive… hunky…

Is there anyone in Pittsville that fits those requirements. That is the question!

Jack’s pretty astute!

Sorry Bernice, but all of those “s” terms you cited could be applied to you at one time or another. And I was kind of hoping Jack had a different “s” word in mind, but then I remembered that this strip has no basis in reality.

Thought he was gonna say “Sex”…

https://www.gocomics.com/luann/2018/07/23

This was the start of the Jack and Luann heart-to-heart discussion around Jack’s existential angst; in his case, about a future that seemed joyless. Luann help him see that a future as a vet tech or veterinarian is his true calling.

Will Jack now set Bernice on a new path toward a new life goal???

It’s a suspiciously similar situation.

Apropos of nothing, I suppose.

Everybody seems to think it’s all about sex.

(And I have been resisting all day the flag for comments that say “Bernice needs to get laid”)

I’ll just say that, in two marriages now, in this life, in this body, there has been nothing as stressful for me as sex, no, nothing at all as stressful as sex, period, full stop.

I’m just happy that I’m finally at an age where it’s not expected of me anymore.

Finally, I’ve been able to de-stress.

I think Jack will suggest the co-ed, towel optional sauna at his gym.

There is one thing that is good for relieving stress.

Sex would not help Bernice at all. She is way too uptight and neurotic to enjoy sex like a normal person.

These two seem to be comfortable and relaxed with each other. It’s nice to see them communicating without all the stuttering and stammering.

Maybe the word begins with “O” for Overthinking.

For my part, I’m a little more inclined to pass things like “your/you’re” if I’m talking to a person who speaks more than one language.

S word? Try Serotonin, of the lack thereof.

Stressed spelled backwards is desserts.

I thought he was going to say the other S word that rhymes with hex

Bring Diane back so we can have ‘Jack and Diane’

Maybe they can mak … errr … work out together.

Bernice needs to take up Racquetball. Or Squash.

Of course, there are some fun ways to relieve stress.

i like how coy Bernice is being. Especially in the third panel. But yeah, Jack is 100% correct. She does tend to stress out over small things a wee bit too much. And that ain’t good.

Bernice would fit well with Mr. Spock.

Long term stress can be debilitating over time. Shorten your life.

“The Power of Suppress”

“A Damsel In This Stress”

“Time Is Of The ‘S’ Sense”

“Do You Know, Jack?”

“The Wrong Stuff”

“Syndrome Wasn’t Built In A Day”

A week and we went nowhere. This storytelling needs tightening up.

she needs to stop thinking so danged much. go with the flow. see where the wind takes you. LIVE A LITTLE!

Bernice needs to take the advice Ray Tracer gave in an episode of ReBoot: “You blokes look uptight. You should try logging off, it relieves tension.”