(Intro)

Both: Hey! Let's A those Qs: Number Quatro.

Michael: Yes!

[Emma laughs]

Emma: Danika Leigh Ellis asks, "How do you keep up with news without wallowing in despair?"

Michael: This is actually a problem for me, for a long time, so I made a conscious decision not to read the news. If something's super important, I'm gonna find out, and during election times I do use sites like factcheck.org, but I'm personally a big believer in generally only taking in information if it's actionable and relevant, otherwise it can kind of breed, like, anxiety and helplessness, which does not do anybody any good.

[pen scratching noises]

Emma: No.

Michael: No.

Emma: Unless you're like, a despair and helplessness monster. Well, he like, maybe he gobbles it up for other people.

Michael: Yeah.

Emma: And that's why he's cute is so he's like, "I'm gonna take your despair and helplessness."

Michael: Yeah.

Emma:  Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage calls this noise canceling. He recommends reducing your intake of negative news stories by just 10 percent at a time. Similarly, Andybearchan asked, "How do you stay healthy under stress?"

Michael: This is something we plan to cover in a full video soon but for now WebMD has some good tips. For instance, try and maintain a normal routine because having a set schedule can help you feel more in control even when things are kind of chaotic around you. Make connections with family and friends. Take time to do the things you enjoy. And take time away from people and things that stress you out needlessly, particularly around bedtime. And, as always, please remember to take care of yourself. Trying not to let the stressful situation effect your diet, exercise habits, or your sleep.

Emma: According to psychology professor Dr. Suzanne Segerstrom, attitude is important. "The effect of stress on the immune system is not a factor of what's happening in the environment, but it's an effect of your perception of it." But actually stress isn't a totally bad thing. Dr. Kelly McGonigal gave a great TED talk on the surprising benefits of stress. There is a link in the doobly doo below.

Michael: An anonymous reader on Tumblr asked, "Do you guys have any advice on failing and moving on?"

Emma: Well, firstly, let's remember something,

Together: Everyone fails.

Michael: I like how positive we are each week.

Emma: It's, it's true. It's the truth! Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. Steve Jobs got fired from Apple. That guy from Community, they fired him. So there is no reason to feel ashamed for failing. Every shortcoming can be an opportunity and a catalyst for learning and growing. And, in fact, Pixar has an in house philosophy, "Be wrong as fast as you can." To quote the New York Times Magazine, "Mistakes are an inevitable part of the process, so get right down to it and start making them." And John Lasseter himself has said, "Every Pixar film was the worst motion picture ever made at one time or another. People don't believe that. but it's true. But we don't give up on the films." Another anonymous tumblrer asked, "Tips on not losing imagination as an adult?"

Michael: When we're kids, everything is a fresh experience and a lot of us had unstructured time for play. We still need those things as adults. My own advice is to make time for old joys and new experiences. maybe watch the movies you really liked when you were younger, explore parts of your city that you've never been to. Also, I recommend a mindfulness practice because it just helps me see the world in a new and brighter light. gamestreamer asked, "Any advice on overcoming my Achilles heel of procrastination?"

Together: Yup.

[cheering sound effect]

Emma: You should watch that now. But not now, now but you should not procrastinate watching that video. Our last question comes from kujmous, please correct us if we have that pronunciation on that wrong, friend, "What is the biggest disagreement we have ever had?"

Michael: I can't think of any big disagreements that we've had. There have been times when I've written something or like edited something a certain way and we've disagreed about it.

Emma: [mumbles]

Michael: And that's just having different opinions.

Emma: Yeah.

Michael: We've never not settled those very painlessly.

Emma: Nah, I just feel like we, you know, are friends and also we work fairly well together so we can keep any differences.

Michael: Fairly well?!

Emma: Fairly [disintegrates into laughter]

Michael: And that is all that we've got for you guys today. If you have any questions you'd like us to answer in a future Q & A, please let us know in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.

Emma: In the meantime, I know one thing we have disagreed on.

Michael: Yeah.

Emma: And it's when we should let loose our incredibly awesome catch phrase.

Michael: Cuz you were always like, "Today! Today."

Emma: Today's the day.

Michael: And I'm like, "Shut up."

Emma: [shocked laugher] You're more like, "Let it marinate."

[over each other]

Michael: Okay. I don't think I've ever told you to shut up.

Emma: You've never told me to shut up, I would be really offended actually.

[separately]

Michael: Ya'll, that's out of character.

Emma: Very OOC. Yes.

Michael: Yeah.