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Welcome to the April edition of the Word Constructions newsletter! It's been a week since the Commonwealth Games ended, but I still have to say that I thought the entire event was well done and that there were some outstanding efforts by competitors across the Commonwealth. Watching the reactions as athletes finished their events was humbling. Disappointed or elated, each athlete was polite and supportive to the other athletes around them, and each one showed a pride that they had done their best. The stress on many of those athletes must be incredible, and that thought has lead to the theme of this month's newsletter - dealing with stress. Something I have experienced first hand. I also want to say how inspired I was by the marathon runners. Forgetting the training they've done, it was enough just to see them run 42 km in 2 to 3 hours on a warm morning. By the end, most of them were running alone and had only their determination to keep them running at their peak - how many of us would slow down if there was no one watching or urging us on? The crowd support was also inspiring - the way the crowd cheered everyone one of those marathon runners into and round the stadium shows how we can work together to help others achieve their absolute best. Instead of working alone, maybe we can all find ways to use the support of people around us. If you have any ideas on how to do that, please let me know and I might include them in next month's newsletter. Have a wonderful month, and I hope you achieve your personal best in things you are working towards.
Tash
Stress reduction Whether it is a common feeling or an occasional experience, most of us feel stressed with the amount of things we feel we have to do. Some stress is ok and even beneficial - for instance, the stress of having no income keeps us caring for customers - but continued and extreme stress are harmful. There are ways to keep your stress under control, and many are cheap and quick. Here are some examples to start with:
If you can't or won't avoid stress in your life, you can make sure that you have regular breaks from stress so that your body and mind can regain the energy and motivation to continue effectively. In this case, the breaks must be for more than a few hours and must be a complete change, such as taking a weekend away or spending a day watching your favourite sport with some friends.
Many
companies have long contended that stress in the home
causes productivity loss in the market place.. and it
does. But research now reveals that stress on the job
causes stress at home. In other words, they feed off
each other.
Intolerant: Not accepting, allowing or enduring something/someone to exist without interfering, complaining or hindering. For instance, a racist person is intolerant of other races living in their country. Intolerable: A situation that can't be endured or continued. For example, after time a worked may find it intolerable to work 100 hour weeks and be criticised by their boss. Think of the two words like this: He is not able to tolerate a situation but the ant chooses to be intolerant. Busy Busy By Tash Hughes of Word Constructions When is the last time you just sat and did nothing? Or watched a sunset in a quiet place? Or stopped and really listened to a piece of music? Unfortunately, doing things like that is uncommon in our busy lives. There are so many things we believe we ‘need’ or ‘have’ to do that we don’t take time to recharge ourselves and just stop occasionally. It’s not just at work that we are busy, either. Even our children are busy with various activities around school and homework, and then we also fit in physical activity and some sort of a social life. But shouldn’t there be more to life than rushing around and doing things every second of the day? Being overly busy results in us being tired and less creative, it keeps pumped up and without time to reduce the pressure. Business fills our minds and we get overwhelmed and lose track of where we are going as we are so caught up in the tasks at hand. And all of that builds into stress. Sure, a bit of stress in our lives is healthy and keeps us to deadlines, but continuous stress is exhausting and unhealthy. When we are stressed, we become focused on only a few aspects of our lives – whether it is finishing a project, earning more money or dealing with a difficult relationship. Being so focused makes it hard to see the wholeness of life, and this can also mean missed opportunities. You can read a bit more about busyness here.
Networking reduces stress
When you are working
hard and feeling
stressed, you are likely
to also feel alone. This
is especially so if you
run your own business
and/or work in an
isolating occupation
(such as writing!)
Many of us enjoy working alone but sometimes that gets too lonely and too hard as there is no way of sharing the pressure and responsibilities. One way of contacting with other people is to join a business network. Not only does this get you away from your desk and with people, it can be energising and refreshing. If you choose an appropriate network, the people you meet will understand many of the things you experience and that can be a huge relief. When networking, you can also learn from other people and potentially meet people who can help you reduce your stress or workload. For instance, you may hear someone mention databases and you suddenly realise a database could solve some of you workload problems, or you may meet someone who you can outsource some work to, such as a writer, web designer, VA, IT network specialist or bookkeeper. Although it may seem like an extra thing to add to your long to-do-list, networking may just be the thing that reduces your stress so you can work more effectively. Don't forget there are many networks out there so you should be able to find one that meets at a suitable time and place or you could try an online network. PS If you are not sure about networking or it's other uses, please read my networking article or review this list of networks and networking information.
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© 2006, Tash Hughes