fre You Stressed?

Melissa Beedle, Features Editor

 

t’s not even mid-semester and
already I feel frazzled. Not just fraz-
zled, but totally, completely,

fill-in-a-bleeping-swearword frazzled. I’ve

taken up smoking again. My so-called
healthy-eating resolution has gone out the
window. My gym membership has expired

(last year), and my Visa is reaching its limit

again, which is always she sure-fire indica-

tor that yes, I’m stressed out. Because as
much as I love shopping, I absolutely
despise credit cards. Or truthfully, maybe
what I really despise is the memory of
creditors calling me, not to mention the
whole concept of interest. God, Ive
already got a headache just thinking about
it.

If you can at least partially relate to the
above symptoms, then I hate to tell you

seal

Photo by Angela Blattmann

this, but you’re probably stressed too. So
beyond downing five martinis, a Belini,
and umpteen shots of Tequila on Friday
night (and then spending the rest of the
weekend on your sagging student couch
recovering), just what can you do to keep
your stress level to a minimum? And I’m
talking without resorting to over-the-
medication, or in
case—turning your lungs into a black-
filled tobacco disposal centre. (And you
thought smoking was glamorous? Hate to
disappoint you.)

First of all, I must confess that I am
sometimes a burnout case waiting to hap-
pen. I said sometimes. 1 am a sucker for
taking on projects. I’m one of those raise-
your-hand, sure-can volunteer types, even
though I freaking hate those kind of peo-

counter my

w University in Kamloops

18 | www.theotherpress.ca

ple. And let me tell you, as a Print Futures
writing student, there are always loads of
projects to take on. Not to mention the
fact that I love to make money, and as you
already know, love spending it even more.

So how do you know when enough is
enough? How do you stop the breakdown
before the meltdown, so to speak?

Since I for one don’t know the answer,
I called up personal coach Nancy
Bradshaw to see what she had to say. To
give you a little background, Nancy is the
co-founder and past president of
Canadian Business for Social
Responsibility (CBSR). Last year, Nancy
received an Ethics In Action award for
her role as a leader in BC’s social respon-
sibility movement. The Vancouver Sun
named her as one of the top 25 new lead-
ers. She has since started a coaching
business called Spark Strategies, where
she helps people overcome challenges and
minimize stress levels. She is clearly a
woman with some idea of balance, if
there is such a thing.

Here’s her advice:

Cut Out the Things that Are

Draining You

“You have to prioritize the things in your
life. Look at what you’re doing and what’s
important to you and then look at how
much time you are actually spending
doing those things you love,” says
Bradshaw. “I ask my clients to write down
everything they do for a week and look at
the actual hours they are spending doing
the things they love. Chances are they’re
spending more time doing things they
don’t like than they need to be.”

Visualize Your Goals
Bradshaw helps her clients find what they

MPSON RIVERS

Diploma and Certificate Level

 

 

really want to do and then set small goals
to get the things they want. “You have to
visualize what you really want in your life,
if you ever want to get it,” says Bradshaw.
“They did a study in Switzerland with a
group of Olympic athletes. One group
spent 75 percent of their time practicing
and the other 25 percent of their time
visualizing their goals. Another group
spent 75 percent of their time visualizing
and 25 percent of their time practicing—
and they were the ones who actually
performed better. That shows you how
important it is to be clear about what you
want and to really believe that you can do
it.”
Surround Yourself with People Who
Support You
Once a week Bradshaw calls her best
friend and they coach each other for
about an hour and a half. “We ask each
other lots of questions,” says Bradshaw.
“We commit to each other things that we
want to do and really make sure that we
are clear on what we want from our lives.
If I’m doing things that are counterpro-
ductive to who I am and what I want, she
calls me on it.”

But what if you don’t have much time?

According to Bradshaw, “You make
the time. Maybe you cut out an hour of
TV or reading and you use that time to
connect with the supportive people in
your life. You have to make those connec-
tions a priority because they are the ones
who are going to help you when you’re
stressed or when you’re unclear about
where you should be going next. Ideally,
we all should be doing what we love at
least 80 percent of the time.”

Ahh, so that’s what balance is.

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FEBRUARY 16/2005