TheReview Wednesday, October 3,1990 — A7 [+ No such thing as stress _ quiet and worked harder. A third man took the If I see one more magazine or newspaper article on how to control stress I'll scream. Take your average stress story today. It begins by stating that stress is a complex affair (thus increasing stress in the reader) and then com- pounds that stress by tossing out words like fa@gdequacy, chronic damage and failure. To be a calm person, it says, all you have to do is to sit quietly, rotate your eyeballs 180 degrees, peer into your brain and repair the broken bits and loose connections. eg I liken it to trying to fix a konked-out car at the side of a highway. That’s where I lift the hood, gaze at the steaming maze of dirty spaghetti and metal chunks until a tow truck comes and hauls it away. They can haul away my car but they’re not getting me. The truth is that stress is caused by people not doing what you want them to do. Therefore, to eliminate stress, all one must do is (a) eliminate all disobedient people or, (b) whip them into line. Some chaps in distant countries are experi- menting with method (a) — to date with limited success. Therefore, until the final results of their research have been tabulated, I suggest we follow the advice of Dr. Peter Punchem, noted clinical stressologist who must be good because he lives a long way away. Punchem has written dozens of books including the award winning, “Have Desert First, Life is Uncertain.” He says that job-related stress is caused by too many employees asking stupid questions and making stupid suggestions. “Accept nothin’ from nobody” is Punchem’s advice. To illustrate his point, Punchem cites the absolutely true case of an owner of a small plastics company somewhere who told his four threat personally, experienced serious stress and now lies in bed under heavy sedation. The fourth person jumped into a nearby vat of molten plastic and quickly became one of the components in a number of laundry baskets. Punchem says this man was a bumout victim. I disagree with Punchem that people bum out. I think burnout is a cop-out; an excuse lazy people use to avoid doing something they don’t want to do. “Not tonight dear, I feel a burnout coming on.” Cars burn out, not people. Take that car of mine that was hauled away from the side of the highway. It, the car doctor told me, had been operating too fast and too long without proper fuel and lubrication. Parts had begun to crack, corrode, erode and explode. Fuses were unglued, stewed and screwed. Friction had increased to such a degree that fatigue was all that held the car together. Do you think that can happen to a person? Of course not. Recently I came across one of those disgusting, glossy, self-help magazines-we all hate a lot. It contained an article which suggested individuals actually have the power to reduce stress in their lives. It said stress was, in effect, an attitude problem. What a crock. I know for sure that other people treat me unfairly, break their promises, ignore my hard work and sacrifices, gossip about me behind my back, refuse to recognize that I’m special, never tell me the truth — and then have the gall to Suggest that I’m paranoid, and appear to be Stressed out. NO ’'M NOE Kents Cabinets and Furniture -_ For a Free Estimate Call #6 - 10114 McDonald Park Rd. (1 Block from Slegg Lumber) HOUSE OF RUSSEL Shawn SIDNEY - 655-0881 Our Reputation is on Your Head HAIRSTYLISTS LTD. UNISEX § @ 656-1522 vexe © Precision Cutting IN SIDNEY CENTRE #102-2367 Bevan Ave., Sidney, B.C. (Next to Safeway) q employees that none of them deserved a promo- To prove it, I took that glossy magazine with its tion and that #f they didn’t shape up fasthe would _ article on how to reduce stress, beat it to a pulp Sd bring in an outside expert (enforcer) to make sure ~~ with a poker and buried it in the back garden. I they did. feel better now. One individual decided to leave the company. A Do you think the poker treatment would work second worker experienced mild stress but kept with my car? a a i=] _2| Directory gives list of collectors = Sex A RECYCLING DIRECTORY just released by the Capital Regional District lists private busi- nesses who are doing their part to help Greater Victoria recycle material not collected from drop boxes. Included is the name, address and tele- phone number for businesses who will take everything from old antifreeze, appliances and asbestos to magazines, metals and motor oil. Several businesses are on the Peninsula, including Warrior Salvage, Brentwood Shell, Gurton’s Garage and Monk Office Supply. The business- es will only take selected materials for recycling and some charge a nominal fee. To get the directory or to find out how to recycle specific materials, call the Recycling Hotline at 383- 2696. eK NUMBERS, NUMBERS, NUMBERS. In this space last week two numerals were juxtaposed, so over $600 was subtracted from the total money Taised by all 280 students, plus staff, at Sansbu- _ ry-McTayish Elementary School during the i@ Terry Fox Run. The total was $1,708, not $1,078. Another error, this time on the front page, was made last week when Ron Kubek’s name was misspelled. * * % PARKLAND GRADUATE AND a former writer for Contact, the school’s newspaper, Don- na Baigent, is an aspiring journalist in Eastern Canada now. She is currently studying journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa, partially funded by a scholarship. Baigent spent a month stringing at The Review this spring to gain some work experience, after initial tutorage by Parkland journalism teacher Chris Doman. Carleton is regarded as one of the top three journalism schools in Canada. * OO 2 | Level entry, 2350 sq. ft. home, 1896 sq. ft. main floor, bonus games room on lower level, plus room for future develop- ment, professionally built, finely finished with quality prod- ucts. Located.on a large lot in a desirable district over looking the Quamican valley, two minutes to Maple Bay Marina. $179,000 Feature Homes 748-6004, evenings 748-3012 ae FEATURE HOMES === 604'74.8-6004 * * x WE SAID WHO won the boat, motor and trailer in the recent Sidney Shrine Club No. 42 raffle, but forgot to mention that the project raised $8,514.65, to be distributed to various Shrine charities, publicist Frank Wrightson said. Those to benefit include Queen Alexandra Hospital for Children, G.R. Pearkes Centre for Children, Saanich Peninsula Hospital and the B.C. Chil- dren’s Hospital. Earlier, club president Ted New- man handed the boat’s keys over to Marg Sheane. * Kx A CELEBRATION OF WILD RIVERS — Rivers Day 90, has been designated by the Outdoor Recreation Council to be held Sunday. Its purpose is to recognize the world class recreational, environmental and cultural signifi- cance of B.C.’s rivers. Community groups are encouraged to clean up local river areas and to enjoy kayaking, fishing, hiking and other activi- ties in their favorite river recreation spots. We might not have a river on the Peninsula, but we’ve got a few creeks, and they should count, too. * * * & Pacific Coast Savings Insurance Services Ltd. LOCAL — FRIENDLY | KNOWLEDGEABLE WE OFFER COMPLETE INSURANCE SERVICES Home, Life, Autoplan Commercial, Business, Liability Travel, Medical Accident & Sickness, Group Plans Travel, Medical - 2297 Beacon Avenue, Sidney 656-0928 7103 West Saanich Road, Brentwood 652-9945