April 6, 2009 issue
This column’s under pressure
By Jim BishopStress — a single word that can pack a punch, rendering us weak and powerless.
Jim Bishop is public information officer at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.
However one defines and experiences it, stress too easily becomes a handy scapegoat for much that ails us.
It seemed an appropriate, timely topic for an in-service workshop recently at my workplace, Eastern Mennonite University.
The input person, Jan Jenner, spoke from experience as director of the Practice and Training Institute of the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at EMU.
She identified five stressors, especially in the midst of wobbly economic structures:
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Trying to do too much.
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Worrying about retirement funds rapidly dissipating.
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Other peoples’ lack of planning that is “dumped” on me.
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Physical/wellness concerns.
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Being “technically challenged” — especially rough on those like me who spent many years in the age of manual typewriters and vinyl records.
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