 |  |  |  |  |
Tea Time Turns to Tee Time
It wasn't too long ago that men were the only golf
enthusiasts hitting the links. However, women have
been breaking down the barriers of all-boys sports
clubs lately (think auto racer Danica Patrick or boxer
Laila Ali), and golf is no exception.
In recent years, research conducted by the PGA,
National Golf Foundation, Executive Women's Golf
Association, and other groups indicates an increase
in the number of women playing golf and an increase
in the amount of money they spend on the game,
merchandise and lessons. In fact, this research
shows that women represent the most significant
opportunity for growth in the industry.
Golf not only presents a way for women to use golf
to their advantage in the business world, but many
women are finding that golf outings are the perfect
way to spend social time with their friends, too.
Whether it's just for a weekend or a week, women
are breaking away from the hectic pace of jobs and
families and recharging their batteries with
golf-centered getaways with their girlfriends.
It wasn't too long ago that men were the only golf
enthusiasts hitting the links. However, women have
been breaking down the barriers of all-boys sports
clubs lately (think auto racer Danica Patrick or boxer
Laila Ali), and golf is no exception.
In recent years, research conducted by the PGA,
National Golf Foundation, Executive Women's Golf
Association, and other groups indicates an increase
in the number of women playing golf and an increase
in the amount of money they spend on the game,
merchandise and lessons. In fact, this research
shows that women represent the most significant
opportunity for growth in the industry.
Golf not only presents a way for women to use golf
to their advantage in the business world, but many
women are finding that golf outings are the perfect
way to spend social time with their friends, too.
Whether it's just for a weekend or a week, women
are breaking away from the hectic pace of jobs and
families and recharging their batteries with
golf-centered getaways with their girlfriends.
Ways to Balance Work and
Life
For many people, work dominates life. Long
hours and high stress may be a part of the
scenario, but one that most feel comes with
the territory of a demanding career that
enables them to pay their bills and feed their
families.
While that's an understandable concession to
make, for many it's coming at a steep physical
price. In a recent survey from Yale
University, 29 percent of workers reported
feeling "quite a bit or extremely stressed at
work." When considering there are roughly
146 million workers across the country, that
translates to around 40 million stressed out
people. That's a sobering statistic, especially
when uncontrolled stress greatly increases
one's risk for heart disease and can weaken the
body's immune system, leaving a person more
susceptible to other ailments as well.
For the 40 million workers across the country
feeling overly stressed, reducing stress is not a
question of if it can be done, but how it can be
done. For most people, reducing stress can be
as simple as finding a better way to balance
work and life.
* Determine your priorities: It's easy to get
trapped in the hustle and bustle of everyday
life. But what's the point of that hustle and
bustle if you can't enjoy the things that matter
most? While a life of leisure is probably not
realistic until you retire, make a list of what
your priorities truly are. A key element is
determining what your current priorities are
versus what you feel they should be. If you're
working longer hours to pay for luxury items
you don't need, chances are that's costing you
time with your family. But when writing
down your priorities, you'd almost certainly
list family ahead of material things. So once
you've reorganized those priorities, you can
begin to positively change your behaviors so
you're spending more time doing what matters
most to you.
* Examine your daily routine: Many of us are
stretched for time, and that only increases our
stress levels. While you can't create a 25th or
26th hour in the day, you can look at your
daily routine and probably find a commitment
or two that you can drop that will give you
more time and reduce your stress. While it can
be tough to detach yourself from some of
these commitments, remember the negative
and potentially lethal consequences of stress.
Once you have extra time, you can always
volunteer your time. Volunteer opportunities
are often noncommittal, so you won't be
stretching yourself too thin.
* Approach personal time like you do your
job: Lots of people are skeptical about calling
out sick from work. However, those same
people typically aren't averse to cancelling
personal plans outside of the office. Personal
time, whether on a boat fishing, exercising at
the gym or spending time with the kids, is a
big part of reducing stress. Approach your
personal time like you do your job, and don't
be quick to place personal time a distant
second behind work. Balancing work and life
involves putting a proper emphasis on work
and life, so value that time as much as you
would your time at work.
* Accept others' help: For those whose
professional lives include constant decision
making, it can be tough to accept others' help.
However, relying on someone else is
necessary for reducing stress. This can include
your spouse as well as a business partner or
coworker. As much as you might be capable
of handling everything when push comes to
shove, it's very unhealthy, and often
unnecessary, to go it alone. Accept the help
of others and watch as your quality of life
improves.
Life
For many people, work dominates life. Long
hours and high stress may be a part of the
scenario, but one that most feel comes with
the territory of a demanding career that
enables them to pay their bills and feed their
families.
While that's an understandable concession to
make, for many it's coming at a steep physical
price. In a recent survey from Yale
University, 29 percent of workers reported
feeling "quite a bit or extremely stressed at
work." When considering there are roughly
146 million workers across the country, that
translates to around 40 million stressed out
people. That's a sobering statistic, especially
when uncontrolled stress greatly increases
one's risk for heart disease and can weaken the
body's immune system, leaving a person more
susceptible to other ailments as well.
For the 40 million workers across the country
feeling overly stressed, reducing stress is not a
question of if it can be done, but how it can be
done. For most people, reducing stress can be
as simple as finding a better way to balance
work and life.
* Determine your priorities: It's easy to get
trapped in the hustle and bustle of everyday
life. But what's the point of that hustle and
bustle if you can't enjoy the things that matter
most? While a life of leisure is probably not
realistic until you retire, make a list of what
your priorities truly are. A key element is
determining what your current priorities are
versus what you feel they should be. If you're
working longer hours to pay for luxury items
you don't need, chances are that's costing you
time with your family. But when writing
down your priorities, you'd almost certainly
list family ahead of material things. So once
you've reorganized those priorities, you can
begin to positively change your behaviors so
you're spending more time doing what matters
most to you.
* Examine your daily routine: Many of us are
stretched for time, and that only increases our
stress levels. While you can't create a 25th or
26th hour in the day, you can look at your
daily routine and probably find a commitment
or two that you can drop that will give you
more time and reduce your stress. While it can
be tough to detach yourself from some of
these commitments, remember the negative
and potentially lethal consequences of stress.
Once you have extra time, you can always
volunteer your time. Volunteer opportunities
are often noncommittal, so you won't be
stretching yourself too thin.
* Approach personal time like you do your
job: Lots of people are skeptical about calling
out sick from work. However, those same
people typically aren't averse to cancelling
personal plans outside of the office. Personal
time, whether on a boat fishing, exercising at
the gym or spending time with the kids, is a
big part of reducing stress. Approach your
personal time like you do your job, and don't
be quick to place personal time a distant
second behind work. Balancing work and life
involves putting a proper emphasis on work
and life, so value that time as much as you
would your time at work.
* Accept others' help: For those whose
professional lives include constant decision
making, it can be tough to accept others' help.
However, relying on someone else is
necessary for reducing stress. This can include
your spouse as well as a business partner or
coworker. As much as you might be capable
of handling everything when push comes to
shove, it's very unhealthy, and often
unnecessary, to go it alone. Accept the help
of others and watch as your quality of life
improves.
TIME - OUT
SUGGESTIONS:
Wake up 1/2 hour to 1 hour before everyone
else in the house and spend that time on ...
* catching up on things from the day or week
before
* create your "list of things to do" for the day
* Take a bubble bath or extra long shower
* Start the day with a morning facial
* Take a walk or exercise
* Start some housework or laundry - leave
more time
to spend after work hours or on the weekend
* Check your email or spend time reading
your favorite
website ... without interruptions
* Catch up on reading material
Get organized! Most people that spend a
little extra time on their organization skills -
home or work - reduce their every day stress
level. Keep a personal calendar of things to do
- and budget time each day for yourself.
SUGGESTIONS:
Wake up 1/2 hour to 1 hour before everyone
else in the house and spend that time on ...
* catching up on things from the day or week
before
* create your "list of things to do" for the day
* Take a bubble bath or extra long shower
* Start the day with a morning facial
* Take a walk or exercise
* Start some housework or laundry - leave
more time
to spend after work hours or on the weekend
* Check your email or spend time reading
your favorite
website ... without interruptions
* Catch up on reading material
Get organized! Most people that spend a
little extra time on their organization skills -
home or work - reduce their every day stress
level. Keep a personal calendar of things to do
- and budget time each day for yourself.
| A site for Moms in Luzerne & Wyoming Counties | Pennsylvania |
Moms2Moms
| P.O. Box 430 | Dallas, PA 18612 | Telephone: (570) 674-7772 Fax: (570) 675-3850 A product of the Back Mountain Community News |
Copyright 2010 | 2011 All rights reserved.
Information on this site may not be reproduced
without prior written consent.
Information on this site may not be reproduced
without prior written consent.
