Stress – What Is It?

The SaVVy Club^® is an exclusive social events club run for the professional executive. We always strive to bring you articles of interest and therefore we have invited Recovering Workaholics to contribute to our blog.

The first thing to understand is that stress in itself is not a bad thing. It is how we react to stressful situations that make the difference.

Stress can cause major health problems or in extreme cases be fatal. If you are experiencing any health problems brought on or made worse by stress or if you are feeling significantly unhappy it is extremely important that you seek professional health advice. You should always seek the advice of your medical practitioner before any significant change in diet or exercise routine.

Stress is sited as the cause of over 500,000 days of absence a year in the UK alone. It represents a huge cost in both economic and personal terms. In order to deal with it we must first understand what it is and what causes it.

Below are definitions for the word “stress.”

“Stress is a condition or feeling experienced when a person perceives that “demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.” (Attributed to Richard S Lazarus)

“Stress (roughly the opposite of relaxation) is a medical term for a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological, which can cause a physiological response called the general adaptation syndrome, first described in 1936 by Hans Selye in the journal Nature “
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_(medicine)

“An emotionally disruptive or upsetting condition occurring in response to adverse external influences and capable of affecting physical health which can be characterized by increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, muscular tension, irritability and depression.” http://www.achenet.org/resources/glossary.php

There is no doubt that people generally respond well to a challenge particularly if they are involved in creating or something they find exciting. Where those involved believe what they do matters, and they feel they have some ownership and control over their situation, there is a positive payback even when working extremely hard over long hours. We could debate whether the pressure involved in such situations constitutes stress.

Where stress is detrimental, people are often in situations where they feel they have little control, feedback is non existent or overly negative, failure, humiliation, lack of support results in the person feeling that what they do has little value or they themselves are not valued. Sustained exposure to such negative situations can have serious implications for the health and well being of the individual and ultimately for the organization as a whole.

Gina Gardiner, Recovering Workaholics, http://www.recoveringworkaholics.com

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Have you signed Mandela’s Birthday Card yet?

The SaVVy Club^®, London’s first boutique social events club invites you to support our chosen charitable causes The Mineseeker Foundation and The Sole of Africa.

The Mineseeker Foundation is dedicated to raising funds from Governments, commercial concerns and funding agencies to deploy its unique airborne mine field surveying and mapping systems and enable the eradication of land mines and, through The Sole of Africa initiative, return liberated land to food production.

The patrons of the Mineseeker Foundation and The Sole of Africa include Nelson Mandela, his wife Graca Machel, Queen Noor of Jordan, Brad Pitt, Sir Richard Branson and John Paul Dejoria.

http://www.thesoleofafrica.org.za/
http://www.mineseeker.com/

To celebrate his 90th Birthday we’re giving Nelson Mandela an e-Birthday Card and we’re asking for more people to sign it than ever before!!

Have you signed yet?

http://www.mandela90.com/

This is what other people have written !

very happy birthday)))
Submitted By: Romanchenko Elena (Female, Country: Australia on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 5:09 AM)

Happy Birthday Mr. Mandela, Through out your years of captivity you were an example of what a man could withstand in order to achieve fredom and respect. You became greater afterwards, forgiving those who imprisoned you. Freedom has no better ally.
Submitted By: Flenner Robert (Male, Country: South Africa on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 4:55 AM)

Happy Birthday, Mr Mandela! You have made us all proud to be South African.I hope you enjoy your birthday-look forward to next years celebrations!
Submitted By: Moller Sue (Female, Country: South Africa on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 4:31 AM)

Wishing you a happy birthday Mr Mandela, have one on me 🙂
Submitted By: Mansfield George (Male, Country: United Kingdom on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 4:06 AM)

Happy Birthday Mr Mandela!
Submitted By: MESARIC IVANA (Female, Country: Croatia on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 3:34 AM)

Happy birthday Madiba! I pray that you will live forever… South Africans of all colour owe you more than you will ever know. We love you.
Submitted By: Tuck Barry (Male, Country: South Africa on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 2:01 AM)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TATE MADIBA… THANX GOD FOR GIVING THE WORLD …YOU
Submitted By: THOKA PRECIOUS (Male, Country: South Africa on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 1:50 AM)

I love you President Mandela – Happy 90th Birthday!!!
Submitted By: Nalubwama Sophy (Female, Country: United States on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 1:43 AM)

Best wishes to one of the most compassionate and caring people on the planet. UBUNTU
Submitted By: Banwell Laurice (Female, Country: Australia on Tuesday, Jul 01, 2008 1:21 AM)

Have you signed yet?

http://www.mandela90.com/

The Times is asking, “what do you give the man who has everything?” Any ideas?.

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The SaVVy Club® Announces New Membership Levels

Have you heard? Due to popular demand The SaVVy Club® has announced two new membership levels.
Increasing numbers of you have been asking for a membership specially designed for those who do not live in London. After all, if you are not in London 24/7 it can sometimes be difficult to get to all the events that we offer on our London social events calendar.

We have listened and come up with two new types of membership: Out of town for those of you living 75+ miles outside of the capital and Overseas for those of you who regularly visit London but who are resident outside the UK.

Why not apply today and take advantage of these new memberships.

The SaVVy Club^® http://www.savvyclub.co.uk
(London’s first Boutique social events club offering stylish, exclusive & memorable events)

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The Good Host

If you are the host of the party and want to stipulate a dress code, by all means do. Just spare a thought for your guests. Don’t make up an innovative dress code such as ‘relaxed’ or ‘Sunday casual’ – no one will know what you mean and your guests won’t thank you. To coin a phrase from Donald Rumsfeld, stick to known knowns then everyone will understand. Start using unknown unknowns and there is no telling what will happen.

Also a word of warning if you are holding a fancy dress party – make sure the theme is clearly shown on the invitation and also that it is compulsory. There is nothing worse (or more embarrassing for your guests) if only a handful of people turn up as their favourite Super Heros whilst everyone else is dressed normally.

So there you go, we have now solved the problem of what you will be wearing on your night out. Now all you have to worry about is what you are going to do when you get there. But we have thought of everything. Claim your free guide to the 10 Rules of Socialising. Everything you need to know to mingle successfully, create a good impression and have the time of your life.

The SaVVy Club (http://www.savvyclub.co.uk) – London’s first Boutique social events club offering stylish, exclusive & memorable events

Claim your FREE London Social Events Calendar

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Instant (Summer) Polo

“Instant (Summer) Polo” is deliberately written in the style of an aide
memoire to fast-track someone unfamiliar with the game.

Game Object: to score more goals than the other Team
(NB Ends are changed after each goal, there is no offside rule)

o Biggest (300yd x 200yd) ground of any ball game (9 football pitches)
o One of the three Fastest games in the world (others are squash & ice hockey)
o Oldest (about 1000 BC in Persia) ball game in the world
o Most addictive
o First match in England: 1869 on Hounslow Heath; now over 60 Clubs in UK
o Only game where half-goals appear on the scoreboard (handicapping system)
o All Players must play right-handed for safety reasons
o Spectators are encouraged to go on the ground at half-time (treading in) – at other times keep behind the safety line, polo balls are hard and fast!

YOU WILL SEE
o 1 Timekeeper monitoring each period (chukka) of playing time; should be 7 min 30 sec, usually elapsed time is more like 15 min allowing for stoppages due to Fouls
o 2 Umpires (sometimes only 1) administer the Rules; they wear shirts like pyjama jackets and carry objects like toilet-plungers (for retrieving balls)
o 2 Goal Judges, they wave a flag to show a goal is scored
o 4 Players a Team, often numbered 1 to 4 on their backs
o 4 Chukkas a Match (usually); however a player’s handicap represents the number of goals they are worth to their team in a 6-chukka match (historical)!
o 5 virtual lines or marks parallel to the goal lines: at the centre of the ground and at 30, 40 and 60 yards from each goal line

To minimise danger and ensure fairness there are strict Rules, because of the speed of the game; both the play and the clock stop when a whistle is blown by an Umpire.

Basically, if you are following the “line of the ball” then you have “right of way” over everyone else. If that is infringed, then Penalty hits may be awarded, or the decision may be “no foul” and the ball is then “thrown in” to restart play.

You may “ride off” an opponent but may not “sandwich” them and you must not use your elbows.

Guest blogger: Roy Law, www.Soft-SpokenWords.com

© 2007-2008 Soft-Spoken Words, submitted to The SaVVy Club^®

The SaVVy Club^®: London’s first boutique social events club

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“I feel stressed”. How can my home or office be stressed?

Many people have transformed their lives by using the principles of Feng Shui to change their lives for the better with increased wealth, better health and greater happiness.

One way of starting with Feng Shui is noticing how the energy in your home affects you, how do you feel when you walk into your home, or your office, do you feel good or does it make you feel lethargic and tired, is it a place where there are a lot of arguments, do you feel as though you never have any money. Have the previous occupants in the house or office been divorced, made bankrupt or suffered from ill health (this is called predecessor chi) and history can repeat itself where occupants will keep suffering what the previous occupants did. It may even be just one area of your home or office.

These negative energies can be caused by the earth energy fields being disturbed and traumatised and this is called GEOPATHIC STRESS.

You might wonder what is Geopathic Stress, how can my home or office be stressed, “I feel stressed” – is this how my home/office energies feel. Geopathic Stress can be caused by a number of factors these can be disturbances with renovations to your home or office, building work, underground railway, railway lines, mental hospital site a war zone anywhere where the earth’s energy has been traumatised will have an effect on the buildings that we live and work in and thus will cause problems for the occupants.

It is possible to harmonise these energies by working on the earth’s energy grids and meridians. Many people have found that once the energies have been harmonised then their ill health, with cancer, diabetes, gallstones, all the bad luck with bankruptcy and divorce from previous occupants energy is not a problem.

The Chinese believe that if you respect your ancestors and bury them on a good site with good earth energies then they will be fortunate in this life in every aspect. This makes good sense when you take into consideration the land formations as traditionally there was a mountain at the back of their home and a river or a road in the front of the house with low mountains to one side and high mountains to the other and the good site would be centred.

You will hear many people say “It was only when we moved house/office that our luck changed” and they find themselves getting divorced when they were previously happy, they have succumbed to ill health with cancer or become bankrupt and before they moved they where quite successful, healthy and happily married. It is always worthwhile having a Feng Shui consultant survey your new home before you move in to check that it would be a good place for you to move to.

Guest blogger: Vicky Sweetlove, Feng Shui Life www.fengshuilife.co.uk

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What will you be wearing to Royal Ascot?

The social event season has started. Summer means that we can hope for sun, attend as many social occasions as possible and in that truly British spirit, celebrate come rain or shine.

Simple moments like watching the eights with a glass of Pimms and waving my flag high on the last night of the proms have made summers full of magic. As we move from Glastonbury to Wimbledon to Ascot to The Henley Regatta to Goodwood and to what for me is the finale, the last night of the Proms we go through as many outfits as we do bowls of strawberries and cream and that’s not adding the wedding invites.

Many of us get as excited about what we are wearing to the event as much as attending and why not it is a chance to shine. So how do we shine? When you’re thinking about your outfit think about bringing yourself to the party or which part of yourself you want to bring. As many of the social events have dress codes you may want to tone down parts.

A great way of doing this is to focus on how you want to be seen. Ask yourself what colours mean to you and why? Is pink romantic? Is red sexy to you? Is yellow fun and care free? Once you decide what colours do for you pick how you want to come across and try to include this into your outfit and you will feel that way. This can be the colour of the outfit, the make up or accessories. If you do this you should not end up all in black which for summer is a crime. It is a guarantee that there will be enough people wearing black to hide amongst the crowd. Even if you team a black dress with a bright eye shadow like Mac in lucky jade you will be sure to be celebrating a part of you and showing everyone who you are.

Being unique is what we all are and the look on the faces of two people wearing the same dress shows just how much we hate to be clouded by somebody else but it needn’t be this way.

If you are looking for the perfect dress for you then look out for designers that make made to measure. Your body shape is as unique as you are so why not invest in an outfit made for you. Simone Williams makes a fantastic range that take two weeks to deliver. If you buy vintage you can be sure there will be no copy cats but do not compromise on fit, have your seamstress alter it for you if need be.

To be truly original and one step ahead of everybody else, keep an eye out for up and coming new designers like HEMYCA and prove you are in the know.

In truth you can always avoid the awkward moment of somebody else wearing the same outfit by making it your look. Own the dress by defining how you wear it. Nobody can copy the vintage brooch you are wearing with it, the hat or the beautiful make up in perhaps a clashing colour that they hadn’t thought of. If you have time go in with your outfit to get your make up done, MAC, Shu Uemura or Daniel Sandler at Harrods all provide makeovers that will give your look the edge. If you make fashion your look then this season’s off the shoulder dress or pretty florals will look like they belong to you and nobody else. Think about your look as much as your outfit and will encapsulate the essence of you that nobody else can copy.

Guest Blogger: Nina Edwards.
Be unique at The Look Boutique the home of New Designers

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Top Tips for a Stress Free Dinner Party

Social events can come in many guises – from the extravagant VIP experience at Glyndebourne to the more intimate and personal dinner party. A quiet evening at home entertaining those we hold most near and dear can be one of the most enjoyable entries in our social calendars.

However there is a slight snag with these evenings of sociable conversation – there is no one to do the organising for us. I don’t know about you, but I always thought a stress free dinner party was a mythical entity. It is something that everyone else seems able to achieve, but not me. No matter how prepared I am something always goes wrong sending my stress levels into orbit.

However help is at hand. After a bit of research I have come up with a few pointers that will ensure that the cook enjoys the evening as much as the guests. By following these simple tips you will be able to entertain with confidence and style.

Keep it simple

We all want to be the perfect hostess or host. But is it necessary? If you are stressed your guests will be stressed and that will lead to an evening of tense conversation and everyone leaving at the earliest opportunity.

Keep the dinner party informal. Forget gourmet catering and smart dress codes, if you want relaxed guests go for an informal, comfortable format.

Plan it!

No one can conjure up a dinner party without planning. Prepare as much as you can in advance. Go for soup or a cold starter that can be made earlier in the day (or even the day before), you could do the same with the desert. Don’t forget to plan what you are going to wear and make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get ready.

Eeny, meeny, miny, mo

The guest list; think carefully about how many people you are going to invite. Eight people is manageable, any more than that and your stress levels are likely to go through the roof. Choose people who will compliment each other, this will help the conversation flow and help create a sociable atmosphere.

Fake is good

Many people seem to be under the misconception that having a dinner party means that everything has to be made from scratch. Of course it doesn’t! We all lead busy lives and don’t have the time to spend all day slaving away in the kitchen (even if we wanted to). There is absolutely nothing wrong with using pre-made pastry, sauces, frozen vegetables or even entirely pre-prepared courses. Your guests accepted your invitation because they want to spend time with you! So get out of the kitchen and enjoy their company rather than the cooker’s.

No food mountains please

This is when it is good to remember the old adage ‘it’s the quality that counts not the quantity’. Don’t go overboard on the number of courses – a few well prepared dishes will go down a lot better than a vast array of thrown together ones.

Your guests don’t want to be uncomfortably stuffed by the end of the evening. Go for three well prepared and presented courses. Whatever you do, choose simple dishes. It is very tempting to reach for that new gourmet cookery book you bought in the sales and find the most complicated menu imaginable. Simple dishes with simple flavours made with good ingredients will impress more.

Everyone makes mistakes

Even the best trained chefs in the world have off days. If you have a minor (or major) calamity, don’t panic. If you don’t tell your guests about it, they won’t know. If it’s a mistake that can’t be hidden, laugh it off. I can assure you it will lead to a new strand in the conversation as all manner of dinner party confessions come out of the woodwork. (Remember Bridget Jones’s blue soup?)

Ah, didn’t I tell you?

Your table is set, your guests have arrived. While you lay out the starters your partner is topping up everyone’s glass. After one last quick glance to make sure everything is perfect you call your guests through. As they take their seats and look at the wonderful dish before them you hear a nervous cough followed by ‘Ah, sorry, I forgot to mention. I’m a vegetarian now.’ ARGH!!!

Don’t leave anything to chance. When inviting your guests ask if they have any particular likes, dislikes or allergies it will save a lot of blushes later.

Ta-Daaa

As my old Home Economics teacher always said, it’s all in the presentation. A clean table cloth, your best cutlery and tableware will show your guests that you value their company. Use fresh flowers to enhance the table. Be relaxed about the seating; allow your guests to decide where they want to sit.

Well, there you have it, a few simple points to remember when you plan your next dinner party. Now all you need to do is grab your diary, find a suitable date and invite your friends. Shall we say next Saturday at 8pm? Lovely; looking forward to it.

Sally Ormond
The Editor, www.savvyclub.co.uk

The SaVVy Club – London’s first Boutique Events Club where members experience VIP Social Events unavailable elsewhere.

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21 Tips for a better life

How many times have you caught yourself thinking there has to be more to life than this? Our lives just seem to be getting busier and busier as we try to cram more into our daily routines. We, as a nation, are working longer hours leaving little time for ourselves and our families. The SaVVy Club® can help by providing you with a pre-organised social calendar to die for but that only takes care of one aspect of your life.

So how can we address the balance? How can we start to try and live a ‘better’ life? I’m not suggesting that there is one magic formula that will work for everyone. We are all individuals and what rocks one person’s boat is probably likely to sink another’s, but there are things that we can all do to try and make our lives better, healthier and more enjoyable.

Here is a list of 21 things we could all do to create a better life. Why not give it a try – what have you got to lose?

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day

This should be an easy one. Get off the tube one stop earlier, park a bit further away from the office or walk to the sandwich shop at lunchtime rather than get it delivered. While you are walking, smile – it is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day

Give yourself a bit of space. Take the phone off the hook and lock your door. The world won’t fall apart without you for 10 minutes. Just relax and give yourself a bit of time to unwind and refocus on what is really important in life.

3. “My purpose is to ____________ today”
Try saying this to yourself when you wake up in the morning. You’ll be amazed at the effect it has on your day.

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants

A healthy diet is something that we could all do with. Eat more natural produce rather than food that is manufactured. After all a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.

5. Drink

Now don’t get all excited. I’m not talking about propping up your local bar all day. Drink plenty of water or green tea. A well hydrated body is a happy body.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day

No need to don a silly costume or hit yourself with a plastic cup, smile at someone, make them feel good and they will smile back.

7. Don’t waste precious energy

Use your energy wisely. Don’t waste it gossiping (although a casual chat with colleagues can do wonders), dwelling on the past, negative thoughts or things you can’t control.

8. Eat well

That doesn’t mean take a three hour lunch break and return to the office legless. Start your day off well with a breakfast fit for a king. Eat lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out credit card.

9. Life is too short to waste time hating someone

I think this is self-explanatory. Hatred will consume you. Live and let live.

10. Don’t take yourself too seriously

You can be sure no one else will! We all make mistakes so when you make your next blooper (and you will) learn from it and move on, don’t beat yourself up over it.

11. You don’t have to win every argument

No one likes to lose but sometimes no one can win. We are all individuals with our own opinions. Don’t try and bully someone into converting to your views it will just create animosity. Agree to disagree.

12. Make peace with your past

Don’t let past events spoil the now. Draw a line under what has gone on before. You can’t change the past so don’t let it change your future.

13. Don’t compare your life to that of others

Be happy with what you have – you have created it. We all know the saying that the grass is always greener on the other side, but looks can be deceptive (how many clichés can I get into this one?). You have no idea what their life journey is about.

14. No one is in charge of your happiness except you

Only you can make the changes you need to create a happier and more fulfilling life. So what are you waiting for?

15. “In five years, will this matter?”
Ask yourself that whenever things go wrong. If the answer is ‘no’, don’t worry about it. If the answer is ‘yes’, do something about it.

16. What other people think of you is none of your business

This is probably one of the hardest to learn. But you can waste so much energy worrying about it and does it really matter in the great scheme of things? No.

17. However good or bad a situation is, it will change

Time marches on whether we like it or not. Take comfort that the bad times will pass and that the good times will stay with us in our hearts forever.

18. Your friends are key

You work all hours being the best you can possibly be at your job. But what happens when you are sick? Your job won’t be there to look after you, but your friends will. Keep in touch, don’t let work pressures push your friends away.

19. Envy is a waste of time

Why hanker after what you don’t have? If it was that vital that you had it, you would have.

20. “I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished__________”

No day is a wasted day. You may not feel as though you have achieved much but you would be surprised at what you have accomplished. You may not have closed an important deal but you may have made someone smile. Before you go to sleep at night say it out loud and sleep peacefully knowing you have made a difference.

21. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed

No more words are needed.

www.savvyclub.co.uk – London’s first Boutique social events club offering stylish, exclusive & memorable events

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Do you have a wish list?

Do you have a wish list? A series of things that you feel you must do or experience in your life time? Many people just don’t have the time to make their dreams and desires happen, and that was one of the driving forces behind the creation of The SaVVy Club^®. I believe in living life to the full and making every moment count; life is too short not to.  I One never knows what is lurking around the corner, which is why it’s important to seize opportunities when they happen.  When my time comes, I don’t want to have any regrets.

Here’s my wish list – my top 20 life goals:

1. Visit at least five of the Seven Wonders of the World – so far I’ve only been to Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal.
2. After learning about the death of Charlton Heston recently, I want to watch the top 50 Academy award winning movies.  
3. Experience the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights)
4. Sponsor the education of a child in the 3^rd world
5. Take a hot air balloon ride (and drink champagne) over the Serengeti
6. Fly to the moon and experience weightlessness  
7. Experience the Rio Carnival
8. Send my husband the message ‘I love you’ by skywriting
9. Win the National Lottery Rollover whilst I’m still relatively young and able to enjoy it
10. Follow in the footsteps of my late godmother, Roshan Sadri by starting my own Charity to help disadvantaged children.
11. Learn to cook ‘real’ food like Delia Smith
12. Experience giving birth and breast feeding
13. Save someone’s life by mouth to mouth resuscitation
14. Find a long lost friend called ‘Lorraine Miller’, who used to live in Naphill.
15. Expand The SaVVy Club^® into every continent around the world
16. Organise a memorable social event for The Royal Family
17. Discover a new gem stone and name it “kimite” (after myself, of course)
18. Meet and shake hands with Nelson Mandela
19. Win an award for innovation
20. Organise a massive party to celebrate my 50^th wedding anniversary

In the spirit of tagging, I tag these people to tell us what their top life goals are:

 

Thomas Power 

Andy Lopata  

Bill Morrow   

Oli Barratt     

Ijaz Tareen       

 

 

 

Written by Kim Rix – CEO – www.savvyclub.co.uk    London Social Events Club – The SaVVy Club^® is London’s First Boutique Events Club offering Stylish, Exclusive, Memorable Events for professional individuals.

 

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