RetroRadio – Ross Clifford

RetroRadio is a series of posts of radio interviews from my time working at 98five Sonshine FM covering everything from issues of spirituality to chats with visiting musicians and celebrities.

Hopefully, the interviews spark a few memories and a few thoughts.

I’m going back to November 2012 today with one of my regular guests on-air from that time, Rev Dr Ross Clifford. Back then we chatted about how Christmas has become a deadline rather than a celebration, an opportunity for friends and family to get together, a time to think about the first Christmas and the greatest gift of all.


I thought this discussion would be particularly relelvant at this time of year. You can hear our discussion using the media player at the bottom of this post.

Get it Finished

We have to have so much finished ‘before Christmas’. We want carpets laid, walls painted, projects finished, buildings built and so much more all before the 25th of December.

Buy Now!

Retailers tell us we must order now for delivery before Christmas, which I can understand to some degree if it’s something you want as a gift, but most of the time they’re just using the mention of Christmas to add urgency to their sales pitch.

Work Stress

Tradesmen are pushed to complete tasks that really have no relation to Christmas. Whether they’re completed before or after any particular date doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things but those paying the bills want their projects all sewn up before the big day. Many workers are feeling the pressure to get the job done before Christmas.

Self-Induced Stress

Then there’s the pressure we put on ourselves. We must ensure that everything’s perfect for the big day. We turn ourselves inside out to make sure that we’re ready for those who will share Christmas Day with us. Gifts, food, decorations, drinks, the list goes on. It’s really no wonder that the ‘Joy of Christmas’ has given way to the stress of what’s become known as the silly season.

Slow Down – You Move Too Fast

So, have you felt the stress rising already? Have you ever stopped to ask whether the deadline you’ve given yourself is just a false deadline? Will it make any difference at all if it happens after Christmas?

Is Christmas a restful or stressful time for you? What plans are you putting in place this year to ensure that you actually enjoy Christmas instead of racing at warp speed until you collapse in a heap on the 26th of December?

[Note: All RetroRadio interviews on RodneyOlsen.net are a snapshot of the time they were recorded. We all grow and change and so the opinions and thoughts of those in the interviews at the time of recording may or may not necessarily be the same as they are today.]



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Who will you ask today?

RUOK logo

It’s heart breaking to think that some people believe that death by their own hand is a better alternative than continuing to live.

Losing someone to suicide is such a devastating experience. There’s no chance to talk things through and work towards a solution. It’s an event that fills the rest of your life with so many ‘what if’ questions.

R U OK? is doing something about the tragedy of suicide. They believe that something as simple as a conversation can make a world of difference. That means that you and I can do something that may save someone’s life.

We know that suicide prevention is an enormously complex and sensitive challenge the world over. But we also know that some of the world’s smartest people have been working tirelessly and developed credible theories that suggest there’s power in that simplest of questions – “Are you ok?”

Today, Thursday the 11th of September, has been named R U OK? Day for 2014. It’s a day that reminds us to stay connected to those around us and to make sure that those we love are doing OK in the journey of life.

We want to stop little problems becoming bigger by encouraging all people to help each other through life’s ups and downs. We all experience relationship problems, financial difficulties, stress, illness and death and we can all benefit from the support of those around us.

While R U OK? Day is an Australian initiative, suicide is a world wide tragedy. Who will you reconnect with today? Who needs you to ask if they’re OK today?

While R U OK? Day is today, let’s not only ask people if they’re OK today. Let’s make sure we’re caring for those close to us all year round.

If you are suffering any kind of emotional distress and you feel that you need help, R U OK? Day has resources available to help.

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Commuting Driving Up Stress

I was very interested to see the front page story in today’s copy of our local newspaper, The West Australian. While it’s talking about a local issue I’m sure that it’s one that people can relate to in cities right around the world.

According to the story Commuters suffering traffic stress, three quarters of Perth commuters are getting stressed out during their daily drive to work.

I couldn’t put myself through that day after day. I very rarely get caught in peak hour traffic and I hate it. Having to do that ten times a week, five times to work, five times home, would convince me it’s time to make a change.

Three out of four Perth commuters become stressed and frustrated during their daily drive to work, with most blaming rude and aggressive drivers and stop-start traffic.

A major survey of commuters across Australia, to be released today, also found that Perth commuters were the highest users of private vehicles in the country.

Seventy per cent of Perth commuters opted to drive their car to and from work.

The details come from a major survey of commuters across Australia. It also seems that Perth commuters are the highest users of private vehicles in the country with 70% of Perth commuters choosing to drive their cars to and from work.

Perth commutes are generally shorter than in other Australian cities but we’re still getting stressed.

It found that 97 per cent of Perth drivers spent less than an hour commuting to work, with an average one-way trip of 27 minutes – the lowest in the nation.

Yet 73 per cent said they experienced stress during their daily commute, with 28 per cent saying it had a negative impact on their health.

It’s interesting to see that in a related story, Workers dodge freeway frustration, The West is highlighting cycling as a way to beat the traffic blues.

With the amazing conditions we have in Perth I’m surprised that more people haven’t switched to two wheels. One of the highlights of my day is zooming along the freeway bike path while people sit stuck in traffic. It’s not that I delight in seeing people experiencing the stress of peak hour traffic, it’s more that I know that what I’m doing is actively driving my own stress levels down. Well, that and the fact that I’m having an enormous amount of fun every morning.

How’s your daily commute? Do you feel stressed as head to work and home each day? Would you consider cycling to work? What would it take for you to make the switch?

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Balancing work and play

stress.jpgDo you head back to work on Monday morning to get a bit of rest? Our society seems to have turned our weekends into non-stop action.

The two days that are meant to help us get back into balance seem to have become all about activity. We rush around between sporting activities for children, heading out for a spot of shopping, meetings, catching up with friends, catching up on the work we didn’t finish last week, jobs around the house, maintaining the garden. By Sunday evening we collapse in front of the television and try to stay awake long enough to see the end of the programme that we’re watching. Sound familiar?

Once we’re back at work the activity remains frantic. News.com.au is reporting on a recent survey suggesting Aussies’ stress is all work and no play.

NEARLY nine out of 10 Australians are feeling stressed and most blame work for the way they feel, a new poll shows.

Finances, health and personal relationships were also stress factors, a Newspoll commissioned by Lifeline Australia revealed.

I find it interesting that people are mostly blaming work for their stress. I tend to think that we can handle a lot of pressure in our work and private lives if we make sure that we have time out to look after ourselves physically, mentally, socially and spirituality. When we fill our downtime with frantic activity we lose the opportunity to recharge and the pressure becomes stress, which left unaddressed can lead to all kinds of health and relationship issues.

We certainly had a busy weekend but we did have times to relax as a family and with friends. I managed to wind down pretty well last night too. I sat in front of the heater with a glass of red, reading a good book until it was time to head off to bed.

How about you? Do you find time on the weekend to wind down or is it all about frantic activitiy for you?

Maybe it’s time we all took the time to change a few priorities.

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Ice Cream Therapy

ice_cream_cone.gifHow was your weekend? It was a rather relaxing weekend for our family.

We took advantage of Perth’s beautiful weather yesterday afternoon to take a drive into the Swan Valley for ice cream at Oggies. Very nice.

I’m a bit predictable when it comes to choosing flavours. If an ice cream shop is offering macadamia ice cream that’s what I’ll usually end up buying.

It was a very relaxing way to spend some of the day. It’s amazing how much stress is released through the simple act of eating an ice cream cone.

I think that eating ice cream cones should be a recognised therapy and that we should get a rebate from our health insurance company every time we buy one.

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