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Artscene 15 · Wednesday, January 30, 2013 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Get roses with your flower paintings Abbozzo Gallery has brought back one of its favourite annual exhibits. Flowers that Last is on now at the Oakville gallery and runs until Feb. 23. During this time of winter, the gallery is offering people its spring-like atmosphere with the flower exhibit. Unlike real flowers, a flower painting can last forever, which the gallery says can make a great Valentine's Day gift. Furthermore, as the exhibit runs around the time of Valentine's Day, the gallery is offering a gift certificate for a dozen roses with every art purchase of $200 or more. The gift certificate is for House of Flowers in downtown Oakville. The gallery is located at 179 Lakeshore Rd. E. For more information, visit www.abbozzogallery. com. riziero vertolli / oakville beaver / @halton_Photog happy at work: Oakville's Dr. David Posen published his fourth stress management book, titled Is Work Killing You?; this one specifically dealing with Is work killing you? This doctor thinks so By Dominik Kurek OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF At 70-years-old, Oakville's Dr. David Posen could have retired years ago, but he has no desire to call it quits anytime soon. In what is now his third career, the doctor is having the time of his life. However, spending the last 30 years as a stress management counselor, he's all too well aware that such on-the-job enjoyment is hard to come by. "I've been self-employed for the last 40 years, so I have a lot of control of my life, in terms of my work hours, my work activities and there's no question that has been a huge plus for me," Posen said, calling himself a spry 70 year old. The married father of two grown children worked as a general practitioner and had a family practice in Oakville for 14 years. In 1985, he gave up the practice to specialize in stress management, lifestyle counseling and psychotherapy, opening up a practice in Oakville. Soon after that, his work made a turn once again. Along with counseling, Posen began public speaking and work, and workplace abuse. writing books for what he calls his "It's a book of advocacy," Posen third career. Today, he still sees said. "I'm talking to the leaders of patients on two mornings of the the workplace ­ managers, execuweek, but most tives, CEOs, of his time and "I think in many cases, peoowners and so energy is spent ple running the companies on ­ to say this at speaking don't even realize the human is what's hapengagements, cost, as well as the financial pening to the such as at day- cost. I'm making a business people that work long seminars, for you and you case in this book as well as a and writing. need to do someHe has just case for good health and thing about this, published his common sense." not just expect fourth book on them to figure stress manage- Dr. David Posen, author out how to hanment. This book, Is Work Killing You? dle their own titled Is Work stress." Killing You? A Doctor's Prescription Posen said workplace stress for Treating Workplace Stress, is costs close to $50 billion per year in specifically about workplace stress Canada and $300 billion in the U.S. and his advice on treating it. in healthcare costs and lost produc"The fourth book is not just tivity. This accounts for absenteeabout how to cope with workplace ism, mistakes, workers' lack of stress, but what the workplace engagement and effort, medical needs to do to stop making people insurance costs, healthcare costs, sick," he said. turnover and more. Is Work Killing You? examines "It's huge and the problem is the system that generates the stress that, I think in many cases, people and focuses on three areas: the running the companies don't even volume of work, the velocity of realize the human cost, as well as the financial cost," he said. "I'm making a business case in this book as well as a case for good health and common sense." Posen takes shots at companies that have taken downsizing too far, saying this is a big part of the problem that has increased workplace stress. With stress, Posen said, efficiency decreases. "Downsizing has been taken too far. Companies are cutting headcount to such an extent that people are having to work longer, they're having to peddle harder and faster because the speed of the workplace is speeding up, and then there's all this pressure on people," he said. Stress can be good. Just like with athletes, people in the workplace need a certain amount of stress to bring out the best in them. However, too much stress has the opposite effect. "If there's too much stress, they can't think straight, they start to choke, and so on," he said. "The stress levels have gotten so high that people are actually producing See Workplace page 16 workplace stress. The book is available at major bookstores and online. New chapter for mother Oakville's Donna Kirk has published a book about the love she and her husband share for their child Matthew. Finding Matthew was released in late 2012. The book is about Matthew, who was born with brain damage as a result of oxygen deprivation during delivery. Doctors advised his parents they should put him in an institution, have another child and move on. They didn't. Matthew was their life. He grew up, surprised everyone and created joy and love for those who gathered around him to help him through his physical and mental struggles. The book was printed by BPS Books. It's available at www. amazon.ca.