Hi everybody,

I hope that this blog entry is finally the start of me getting back on track with the degree work that I have so badly neglected recently after having a rather dramatic and hectic start to my new season at work. After speaking briefly to Paula the other day she encouraged me to get back on my blog and it feels good to write on it again and get back in touch with you all.

I'm actually a little bit stuck at the moment and looking for a bit of guidance on how I should word some of my interview questions. I have actually written them all already and gained consent from my participants so I should feel ready to start, but for some reason I'm just not sure if I am happy with constantly repeating the phrase 'nerves and stress'.

My project is aiming to find out why dancers get nervous and feel stressed before rehearsals and performances and what can be done to help them cope with it. However, even though 'nerves' and 'stress' can be closely linked with eachother, they are also quite different issues and I am worried that my interviewees will either decide to focus on one or the other when answering my questions. I was wondering if it would be easier to have a single, more inclusive term like 'emotional stress'. Do you think this would work, or is it too broad a term and I should just stick with what I had before?

Any suggestions or new ideas are very welcome!!

Hope everyone is getting on ok and not too stressed just yet!

Laura