More things to do, people to see, and places to go. These things might be fun, but they also can be stressful. To make this holiday season a happy and peaceful one, look for healthy ways to manage stress.
Reasonable Expectations
The media often portray the holiday season as trouble free, twinkly, and festive. But family problems may escalate when the season arrives. The reality of the holidays, much like life, is that real people and families are not perfect. If you can change your expectations just a bit so you don’t expect holidays to be like the movies, you may have a more enjoyable experience.
Do your best to stick to your regular family routine.
Changing your schedule to fit in holiday activities and traveling can be tough on you and your kids, so try to keep things as normal as possible. Try to keep bedtimes and mealtimes the same even when you’re away from home. Talk with your family about schedules. Take time to explain each day’s activities to your children and let them know what you expect from them.
Choose activities that you really want to do.
You can't do everything, so you might let your children pick their favorite things for your family to do. Do the things that you all will enjoy the most, and then say “no” to extra activities.
Talk with your family about finances.
Even young children can learn how to budget for gifts. Urge them to get creative and make presents for family members instead of buying them. Receiving a thoughtful gift from a child can be a memorable holiday moment that lasts a lifetime. Many families concentrate on special things they can make or do for each other. Try it!
Take Time to Relax
It is important to take time to relax this holiday season. Here are a few ways to cope with holiday stress:
Plan quiet time or at least downtime from activities.
Take a few moments to read a book, take a bubble bath, or sit down and listen to your favorite songs.
You also may want to:
· Play a board game with your family.
· Go for a walk with your family to see holiday displays in your neighborhood.
· Join your kids for fun family exercise. If you choose something outdoors, the fresh air and exercise can lift your spirits.
· Settle down for story time with your family. Pull out holiday stories that you loved as a child and read them aloud together.
· Use time spent standing in lines or sitting in traffic to take a stretch break and loosen those tense muscles. Here are some simple stretch moves:
Neck stretches: Tilt your head toward each shoulder. Turn your head from side to side and look over your shoulder. Be sure to keep your head aligned, and do not stick your neck out. Shoulder
stretches: Shrug your shoulders and then relax them. Roll your shoulders forward and backward. Gently shake your shoulders.
Get Giving—Volunteer at a Local Charity
Carving out a few hours to volunteer at a charity might seem impossible, but giving your time and energy may help you find the spirit of the season. Stuck for ideas? You and your family might help wrap gifts for needy children, deliver meals to families in need, or visit residents in a local nursing home.
Just Do Your Best
As you enjoy the holiday season, do your best to limit stress. Don’t expect everything to go as planned. Your child may get sick during the holiday, the oven might break as you are cooking a special dinner, or a storm may prevent relatives from visiting. When these things happen, let the family help decide on a new plan. For example, if the electricity goes out, grab your flashlights and make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Use cookie cutters to cut them into fun shapes!
Don’t let unexpected events ruin the holidays for you. Be adaptable and flexible. You can help yourself and your children relax and enjoy the holidays for what they truly are: a time of joy, celebration, and peace with friends and family.
What Your EAP Can Do
You can have all the sugar plums and toy drums lined up and still discover that you are affected by the blues during the holiday season. Your employee assistance program is here to help. Perhaps you only need to talk and “process” personal concerns or work issues. Whether the problem is a real stumper or not, the EAP is here for you, both now and during any time of year.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Friday, October 24, 2008
Employees Encouraged to Participate in Drug-Free Work Week
October 20-26, 2008 is National Drug-Free Work Week, and all members of the LifePlan EAP are encouraged to participate. The purpose of Drug-Free Work Week is to highlight that being drug free is key to workplace safety and health and to encourage workers with alcohol and drug problems to seek help.Drug-Free Work Week is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor in coordination with members of its Drug-Free Workplace Alliance. This cooperative program, which represents both employer/contractor associations and labor unions, aims to improve safety and health through drug-free workplace programs. It focuses on the construction industry because research indicates that it has higher than average rates of worker alcohol and drug abuse—a serious concern given that it also tops the list of industries with the highest rates of workplace accidents and injuries. But because drug-free workplace programs benefit all workplaces, employers and employees in all industries, not just construction, are encouraged to take part in Drug-Free Work Week.
For specific ideas about how members can support Drug-Free Work Week, visit the Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site at www.dol.gov/workingpartners and click on “Drug-Free Work Week.” Suggestions range from simple to comprehensive, but all help promote safer, healthier workplaces and are wise business practices that can be implemented at any time of the year.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Adapting to Stress (Part 3)
Steven D. Hickman, Psy.D. discusses the field of behavioral medicine, specifically assessing and treating patients with chronic pain and illness. Dr. Hickman utilizes Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) a particular way of paying attention: with mindful intention, in the moment, without judgment. Although MBSR embraces the acceptance of things as they are without striving, research has shown that, with regular practice, it has the potential to lower stress, anxiety, and depression. It can promote relaxation, improve concentration, raise self-awareness, and enhance the immune system.
What Can You Do to Cope? (Part 2)
Relaxation Reminders:
* Choose a specific day and time to practice a personal “relaxation break.” Try one of the following exercises below for 1, 3 or 5 minutes.
Deep Breathing:
* Breathe in (expand your stomach)…breathe out (deflate your stomach). Repeat slowly at least five times.
Pleasant Word:
* Inhale deeply through your nose, and as you exhale say a chosen word to yourself (word choices: peace, serene, rainbow, calm, relax). Repeat 3 – 5 times.
Tackle Tension:
* With each breath, focus on tightening and relaxing our feet, legs, abdominal, chest, back shoulders, arms, hands, neck jaw and forehead. Repeat from head to toe.
Mind Over Matter:
* Remember a favorite event and experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch of the location.
* Choose a specific day and time to practice a personal “relaxation break.” Try one of the following exercises below for 1, 3 or 5 minutes.
Deep Breathing:
* Breathe in (expand your stomach)…breathe out (deflate your stomach). Repeat slowly at least five times.
Pleasant Word:
* Inhale deeply through your nose, and as you exhale say a chosen word to yourself (word choices: peace, serene, rainbow, calm, relax). Repeat 3 – 5 times.
Tackle Tension:
* With each breath, focus on tightening and relaxing our feet, legs, abdominal, chest, back shoulders, arms, hands, neck jaw and forehead. Repeat from head to toe.
Mind Over Matter:
* Remember a favorite event and experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch of the location.
What’s Your Coping Quotient? (Part 1)
For many of us, regular daily stressors can produce a deleterious effect on our health. Take this test to get a look at your "coping quotient" in order to determine if a stress reduction program may be right for you:
___ Give yourself 10 points if your roommate or family environment is a supportive place for you to live.
___ Give yourself 5 points for each 30-Minute workout you complete in an average week.
___ Give yourself 15 points if you are within 5 pounds of your ideal weight, considering your height and frame.
___ Give yourself 15 points if you engage in some form of deep relaxation at least 3 times a week.
___ Give yourself 5 points for each nutritionally balanced meal you eat each day.
___ Subtract 5 points for each extra day if you have a drink more than 3 days a week.
___ Subtract 5 points if you watch more than 10 hours of TV a week.
___ Give yourself 5 points if you do something you really enjoy that is “just for you” during the course of an average week.
___ Give yourself 10 points if you have a place in your home where you can go in order to relax and/or be by yourself.
___ Give yourself 10 points if you practice time management techniques in your daily life.
___ Subtract 10 points if you smoke a pack or less a day. Subtract 10 more points for each additional pack you smoke per day.
___ Subtract 5 points for each day last week that you drank 2 cups of more of regular coffee, more than 1 cup of cappuccino—type drink or one can of pop with caffeine.
___ Subtract 5 points for each evening of an average week that you bring home work that was meant to be done at your place of employment.
___ Subtract 10 points for each evening of an average week that you take any form of medication or chemical substance to help you sleep or to calm yourself down.
____ Total
Add up your scores.
0 – 49 Get help. You need to develop healthier ways of coping with your stress.
50 – 60 You have adequate coping skills for the most common sources of stress.
61 – 115 You have great coping skills. Keep it up.
___ Give yourself 10 points if your roommate or family environment is a supportive place for you to live.
___ Give yourself 5 points for each 30-Minute workout you complete in an average week.
___ Give yourself 15 points if you are within 5 pounds of your ideal weight, considering your height and frame.
___ Give yourself 15 points if you engage in some form of deep relaxation at least 3 times a week.
___ Give yourself 5 points for each nutritionally balanced meal you eat each day.
___ Subtract 5 points for each extra day if you have a drink more than 3 days a week.
___ Subtract 5 points if you watch more than 10 hours of TV a week.
___ Give yourself 5 points if you do something you really enjoy that is “just for you” during the course of an average week.
___ Give yourself 10 points if you have a place in your home where you can go in order to relax and/or be by yourself.
___ Give yourself 10 points if you practice time management techniques in your daily life.
___ Subtract 10 points if you smoke a pack or less a day. Subtract 10 more points for each additional pack you smoke per day.
___ Subtract 5 points for each day last week that you drank 2 cups of more of regular coffee, more than 1 cup of cappuccino—type drink or one can of pop with caffeine.
___ Subtract 5 points for each evening of an average week that you bring home work that was meant to be done at your place of employment.
___ Subtract 10 points for each evening of an average week that you take any form of medication or chemical substance to help you sleep or to calm yourself down.
____ Total
Add up your scores.
0 – 49 Get help. You need to develop healthier ways of coping with your stress.
50 – 60 You have adequate coping skills for the most common sources of stress.
61 – 115 You have great coping skills. Keep it up.
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