Strong EAP

Strong EAP
WELL-U and
STRONG EAP
Coping with Work and
Family Stress
3/14/2011
Lynda Spiegel, MS. Ed., NCC

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Two Things About EAP

FREE
CONFIDENTIAL

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WHO CAN USE EAP?
Employees
Family members living in the same
household as the employee
550 White Spruce Blvd
Hours 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Wednesdays 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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What Do We Do?
Short-term counseling
Assessment-to-referral
Critical Incident Stress
Wellness Presentations
Work-Related Presentations
Healthbites

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WHO are we?
Joanne Dermady, Director
Sigrid Adler, LCSW
Anne Lenox, LMHC
Lynda Spiegel, LMHC

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Examples

Stress (i.e., depression, anxiety)

Grief
Relationships
Co-Workers
Family members
Children

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The Notebook
The References
Introductions

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Define Stress
Define Anger
Problem Solving
Coping Strategies
Cognitive Reframes
Relaxation techniques

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Deep Breathing

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Work/Life Balance

Can it be done?

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What is STRESS?

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What our jobs provide
Sense of satisfaction
Sense of purpose
Structure
Poor morale
Unhappy workplace
Pressure

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Technology
An obstacle to our balance
We are an immediate society
Cell phones, pagers
E-mail, IM
Internet
24/7 connection
Social networking addictions
the 24/7 connection

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Technology isnt alone
Overscheduled adults
Overscheduled kids
Were frazzled
We leave work, work doesnt leave our thoughts
We leave home, home doesnt leave our thoughts

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Environmental Stressors
Noise
Time
Interruptions
Clientele
Co-workers
Teaching hospital
Limited space
Technology

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Were Out of Balance
Depressed
Anxious
Frustrated
Angry
Guilty
Poor choices
Unhealthy habits

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The Self

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Stress
1.
Physical Stress
An immediate threat to our well-being, physically
2.
Mental Stress
*Our perception of an event in which:
W e feel threatened
W e experience change
W e lose our sense of control
Our expectations arent realized

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Stress is not a person, place or thing. It is a physical and emotional reaction to change whether positive or negative. It is our PERCEPTION of the change that matters.
A Stressor is the actual event or change

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Things about stress
IT DOESNT GO AWAY
CAN BE POSITIVE
Motivates us
OR NEGATIVE
Leads to feelings of disappointment, failure, embarrassment, etc.

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Four Categories of Stress

Anticipatory Stress (Future)

Situational Stress (Present)

Chronic Stress (Ongoing)

Residual Stress (Past

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Cognitive Effects

Tunnel vision

Difficulty making decisions

Diminished ability to concentrate

Shortened attention span

Difficulty with abstract thought

Memory difficulty

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Psychological Effects

Depression

Anxiety

Burn-out

Anger

Loss of emotional control

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Behavioral Effects

Isolation

Sleep disturbance

Change in eating habits

Increase in alcohol/substance use

Irritability

Temper tantrums

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Physiological Effects

Elevated blood pressure

Elevated heart rate

Rapid breathing

Lightheadedness

Chills or sweats

Migraine headaches

IBS

Lower back pain

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Life Cycle Theory
Most of us go through a series of events called life cycles

i.e., birth, school job, marriage, kids, kids leave, retirement, death

Stress increases at each life transition

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Family Stress Theory
Rueben Hill, Father of Family Stress

ABCX Theory of Stress

A factor=the stressor

B factor=the resources

C Factor=our perception

X Factor= the outcome

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Double ABCX Theory

ABCX lasted 30 years

McCubbin & Patterson

aA=Pile-up of stressors

bB=Layers of resources

cC=Layers of perceptions

xX=Layers of outcome

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What is Anger?

A universal, first emotion

Built into our nervous system

Anger is a way of expressing STRESS

Two ways of Anger

Toxic anger-anger that poisons your life and/or those around you

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Anger
When is anger a problem?
How often do you get angry?
Not at all
1 -2 tim es a week
3 -5 tim es a week
1 -2 tim es a d ay
3 tim es a da y
6 -10 tim es a day
1 0+ tim es a day

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Intensity of Anger
On a scale of 1-10, where are you?

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Intensity

< 1/day
> 1/day

1-3

4-6

7-10

Episodic
Irritation

Episodic
Anger

Episodic

Chronic
Irritation

Chronic Chronic
Anger
Rage

Rage

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Some statistics

15 % of us have episodic rage

11 % of us have chronic anger

12 % of us have chronic rage

37 % of us have toxic anger

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Facts About Anger

Men v. women

Dec rease with age

Impulsive and exc itable

+ provoc ation

Cynical

Catast rophizing

Compulsiveness

Self-absorbed

Aggressive personality

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More Facts

Drugs that alter brain chem istry

Irritable

Depr essed

C omm unication

Problem solving skills

Too stressed

Judgmental

Blam e

Ex haustion

Inadequate support system

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Is Anger Poisoning Your Life?

Anger and fatigue

Anger has an immediate effect on blood pressure

Whats your risk for heart attack?

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How At Risk for Heart Attack
are YOU?

Have you smoked cigarettes in the last 30 days?

Do you have 2+ alcohol at one sitting?

Has a doctor told you that you have high blood pressure?

Are you being treated for high blood pressure?

Has a doctor told you that you have high cholesterol?

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Are you currently being treated for high cholesterol?

Do you consider yourself overweight?

Do you consider yourself obese?

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The Impact of Anger

On our health

On our career

On our relationships

On our marriage

On the health of people around us

On the self-esteem of the people around us

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STRESS HAPPENS

W hat can you control?

W hose problem is it anyway?

Dont sweat the small stuff.

Move with the cheese

Use good communication skills

Its OK to give yourself permission to put yourself first

Create a balance

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Maintaining Daily Balance
Take time for your health
Give your family quality time
Stay within your financial budget
Enjoy a quality social life
Stay current with new developments at work
Enjoy your spiritual area

Help Yourself to Balance

Clarify your values
Make a list
Set your own rules for balance
Use transition time wisely
Do one thing at a time
Volunteer
Pay attention to now

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Stress Reduction vs. Stress
Management

Stress reduction-eliminates the source of stress by taking action and making changes.

Stress management-involves coping, reinterpreting, reframing, and cognitive restructuring.

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Goal of STRESS MANAGEMENT

To alter our perception and response to our stressors (the C & X factors)

To alter our lifestyle to be more stress resistant (build our B factor)

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A Word of Caution
Denial is one of the best-developed coping mechanisms in healthcare workers, particularly in physicians and nurses.

Overcoming Stress in Medical and Nursing Practice, (Quote from Marshall McLuhan-Communications theorist)

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Compassion Fatigue

CF is secondary post-traumatic stress

Common in helping professions and first responder professions

Same symptoms, without the primary trauma

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Are you a STRESS EATER?

You cant change what you dont acknowledge

Try to link thinking-feeling-behaving

Use the Event log

If it is a long-standing issue, get help and deal with it

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Eating and Coping

According to one study, 75% of overeating is caused by EMOTIONS

Cortisol cravings-stress related (salt & sugar)
Social eating bring on the HFS
Nervous eating crave the crunch
Childhood habits
Stuffing emotions people who cant deal with their emotions

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How can I de-stress?

Relaxation techniques

Problem solving skills

Communication skills

Know your perception

Cognitive reframes

Self-care tools

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Relaxation Techniques

Breathing

Muscle relaxation

Yoga

Relaxation tape

Pelv ic floor exercise

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Problem Solving
The main question to ask is:

Whose problem is it?

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If its not your problem

And youre making it your problem

Someone else isnt being responsible
What message are we sending if we take on someone elses problem?
Be careful of being too controlling

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If it is Your Problem

Use the 8-step problem-solving guide

Sometimes you just have to accept the issue

Use resources, i.e., AA, NAMI, Grief groups

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Use Effective Communication Skills

CUS messages good for the workplace

I am conce rne d because ________________
I am uncomfo rta ble because _____________
This is a sa fety is sue be ca us e ____________

I-Messages

I fee l _____________________
W he n you __________________

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Perception
Is it true that perception is reality?

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If you cant change the situation, you must change the way you PERCEIVE the situation.

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What Influences Perception?

Family of origin

Place in the family

Peer group

C ulture and heritage

Work

C lubs and organizations

Place in history

Neighborhoods

Values and belief sy stems

Religion and spirutality

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Other peoples actions

We interpret other peoples actions by how they impact us

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Cognitive Reframes

Self-Talk

We all talk to ourselves

How do you talk to yourself?

How do you talk to others?

Negative v. positive thinkers

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Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is the relationship you have with yourself.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt.

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Our Thoughts

How we think impacts how we feel

If we think everythings a big deal

If we think things need to be perfect

If we think we need to be in charge or dominate others

If we think people should be on time

If we have a hard time saying whats on our mind

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If we think everything is an irritant

If we judge others

If we think someone has to be at fault

ITS TIME TO CHANGE OUR THINKING

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How to Reframe Your
Thinking

Keep an event log

Whats the event (stressor)

What are your thoughts

What are your emotions

What is your behavior

What is the outcome

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Self-Care Tools

Set limits

Healthy life style-nutrition, sleep, exercise

Pros v. cons list

Short-term and long-term goals

Say no, have real expectations

Keep balance in focus

Vary work and play

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Thank You!!