Love In The Real World

Valentine’s Day paints an idealized version of love, but in the real world, love isn’t all hearts and flowers. Even healthy, loving relationships run into stormy waters that need to be navigated. Relationship problems are among the main reasons people turn to an EAP for help. Here are common problems we hear:

• Loss of trust – Large problems like infidelity or addiction take a huge toll on trust, but smaller, everyday problems can erode trust over time, too. 
• Differences in priorities – Early in a relationship, goals may be aligned but over time, uncomfortable differences can surface about career, family, or values.
• Distractions – Being absorbed in work demands, social media, friends, and hobbies can leave one party feeling neglected or unloved.
• Money – Spending, savings and debt can often lead to arguments and stress.
• Family matters – Child rearing, caring for aging parents, and extended family can be sources of conflict.
• Crisis and trauma – Coping with death, loss, chronic illness, or surviving a natural disaster can all put extreme stress on a relationship.

Good news: With effort, most relationship problems can be resolved. Your EAP provides couples and family counseling to address ongoing problems and help improve communication. We also offer help for debt, financial planning, family issues, and other problems that can lead to conflict. Plus, you can tap into a wealth of self-help resources for interpersonal relationships under Work/Life Benefits.

Iowa carpenter Dale Schroeder lived a simple life, driving a rusty old Chevy and putting his money aside each week. Near his death, he left money to help poor Iowa students go to college. To everyone’s surprise, he had saved nearly $3 million over his 67 years of hard work, and it sent 33 young Iowans to college. While we can’t all send 33 kids to college, we can all spread kindness around us. Random Acts of Kindness Day, which celebrates and encourages kindness, falls on February 17th. Acts of kindness are free, open to anyone to perform, and often contagious. Plus, they couldn’t be more needed with all the pandemic stress people are experiencing.
Spread kindness at work, at home, and in your community.

Set a goal to perform at least one act of kindness a day…give a thank you note with a gift card to a frontline worker, let someone cut ahead of you in a long grocery line, shovel for a neighbor, send a note to someone’s boss complimenting them…
It doesn’t have to be a large, dramatic, or a costly gesture – it just has to come from your heart.

E-Learning Popular Picks

We frequently add new trainings to our vast library of 10,000+ online E-Learning courses. Check out popular new courses by logging in at www.theEAP.com, clicking the “Training Center” icon and choosing “New & Improved Trainings.”

• NEW! Building Great Relationships with Difficult People | Course ID: SVL_1021227
  In this 5 minute video, learn options for dealing with difficult personalities on the job and feel empowered to respond to problematic people.
• NEW! 6 Tips to Achieve Work-Life Balance | Course ID: SVL_1020015
  This 8-minute video will help you learn why a healthy work-life balance is important to well-being, and how to move toward a more productive and fulfilling life at home and at work.
• NEW! Overcoming Compassion Fatigue | Course ID: SVL_1020419
  This 19 minute lesson covers who is most at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue, what the common symptoms are, and tips to reduce the stress and renew your ability to effectively care for others. 

See What Our Members are Saying…

“The providers at the EAP were immediately interested and
engaged in supporting my healing journey.”

“Thank you for all of your help, recommendations
and support.”

“Telephonic counselor was great and I didn’t feel rushed or judged. My face
to face counselor is kind, listens and I am hopeful that she will help me during
this difficult time in my life.”