Take control of your holiday season before it controls you!

The holidays can be stressful! People cite financial pressures and family dynamics as top stressors. Plus, this year is our second pandemic holiday, so add loss and loneliness to the mix of potential problems. As with any other big events, advance planning and prepping for potential problems can keep you in control. Here’s advice from our counseling team:

• Set a realistic budget and stick to it. Budget your time, too. Prioritize the most important activities.
• Stick to your routine. Holidays offer many temptations to overindulge in food and drink and ignore sleep and exercise.
• Spend time with the people who mean the most. Prioritize time with your loved ones and limit your exposure to toxic people.
• Be generous with yourself and with others. Forgive yourself and forgive others. Perform random acts of unexpected kindness for strangers.
• Relax. Plan healthy ways to de-stress in advance: Spending time alone, exercising, reading or meditation can help slow the pace.
• Have a lifeline. Remember, if things get to be too much during the season, keep the number to your EAP handy. We’re available 24-7-365!

Here are resources that your EAP offers for help with some of the most common stressors. Login to www.theEAP.com to explore self-help tools and resources:

• Financial planning– Click on the Personal Finance and Education Center tile for hundreds of tools to help make the best financial choices. 
• Saving money – Check out Lifestyle Savings Benefits for saving on thousands of products and services ranging from clothing to food items and entertainment. 
• Family dynamics – For help with parenting, relationships, or family issues, click on Work Life.
• Emotional issues – For help with grief, loss, anxiety, stress, depression, or addiction, click on Emotional Wellbeing.
• Wellness – Click on the Wellness Center to get your diet, fitness, or sobriety back on track.

Practice Thankfulness!

When times are tough, it’s easy to be consumed by the
bad things in life. But there’s an antidote to being overwhelmed
by the negative: Cultivating gratitude and thanks.  Being grateful
helps you focus on the good things in life, in the people around you,
and in you, yourself. Practicing gratitude helps reduce anxiety and
increase resilience. But how do you “practice” gratitude? You train
yourself to see the positive, even in tough times.

Here are a few ways to start:

• Make gratitude a habit. Start each day by jotting down someone or something you are grateful for on your calendar or to-do list.
• Use your senses. Stop to notice and savor the details around you. A pet’s tail wag. A flower’s bloom. The smell of your coffee.
• Make gratitude contagious. Compliment or thank someone sincerely every day. Not just a quick “thanks,” a real one. You’ll improve their day and yours.
• Smile more. Smiling is a way to show appreciation and connect to others. It releases endorphins.

E-Learning Popular Picks

Check out a few popular picks from our 9,000+ E-Learning courses and trainings. Simply login at www.theEAP.com, click the “Training Center” icon and choose the “New & Improved Trainings” icon.

• NEW! Sparking the Customer Experience: Introduction | Course ID: SVL_1021229
  4 minute video introducing a series about embracing customer service as a mindset to create happy and loyal customers, both internally and externally.

   

• NEW! Empathy ADA: Promoting Understanding and Accessibility | Course ID: SVL_1021153
  31 minute video focused on fostering empathy among people with differing abilities and promoting accessibility for all. Learn about accommodating and communicating with people who have disabilities.

   

• Cultivating a Respectful Workplace | Course ID: SVL_1027590
  9 minute video with easy tips for treating others with respect and making the workplace one characterized by civility.