Employee Service Program: Stress Management
12/17/07
Stress Management Program: What’s in it for you?
by
Employee Service Program
Every year the pace of life seems to be accelerating for each of us. Juggling multiple demands in the workplace is often a pattern that is continued in our personal lives. Striking a balance between work and our personal life may sometimes feel impossible. Many of us are members of the “sandwich generation” and we find ourselves firmly wedged between the needs of our children and the needs of our aging parents. Attending to parent(s)’ health concerns, as well as our own, can compound our lives even more. Couple this with other life stressors such as work pressure, family issues, financial challenges, and adjustments to young adults leaving the “nest”; we may begin to feel overwhelmed. When that happens, some individuals may begin to find themselves dealing more frequently with feelings of depression, feeling out of control or unable to tackle the day ahead. However, with prevention and stress management intervention strategies we can more effectively learn to manage the stress, pressures and demands that we live with.
When all is said and done, we may not have a lot of control over everything that happens in our lives, but we can learn to control how we respond to life’s challenges. One easy first step is to visit the State of Michigan Employee Service Program’s online Systematic Stress Management Program at www.mighigan.gov/esp. This program allows you to customize your own personal stress management plan and offers seven learning modules that can be used individually or altogether:
1- Understanding Stress
2- Type A and B Behaviors
3- Relaxation Training
4- Stress Management at Work
5- Thinking Differently
6- Communication and Stress
7- Time Management
Professional confidential counseling and other services are available free of charge to state employees and their adult family members through the Employee Service Program, Monday – Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To schedule an appointment or for further information please call (517) 373-7630 or 800 521 1377.
December 2007