IN THIS ISSUE

SPRING ● 2017

Innovative Solutions

for Progressive Organizations

To contact your

Employee Assistance Program, call:

1-800-825-5327

EAP Locations: Altoona

Downtown Pittsburgh Greensburg Grove City

Monroeville New Kensington

Robinson Township/Airport Area Shadyside

Upper St. Clair Wexford

Contact your EAP for any updates to this list.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Find Out What It Means to Me

By Bob Mason, LCSW, CEAP. Director of EAP Services

When the “Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin, recorded this song, composed by Otis Redding in 1967, the United States was going through another difficult period. It seems a good time to “find out what it means” again. Many dictionary definitions of respect include “admiration for talents or abilities”, but here is another view. Respect means “a way of treating or thinking about something, or someone” or “accepting people as they are.” Many of our fellow citizens are struggling with this regardless of their vote in this last Presidential election.

So how might we act in our workplaces, neighborhoods, social settings, and families so that we are being respectful? Is it possible to be respectful even when we disagree, even strongly, with another person’s

point of view or when we don’t admire them? I think we can. Accepting people as they are or treating someone reasonably may simply mean that we communicate without criticizing the person or putting them down.

The first part of being respectful means listening to the other person with an open mind. It means not rushing to conclusions or making assumptions about what lies behind their statements. We are more likely to learn something from them that can be helpful.

The second challenge of maintaining a respectful attitude is handling disagreement. For example, if Joe disagrees with a

(Continued on page 3)

The Newsletter of 21st Century Employee Assistance Partners

Newsletter Editor: Bob Mason, LCSW, CEAP, Director of EAP Services

R-E-S-P-E-C-T ............................................. P. 1

Taking Care of Yourself ............................. P. 2

Oops .......................................................... P. 3

Online Contact .......................................... P. 4

Taking Care of Yourself: More Important Now than Ever Before By James R. Long, Ph.D.

I know that I am getting older when I see a mother with two elementary-age children in a store and she looks like a college student to me. So, I have been around long enough to see a lot of different events in my life. Yet, I have never seen anything like what we are seeing today. What made me decide to write this article were the events of February 15, 2017, including the news of job threats to the employees of Westinghouse. That was the “tipping point” for me. The news was not about violence and it was not about national politics, two of the major sources of fear and emotional unrest among so many of our citizens today. It was about job security from a longstanding major employer in our region.

I was in college during the Viet Nam War. During that period, there were times when you had to have so many credit hours of study and grade point average not to be drafted out of college. If you were working after graduating from high

school, it depended upon your draft status and draft number. The protests and civil unrest were significant and I thought all of it to be much worse than today, until now. It seems that no one is spared the feeling of uncertainty that exists among so many today.

So, what does it mean to seriously make an effort to take care of yourself?

Here are some options to consider:

Every method always includes getting plenty of rest. Recognize that some people naturally require more sleep than others. If you need eight hours of sleep to feel rested and another family member only needs seven hours, it doesn’t matter. This isn’t a contest. Plan on sleeping the amount of time that you need.

Reducing the amount of sugar in your diet can help decrease your anxiety. Read labels about

(Continued on page 3)

Flowers don't bloom where no seeds

have been planted. If you want

kindness, be kind. If you want

acceptance, be accepting. If you want

encouragement, be encouraging. If

you want forgiveness, be forgiving. If

you want love, be loving. If you want

respect, be respectful. We should not

expect from others what we fail to

give to them.

...Tom Krause

Difficult times have helped me to

understand better than before how

infinitely rich and beautiful life is in

every way, and that so many things

one goes worrying about are of no

importance whatsoever.

...Isak Dinesen

sugar content. Limit amount of soda that you drink. Drink more water instead, especially in the evening. It will help you relax and improve your quality of sleep.

Exercise – it is so hard to discipline ourselves especially when there are job, family and other caretaker demands upon us. You don’t have to be an accomplished runner or weight lifter. Walking can be helpful. And if you look at each week and schedule your walks, in the mall or outside depending upon the weather, you may not succeed each time you are scheduled but don’t give up because you couldn’t meet the schedule every day that week. Start the next week fresh, always schedule time and do the best you can.

If watching TV News upsets you, don’t watch it. If watching certain programs on TV make you anxious or are upsetting in any way, don’t watch them. Find comedy, history, nature or other relaxing programs.

There are many self-help relaxation methods available. Your EAP counselors can also help you develop a relaxation plan for work and at home so call us if you would like to learn what can work for you.

As always, do not attempt to begin any major changes in exercise or diet without first consulting your primary care physician. If you are struggling with anxiety and have not found a solution, please call your EAP—1-800-825-5327—and we will help you identify the necessary resources. ▄

Taking Care (Continued from page 2)

new policy or procedure at work, he might explain to his supervisor why he thinks there are problems with the change without criticizing the person who came up with the change. Better yet, he might offer his own ideas about improving the policy or procedure. He is still exhibiting respect in how he is communicating. In the end, he has to go along with the final decision regardless of his opinion and feelings. That can mean letting go of his “ego”. He might even adopt an attitude of humility, recognizing that none of us are always right. On the other hand, sometimes when people explain their

R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Continued from page 1) viewpoint respectfully, a policy or procedure may be modified. This represents compromise, another issue with which our country is struggling.

Because communicating in an effective and respectful manner can be challenging your EAP offers workshops in various aspects of communication including how to be respectful, how to have difficult but necessary conversations, how to be assertive, and how to resolve conflicts. To discuss options, please contact Dr. Jim Long, CEO of 21st Century EAP, at 412-302-9416.▄

In last issue’s article, Opioid Addiction Crisis, there was an error in referring to the use of Narcan. The article incorrectly stated that

Narcan is used to reverse the symptoms of withdrawal.

It should have read, “Governor Tom Wolf’s administration promoted the availability of Narcan which can reverse the symptoms of

overdose.”

I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

Bob Mason, LCSW, CEAP, Newsletter Editor

2540 Monroeville Blvd. Monroeville, PA 15146

Phone: 1-800-825-5327 (1-800-TALK-EAP) Fax: 412-823-8262

www.21stCenturyEAP.com

www.facebook.com/21stCenturyEAP

to learn more about health and wellness, HR tips, solutions to employee issues and many other subjects.

Look for us on Facebook

EAPLIFE TIPS Innovative Solutions for Progressive Organizations SPRING 2017

You Can Now Use Our Online Contact

It’s easy!

Go to www.21stcenturyeap.com

Click on “CONTACT US” from the menu at the top of the page

Then select “REQUEST SERVICES”

Free, Professional, Confidential

The Employee Assistance Program is provided to employees and their dependents (where applicable) through

21st Century Employee Assistance Partners.

EAP counselors can help with family, marital and job stress, substance abuse and emotional problems, and many

other issues. All contacts with the EAP are confidential to the extent permitted by law. Information about your call,

or your visit, is not available to anyone unless you decide it is something you wish to share.

Initial assessments or counseling sessions are provided at no cost to you. Any subsequent services needed will be

arranged in accordance with your health insurance benefit or ability to pay.