IN THIS ISSUE

WINTER ● 2014-15

Healthy Habits for a Healthy Body ........ P. 1

Staff Profiles .......................................... P. 2

Can Your Organization Use Coaching? . P. 3

On-line Contact ..................................... P. 4

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

Healthy Habits for a Healthy Body By Jonathan Simmen and Amanda Stumme

At times your body can betray you and

cause daily life to be a chore. Healthy

habits can become difficult to engage

in, calming yourself down can seem

impossible and you may not be sure

how to fix it. Taking steps in the right

direction can improve both your

mental health and daily functioning.

One step is to get an adequate amount

of sleep. To achieve an adequate

amount of sleep there are some habits

that need to be avoided, such as taking

stimulants, such as nicotine or caffein,

in the evening before rest. Another

suggestion is to use your bed only for

sleep, because associating it with

activities you carry out during the day

while you are alert, can prevent you

from feeling tired. This means that you

should try to avoid working, eating, or

reading (that is not for enjoyment)

while in bed. Finally, in order get a

good night of sleep you need to

challenge the thoughts keeping you

awake, like tomorrow’s activities or

why you are not able to sleep. Some

helpful suggestions are using “self

talk” that focuses on results rather

than hours achieved. Write down the

thoughts that you cannot dismiss. To-

do lists can be helpful to get your

thoughts and what needs to be done

down on paper so that you are not

repeatedly running though your tasks

in your head.

Another step you can take is to

improve your diet and exercise habits.

Improving your diet can have direct

benefits to increasing your mood.

One of the ways this can be achieved

is to remove refined foods, breads,

pastas, and sugary drinks from your

diet. These types of food lead to

(Continued on page 2)

The Newsletter of 21st Century Employee Assistance Partners

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

blood sugar swings which makes it

seem like your mood has improved,

but the effects are short lived and it

leaves you feeling fatigued and irritable

in just a few hours after eating. You

can tackle this problem by balancing

blood sugars. Eat small portions of

protein frequently throughout the day

along side some root vegetables for a

period of seven to ten days. Making

these changes will lessen your cravings

for the refined foods, which will allow

healthy alternatives, such as fruits and

whole grains, to be added gradually.

Daily functioning can also be improved

by healthy exercise habits. Engaging in

aerobic exercise over the course of at

least ten weeks can really enhance

your mood. An individual should

complete three to five sessions each

week which should last between 45

and 60 minutes. It is recommended

that after each session, you take a

moment to reflect how you are feeling

to recognize the benefits. Of course,

consult your doctor before starting a

vigorous exercise plan. Your doctor

may recommend a more gradual

approach.

Finally learn how to manage stress.

Stress activates our fight, freeze, or

flight response and can come from

virtually anything we perceive as being

threatening. The stress we carry with

us each day can come from a variety of

(Continued from page 1) sources and include typical stressors

like work, family conflicts, financial

worries, or traumatic experiences.

Regardless of where the stress comes

from steps can be taken to counteract

the negative side effects of stress. One

helpful suggestion is to write down

your positive thoughts or

accomplishments at the end of each

day. Thinking about the positive things

before going to bed allows you to

relieve the tension of stress and to

calm down. Another method that can

reduce stress is learning how to relax

through deep breathing exercises. To

practice deep breathing, inhale slowly

through your nose and exhale through

your mouth, while relaxing your belly.

Practicing deep breathing allows more

oxygen to reach the brain and body

cells, causing the vagus nerve to be

activated. The vagus nerve runs from

our brain to our gut. The nerve is used

to regulate your heart beat and the

muscles used to control breathing.

Breathing exercises bring your body

relaxation and can calm the tension

you feel when experiencing fight,

freeze or flight.

EAP counselors are available to help

you develop and to support you in

sticking with a wellness plan. Call 1-

800-825-5327 or contact us through a

secure link on the website,

www.21stcenturyeap.com.

It seems, in fact, as though the second

half of a man's life is made up of

nothing, but the habits he has

accumulated during the first half.

...Dostoyevsky

Staff Profiles

We have been delighted to have three bright, mature, and talented interns as part

of the 21st Century EAP team for several months. Toni Antonucci, is a Bachelor of

Social Work student at Seton Hill University and will be entering the Graduate

School of Social Work at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall. Jonathan Simmen

and Amanda Stumme are on track to receive their Bachelor Degrees in Psychology

from Penn State University in December. Both will continue with us as part time

employees and are pursuing graduate studies.

It has been about 10 years since we

introduced the coaching of managers

and supervisors as an optional service

for the benefit of our EAP customers.

Our purpose was insuring that small

businesses and non-profit

organizations (our customers) have the

same access to this service as larger

(corporate) organizations do. Having

worked for a period of time with large

corporations, I know the value of and

commitment to this service at that

level. I also know how expensive this

service can be. Our mission was to

offer coaching services to our

customers at a fraction of the cost paid

by large corporations. After all, when a

small or medium-sized business loses a

manager or supervisor, there are fewer

managers and supervisors available to

pick up the slack. So helping managers

and supervisors succeed can be crucial

to the ability of the business to

maintain its organizational health.

We have found that some

organizations are willing to try our

coaching service and others do not

respond. Of those that try it, we have

had success in demonstrating the

value. Those who use it often consider

it again when they feel they need it.

When the value is clear, the use of

coaching is better understood and the

likelihood of additional coaching

requests is greater.

The following are some impressions

from this decade of activity:

1. Some small businesses think they

can’t afford it. We offer a flexible

service but usually propose a 6

meeting plan scheduled over 6

months. After initially developing a

plan for skill development,

meetings are held about 1 month

apart to assess progress and refine

objectives and methods. This

package typically costs the

organization less than $1000.00,

easily a small fraction of what large

firms charge. Many studies show

that the total cost of losing an

employee can range from tens of

thousands of dollars to 1.5-2X

annual salary. If coaching can help

the employee improve, you just

saved a lot of money and

aggravation.

2. Some believe coaching is not

needed. No matter how good they

are at their job, I can tell you that it

is unusual to see anyone be

recognized for their work, and

promoted to supervisor or manager

who also possesses the skills and

abilities to lead without any formal

training. Somehow, we think that

if you are good at your production

level of work, then you can

supervise people and projects. I

have witnessed many new

supervisors who agonize in private

over not knowing what to do or

how to do it.

3. Here are some “how do I do this”

Can Your Organization Use Coaching? By James R. Long, Ph.D.

items that are often discussed in

our coaching service with

supervisors or managers:

a. I was promoted in the same unit

and am now supervising former

peers.

b. I was promoted and assigned to a

unit that has supervisees who are

upset that they didn’t get the job.

c. Can I still be friends with people

who were peers and now are

supervisees?

d. I don’t know how to approach my

direct report for help. (Sometimes

new supervisors worry in silence

for fear that the direct report will

view their need for help

negatively.)

e. Your direct report may not have

the same style of managing that

you have.

f. What is the direct report’s

expectation of you for

communicating information?

g. How do I establish myself as a

leader with my staff?

h. How do I know if I am making

decisions for the right reasons?

Sometimes, new supervisors and

managers are so busy worrying about

what they are doing that they forget to

listen to what employees are trying to

tell them. If you wonder if coaching

can help, feel free to call and have a

free, no obligation discussion with

James R. Long Ph.D, CEO and President

of 21st Century Employee Assistance

Partners, Inc. at 1-800-825-5327,

extension 612 or e-mail

jlong@21stcenturyeap.com.

EAPLIFE TIPS Innovative Solutions for Progressive Organizations Winter 2014-15

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.

2540 Monroeville Blvd. Monroeville, PA 15146

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

www.21stCenturyEAP.com

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