According to a survey of 2,000 workers by one of the nation’s top EAP providers, 60% of employees reported that they experienced high levels of stress. Another 32% said they experienced “constant, but manageable levels”. In other words, over 90% of employees deal with many levels of stress at work. The same survey reported that 33% of workers felt they lost an hour a day of productivity due to stress. Over 25% said they missed 3-6 days of work per year due to it. Almost half of those surveyed said that from 1-5 days per year, they come to work too stressed to be productive. Work stress is a fa ..read more

There are few events that cause as many emotions as the first day on a new job. Will the work culture accept you? Can you perform to your expectations and theirs? Will you adapt quickly enough and pick up the new skills needed? Whatever your most prominent concern is, being the new kid on the block can be cause for excitement and stress. Here are 3 simple ways you can start to manage the stress of starting a new job: 1. Get adequate sleep According to an article on HelpGuide, most healthy adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. Sleep deprivation makes it hard to learn and retain new conc ..read more

Anxiety can have many faces. Sometimes it can look a lot like anger. This can be confusing to the person experiencing anger, as well as those around the “angry” person. Or it could be that someone dear to you seems angry often, bruising or even severing the relationship. What if the source of this angry behavior was anxiety? Would this alter the way you see yourself or react to others? How would you feel about this person or yourself? When anger masks underlying anxiety, attacking anxiety can accelerate success. Diagnosis is key to treatment. Understanding is the foundation for relationsh ..read more

One of the most common sources of anxiety is unpredictability or just not knowing what to do next. Having a schedule can help alleviate anxiety. It can be an incredible relief to incorporate some predictability into your life. Scheduling might feel overwhelming or restrictive for some people, like forcing yourself to do things rather than being helpful. Instead, scheduling your time should be your friend and work for you, not against you. One way to begin is to start scheduling things you like. Carve out time to do those things rather than planning things you have to do. There’s already plenty ..read more

Worry and stress are a natural part of life. However sometimes stress can go too far and become anxiety. Anxiety is a prolonged form of stress that can be really detrimental when left untreated over time. Here are five questions to ask to begin to see if your worry could be considered anxiety: How long are you worrying or experiencing stress a day?  You could be suffering from anxiety if you are worrying a significant portion of the day. This could be especially true if your stress is interfering with your life. Does it feel like your anxiety is hurting your job performance, social life ..read more

Anxiety issues come in several forms and can truly affect one’s life. Anxiety is highly treatable through psychotherapy that includes behavior and thought changes, medication, or both. Some of the anxiety disorders include Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Panic Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Social Phobias (Social Anxiety Disorder), and there are more. Anxiety is defined by a state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical ..read more

There is much confusion and misinformation out there about anger.  It is probably the most feared and least accepted emotion we experience as human beings.  Does it mean I am a bad person and I should feel guilty about my feelings and expressions of anger?  Many people have been taught this message about anger. In fact, anger is one of the many emotions that naturally occur within us.  Anger in and of itself is not a bad emotion;. However, the way we express it may not be healthy or productive.  It’s important to know that our anger is trying to tell us something.  ..read more

Aggressive behavior is a style of expressing one’s feelings and needs in a way that violates the rights of others. This pattern of behavior will often generate fear in others and alienate them from the aggressor. An individual with a pattern of aggressive behavior will blame others instead of taking accountability for their actions. Aggression may show up in the following behaviors: Trying to dominate the other person (physically or mentally) Using humiliation, blame, and/or criticism to control the other person Being easily frustrated Having a low tolerance for the behavior of others Speakin ..read more

Passive communication is a style where one has developed a pattern of avoiding expressing their opinions and/or feelings. Passive communicators often avoid protecting their rights, and identifying and meeting their needs. People who tend to develop passive ways of communicating usually suffer from low self-esteem and feel that they are “not worth it.” This style of communicating can also lead to feelings of anxiety, helplessness, depression, and anger.   Passive communication shows up in behaviors such as these: Allowing others to deliberately infringe on your rights Failure to express y ..read more

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the pressure to fulfill the needs of those around you? How do you respond when someone else comes to you for something? Do you find yourself giving in to them, even though you’re exhausted or out of time? Others will often press those whom they feel will give in to their demands and requests. If this sounds like you, it’s time to allow yourself to start a new chapter. It’s time to set limits and institute some boundaries. There will always be those who insist that you’re the only one who can help them. They have gone to many others, and no one else seems to be ..read more