Getting Through When Things Are Tough - Do Something!

I'm getting to the point where I don't even want to turn on the news. Several times this week I started my day hearing about shootings, bombings, fires, and now vans. It's enough to make you want to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head! Or hit something!

Neither response helps you or anyone else, though. So you get up and keep going, even when you feel overwhelmed and powerless. What can you to to make a difference - for yourself, for your family, for your community?
The most important thing is to do something. Staying still is to be stuck, to be hopeless. Instead, do something different each day. It doesn't have to be a huge change -

• Smile on your commute to work or school (and turn off talk radio). Research shows that smiling helps change your mood and the attitude of those around you.
• Cuddle with your children, pets, and/or significant other. Research shows that humans need physical contact to confirm that they're connected and loved.
• Take a break, especially in nature. I know it's hot, but get out early and/or in the shade. Being in the natural world has uplifting effects on mood and attitude.
• Take care of yourself. The "put your own oxygen on first" story is well-known for a reason - it's true! At Pfeiffer Institute Reach you can talk to a competent professional at an affordable rate. You might be surprised how much better it can feel to talk to someone who's there to listen.
• Help someone else. Volunteer, pay it forward, help load groceries for a stranger - something to remind yourself that you can make a difference, even if it doesn't make the news.

Let's hope the news gets better soon. In the meantime, do what you can to take care of yourself and your neighbor. Come see us to Reach for a better tomorrow!

Stressed Out!

by Annette Snider, Reach Therapist Intern

STRESSED! This is a common theme for most people today. The art of multitasking and overcommitting pretty much assures us to have a stressful existence. So what do we really know about stress and how it affects us?  Each of us carries stress differently.  Stress can manifest as anxiety, or withdrawal, or even irritation.  Realizing what triggers your stress and how it manifests is the first step in beginning to manage your stress. What stresses you out may not be something that others consider to be stressful.  Understanding that we all handle and experience stress differently is a key point to remember. 

Is there such a thing as good stress? Well, stress is neither good nor bad but rather a matter of how we use it. Stress can be a motivator to get things finished or started! It can also be a survival tool directing us to safety if needed. Whether stress is good or bad typically is determined by the amount of stress you have going on in your life.

Managing stress can seem like an overwhelming task, just another thing to add to my list of “things to do.” Have you ever read an article on How to Reduce Your Stress and felt like the suggestions offered would stress you out even more if you did them? I have. The key to managing stress is to figure out what works best for you. It is important to figure out what are healthy ways for you to manage your stress. 

Stress is sneaky. Just because you may not be manifesting symptoms of stress doesn’t mean you are not stressed. If being highly stressed has become the norm for you, be aware that is it taking its toll on your mind and body. It is slowly wearing you out. Fatigue, forgetfulness, and loss of productivity are just some of the symptoms of long-term stress.  Building up your stress relief options and using them, will help you stock up your reserve for when highly stressful times occur. 

Remember, the key to reducing stress is finding what works for you and then incorporating into your life right now. Even little steps in the direction of stress reduction will give you a great return on you efforts. If you feel overwhelmed and stressed in your life and could use some help in untangling and prioritizing your life, Give Pfeiffer Institute Reach a call today! (919) 941-2900.

FREE Stress Management Workshop

Plus remember that any first session in January is FREE!

FREE Stress Management Workshop 12/5/15

Free Stress Management Workshop 11/14/15

Free Stress Management Workshop - Saturday, October 24, 10:30am-12:30pm

Stress Management Workshop

STRESS MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP

Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? 
Ready to change with the season?

Join us at Pfeiffer Institute Reach for a FREE workshop!

Relax while you learn tools, tips, and techniques to balance stress through mindfulness practice, guided meditation, & breathing exercises!

Saturday, September 26 from 10:30 AM—12:30 PM

RSVP today! Seating is limited!

This workshop is open to everyone; those who attend will also receive a voucher for one FREE therapy session at Pfeiffer Institute Reach.

Call 919-941-2900 or email pfeiffer.reach@pfeiffer.edu

A Stressful Week

What a week it's been! Our front AC unit went out on Monday - the entire unit had to be replaced, and the supervisor to approve this was on vacation. We were short-staffed in the office so there were changes in schedules and long days. Both printers went out and needed new parts ordered - TWICE! Sometimes it seems like everything that can go wrong - does! And that's just the job-related stuff! Murphy is alive and well, I guess. It's enough to make you wonder how much you can handle, and how sane you'll be by the end!

Luckily, Reach has great resources: Even as I write this, the AC unit is being fixed (3 trucks of ARS techs - thank you!). We have helpful office staff, and interns who step up to cover the front when needed. We were able to order the printer parts online and they arrived the next day.

I can also choose to find the bright side of stressful situations:

• It was a little cooler yesterday and last night, so the front office was bearable in the mornings. The back AC units helped cool the whole suite, so at least the session rooms were comfortable. 
• We were short-staffed for a very positive reason - a baby was born healthy and mom did great. The employee was able to take time off, and will be back on schedule soon.
• Any printing that had to be done immediately was emailed to the campus and taken care of in no time.

Still, all these changes and frustrations - much less the heat! - can make anyone feel stressed and overwhelmed! If you've got a lot going on, particularly if you're having trouble coping or seeing any bright side, please come to our FREE Stress Management Workshop next Saturday, July 25, from 10:30am-12pm. You will learn about important skills (mindfulness, guided meditation), share with others, and receive a voucher for a FREE therapy session at Reach. Reserve your spot today: call 919-941-2900 or email contact@pfeifferreach.org.

Stress Management Workshop - One Day Left to RSVP!

RSVP Today - 919-941-2900 or contact@pfeifferreach.org

Feeling stressed? Overwhelmed? Beat down by the heat?

Join us at Pfeiffer Institute Reach for a FREE workshop!

Relax while you learn tools, tips, and techniques to balance stress through mindfulness practice, guided meditation, & breathing exercises!

Saturday, July 25 from 10:30 AM—12:00 PM

RSVP today! Seating is limited!

This workshop is open to everyone; those who attend will also receive a voucher for one FREE therapy session at Pfeiffer Institute Reach.

Making the Move

By Liberty D. Riley, Reach Therapist Intern

Moving is stressful. Whether you’re moving across town, across the state, or across the country, there is no getting around it: moving is stressful. From trying to hook up the dryer, to figuring out how to organize your food pantry, there are certain tasks that tend to be relationship testers. The good news is that there are ways to reduce the stress involved with moving.

Plan: The best way to alleviate relocation stress is to plan ahead. Try to allow yourself enough time to create and effectuate a well-thought out moving strategy.  Get together with your loved one, have a meeting of the minds, and gather together a list of tasks that must be accomplished to make the move a success. (Which utilities need to be turned on/off and when? Who will be available to let the cable person come in and hook up the internet? Who will order the U-Haul?)

Prioritize: Another way to help alleviate stress is to prioritize what must be done vs. what can be done later.  The utilities must be turned on in order to be able to function and be warm in your new home (that’s a priority!). Having the internet hooked up so one can surf the web can likely be done later.

De-clutter: One way to make sure your move is a success is to de-clutter. No one wants to move two boxes of old newspapers and junk mail to the new place; it’s too labor intensive and a waste of good back strength! Before the move, go through each room and get rid of the junk. Pare down. Toss what isn't needed, sentimental, or useful.

Organize: Once the clutter is gone, you can more clearly assess the situation, see what needs to go with you, and decide about how many boxes you are actually going to need. Completing this task room by room helps avoid feelings of being overwhelmed, and when each room is done, the feelings of accomplishment help promote forward progress.

Self-care: The most important thing to take care of in a move (big or small), are the people involved. If children are a part of the move, make sure they feel that they are an integral part of what is happening, and that any feelings of sadness are recognized, validated, and tended to. As for the adults, make sure to take the time you need to de-stress, relax, and just be with the people you love.

If your relationship has been tested by a move or any other major life event, please contact the Pfeiffer Institute Reach at (919) 941-2900. We will help get you moving in the right direction.

Stress Management

by EJ Hanks, Reach Therapist Intern

Stress is all around us.  It can arise in many forms including dealing with monthly bills, coordinating family duties, handling school responsibilities, professional commitments, and major life events, such as births, marriages, divorces, and deaths.  Sometimes you may feel that you are losing control and cannot keep up with the demands of your life.  Stress can make you irritable, angry, and frustrated toward everyone around you.  Feeling anxious and emotional or having difficulty eating and sleeping can also be responses to stress. Without good stress management skills, our health and relationships with others will suffer. While certain stressors are ultimately unavoidable, we can minimize how we react to stress by finding a healthy and manageable balance. 

Managing stress is all about taking charge: of your thoughts, emotions, calendar, and the way you react to problems.  Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life.  While not always obvious, what are the regular stressors in your life and how you deal with them?  Keeping a stress log or journal can help you spot the things that cause you to feel stressed and how you responded to the event.  Once you recognize these stressors, you can begin to take action to lessen their impact on your life.

Successful coping with these stressful events requires rearranging our lives to decrease the demands on us and, more importantly, learning new coping skills to increase the resources available to us.  Some tips on helping decrease your reactions to stressful events:

• Lead a healthy lifestyle – Eat nutritious, well balanced meals; get plenty of sleep; exercise

• Avoid drugs and alcohol – May seem to help cope temporarily, but they cause greater long term and permanent harm

• Increase your social network – Talk to family, friends and others; participate in community or other social activities to make new friends

• Do something you enjoy -  Take up a hobby or try something new and exciting

• Relax – Take a break when you are feeling overwhelmed; try mindfulness, yoga, or get a massage

• Recognize when you need more help – When your methods of stress reduction do not seem to work or you are thinking about suicide, see your doctor or therapist. 

Some stress relievers may work better than others for your individual situation.  If one method does not work, try another one.  Keep a journal or a list of the types of events and the successful type of stress reliever that you used.

If you're looking for extra support and guidance through dealing with stress, another challenging situation, or you're just ready to move in a new direction in your life, Therapist Interns at Pfeiffer Institute Reach look forward to working with you, your partner, or your family to achieve your goals.