• Act Early to End Conflicts
• On-line: English Grammar
• Making a Personal Trainer a Plus
• Do You Have Diabetes?
• Cutting the Fuse on Explosive Disorder
• On-time Tactics, Fight Procrastination
• Hey "It's Just a Joke! -
• Echo of Verbal Abuse

Act Early to End Conflict
Conflicts with a supervisor are one of the most common issues for which employees seek assistance. The best advice from EAPs intervene early if you sense growing relationship struggles with your supervisor. Acting early may interrupt a problem before it grows to crisis proportions. A ways start with the possibility that your supervisor may not know that he or she is doing something that makes your working relationship difficult. Often, a simple conversation with your supervisor can clear up any misunderstandings. Try talking to your boss directly, and do it in a confident, calm manner. If you need specific feedback, tell your supervisor. If you need more time to discuss mutual concerns, ask for it. Use resources like the EAP for advice and trouble shooting relationship issues. Common mistakes employees often make when the going gets rough with a supervisor include inappropriate going over the supervisors head, making ha way conversation about the supervisor’s faults, and avoiding the supervisor.

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Online: English Grammar:
A free online reference and guide for English grammar, writing, punctuation, and learning is available at http://www.edufind.com/english/grammar/index.cfm. Confusing words, tips on writing, assessment of your grammar skills, punctuation they are a there. Whether you are new to English or an experienced writer stuck on “which vs. that,” you’ find some helpful information while improving your writing skills.

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Making a Personal Trainer a Plus:
If you are thinking about hiring a personal trainer to help you with your exercise and weight- loss goals, be sure whoever you hire is sufficiently educated and qualified. You can learn about personal trainer standards from the American College of Sports Medicine, the American Council on Exercise, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association. A trainer should assess your fitness level, set up a program, keep you motivated by giving you guidance and education, and help you keep track of progress.

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Do You Have Diabetes?:
Do you have diabetes and not know it? According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately one-third of adults with diabetes don’t know they have it. The prevalence of diabetes has risen since the 1980’s. One major symptom of diabetes or pre-diabetes is elevated blood glucose levels. People with pre-diabetes can often prevent or delay diabetes in almost 50 percent of cases if they reduce calories and increase daily physical activity. Diabetes is the most common cause of blindness, kidney failure, and amputations in adults, and a major cause of heart disease and stroke. If you think you might be at risk, consult your family physician.

Source: National Institutes of Health, PR, 5-26-06

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Cutting the Fuse on Explosive Disorder:
Intermittent explosive disorder (IED), a psychiatric condition characterized by episodes of angry, potentially violent outbursts, got a flurry of attention in the news recently. IED is not a new condition, but it may affect more adults than previously believed reportedly as many as 16 million adults in the U.S. at some point in their lives. IED is not just blowing off steam. The condition is commonly associated with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse. Precursors of the illness can first appear in childhood, when children suffering from IED might overreact to certain situations with uncontrollable rage, experience a sense of relief during the angry outbursts, and then feel remorse about their actions. Left untreated, children may grow up not knowing how to cope with stressful situations or how to control their emotions. The “rage–relief–remorse” pattern then continues. The biggest roadblock to getting help is awareness of one’s explosive behavior. Most people with IED don’t see themselves as the one with the problem. Resolving IED may be a link in reducing workplace violence as well as domestic violence. To increase personal awareness of IED and discover whether or not you suffer from it, ask yourself f whether you are easily provoked to fits of rage followed by relief and then remorse for your behavior. If so, ask the EAP for more information about anger management and related conditions, such as IED.

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On-time Tactics Fight Procrastination:
Employees with a reputation for getting things done on time are held in high esteem by others because they never have to be reminded about a task to complete or a deadline to meet. If you struggle with procrastination, the following on-time tactics could improve your reputation almost overnight: 1) When you are assigned a project or take on a task, immediately spend a few minutes considering what’s involved. Don’t put it aside. 2) Quickly notify people who depend on you when they can expect completion. This puts you under pressure to stay on task and is more efficient than its alternative the “prompt and react” method. This approach, used by many employees to getting things done, relies upon reacting to the “system”
prompting you to act an anxious phone call from a coworker, a boss sending out a terse reminder, or a demand from an angry customer who needs something “yesterday.”

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Hey “It’ Just a Joke!” :
“It’s just a joke lighten up!” Be careful ; you can be held liable for what you say or do, even if you never intended insulting someone. Professional behavior in the workplace extends not only to humor, but also to workplace relationships. While it is very important to relieve tension and create friendships at work, it is equally important to remember that workplace relationships are governed by many laws for both the employee’s and the employer’s benefit. Confusion between personal and professional feelings can often lead to actions that might be considered harassment or discrimination, especially actions that result in an adverse effect on someone’s job performance. One thing to remember is to take what you say seriously because you just never know when someone else will. In addition, take responsibility for what you do. Always apologize when your statements or actions unintentionally offend another person. Then, don’t repeat them.

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Echo of Verbal Abuse :
In one study of more than 5,000 adults, 30 percent of people aged 15-54 reported a childhood history of verbal abuse, doubling their chances of being self-critical adults prone to depression and anxiety. Verbal abuse experienced includes: insults, swearing, threats of physical abuse, and spiteful comments or behavior. This new study affirms that children will believe the negative things they hear, adversely affecting their happiness later on. Counseling has shown adults can learn to replace irrational thought processes of yesteryear with more positive self-talk. Ask yourself if you experience anxiety and depression and whether self-talk patterns are associated with verbal abuse of the past. If there’s a link, or if you’re not sure, talk to the EAP.

Press Release, Florida State University, May 2006


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