January 2014

Monthly Webinar • Tuesday, January 21st

Wellness, assistance and work/life support for the whole family

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Exclusively for Health Advocate Members

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Get Emotionally Fit This Year Getting healthy and fit is far and away the leading New Year’s resolution for many people. But how about setting a goal to become emotionally stronger and more resilient so you can better stand up to deadlines, demands and other pressures of daily life? Like physical exercise, emotional fitness takes some effort. The key, researchers found, is to take actions every day that can help you build up a reserve of positive emotions. The more positive you are, the better you can cope with adversity. For example, one way to cultivate positive emotions is to fortify close relationships with family and friends. Drawing on their support can help you bounce back from losses or major changes.

In this issue, we highlight simple actions you can take to help you become more resilient in a variety of ways so you are better able to withstand the demands of life.

Remember, you can always turn to your EAP+Work/Life program for personal, family and work issues.

Don’t Drown in Debt Prepare for That Rainy DayIn addition to building emotional resilience, it’s equally important to build financial resilience—especially in this shaky economy. For example, you need to have monetary reserves to cover changes whether it’s the birth of a child, a health problem or a major house repair. Consider these strategies:

• Set up an emergency fund. Don’t have the recommended 3-6 months of living expenses to put away? Start by saving $1 a day plus pocket change. Contribute as much as you can afford to your fund.

• Live below your means. Keep a safe “debt-to-income ratio” of 10% or less of your monthly net income.

• Buy insurance against big catastrophic losses. Most of your insurance spending should go to cover major events like destruction to your home, or disability that could cause a loss of income.

• Invest in yourself. Sign up for courses or on-the-job training. Do consulting work or widen your professional network. These are all ways to increase your value.

Money problems? Your EAP+Work/Life program can help you find resources.

[Source: Barbara O’Neill, PhD., Financial Resource Management Specialist, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension]

Resolve Family ConflictsEvery family faces conflict from time to time. Does your family react in a strong, healthy way? Or do your interactions crumble under the weight of arguments? Here’s how you can help your family build positivity and resilience, and resolve disagreements more effectively:

• Practice positive speaking. And, be open about your own feelings, thoughts and experiences.

• Listen! And pay attention to the non-verbal expressions of intense feelings.

• Adopt a win-win approach. Think, “we are all on the same team—everyone will benefit.”

• Take baby steps. Resolve the small problems first.

• Get to the negotiation phase quickly. Summarize the discussion where everyone agrees to the changes.

Do you need help resolving family conflicts? Turn to your EAP+Work/Life program.

Monthly WebinarTuesday, January 21st12 pm and 2 pm ET

“Make Your Money Work for You: A Debt Management Plan” Learn tips to decrease your debt, maximize your credit score, and rebuild credit after major life events such as divorce, bankruptcy or identity theft.

You can register at HealthAdvocate.com/members

• Enter the name of your organization and click “Submit”

• Click on the umbrella icon at the bottom of the page under “EAP+Work/Life”

• Click “Online Services”

• Scroll to online seminars, choose “Make Your Money Work for You: A Debt Management Plan”

• Select your registration session

• Click “Register” on the “Welcome to e-learning center” page

• Enter your name, other information and click submit

*Please note: Webinars are available only in English.

Health AdvocacyYour Personal Health Advocate can help untangle medical bills, find qualified doctors, locate eldercare services and much more.

EAP+Work/Life ProgramTalk to a Licensed Professional Counselor to learn coping skills. You may be referred to the appropriate professional for in-depth, long-term help.

Use self-search provider databases, get 4,000 updated and authoritative articles, view video clips, attend monthly online seminars and more.

Wellness CoachingYour personal Wellness Coach can help you lose weight, eat better or reach other health goals.

Benefits GatewayBenefits experts can quickly guide you to the benefit you need, including medical, dental and pharmacy.

Just call 866.799.2691

Your All-in-1 Benefit

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Take Action for Positive Reactions If you have traditionally had difficulty rolling with the punches in life, here’s good news: It’s possible to transform your negative reactions by doing things on a day-to-day basis that help build up a “bank” of positive emotions. This, in turn, can help you cope better—and feel better, too. Try these tips:

Behave as happy people do. Research shows that you can “act” your way to positivity. For example, try bringing energy and enthusiasm to discussions. And smile! Smiling is a proven way to help you feel happier.

Share positive events and good news. Making that good news go farther gives you an emotional lift.

Perform acts of kindness. People who spread kindness report increased levels of happiness and positive moods.

Spend time in nature. Spending as little as an hour in contact with nature (versus in an urban setting) appears to have a restorative effect, both increasing positive emotion and decreasing negative emotion.

[Source: American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine, 2009]

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Resolve to Succeed! Set Clear GoalsDid you know that people who make specific, reasonable New Year’s resolutions are 10 times more likely to reach their goals than people whose goals are vague or unrealistic? If your goal is too broad and abstract, you may have trouble reaching it. Use the examples below as a guide:

• Too vague: “I want to get more fit this year.” What, specifically, do you want to do?

• Closer: “I want to start running regularly.” Great! But what does “regularly” mean?

• On target: “I want to be able to run a half marathon by April 28.” This goal is clear, tangible, and something that you can work toward.

Once you have set a clear goal, you can then brainstorm short-term goals to help you achieve it. For example, “This week, I will run twice a week for 20 minutes. Next week, I will run twice a week for 30 minutes.” Make sure to keep your short-term goals and your main goal attainable!

For more ways to set health goals, reach out to your Wellness Coach. You can connect to your Coach anytime by phone, email or instant messaging.

Handling Slip-ups How to Get Back on TrackYou had all the best intentions to stay in shape and eat well. Then your friend got a promotion and wanted to celebrate, your mom sent homemade cookies for your birthday, and your office had a dessert social. Should you give up? No! Instead:

• Accept it. Okay, you had a week of celebration. Don’t worry too much—it’s only one week.

• Get back on track. Don’t give up—just re-adopt your healthy habits.

• Plan ahead. Think of healthy actions you can take to stick to your goals next time temptation comes around.

No matter what detour you may face, keep reminding yourself of why you wanted to achieve your goal in the first place.

For more help sticking with your goals, contact your Health Advocate Wellness Coach! And for more exercise ideas, visit your Wellness website.

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The Health Advocate member website will tell you how your FREE benefit can help you and your family with healthcare and insurance-related problems. You can view features of your benefit, as well as online health tools. You can always talk to a Personal Health Advocate or a Wellness Coach for one-on-one help.

Log on to the website:

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• Download member essentials

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• Complete your Personal Health Profile

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Is it Time for a New Doctor?We’ll Help Line One UpDid you change health plans and your previous doctor is not in your new plan’s network? Relocate to a different town? Are you having a baby and need to find a pediatrician? Whatever your need, you don’t have to spend hours on the phone hunting down a new physician. We can help:

• Research doctors in your plan’s network

• Check to see if the doctor is taking new patients

• Help schedule the appointment

• Facilitate the transfer of medical records

Remember… your Personal Health Advocate can help you and your eligible family members with a full range of healthcare and insurance-related issues.