EAP Wellness Wednesday: Burnout & Friendship

Wed Mar 29 04:10:37 UTC 2023

*Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the
answer.*

 - Ed Cunningham

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As stress-awareness month draws to a close, I would be remiss to
not acknowledge that burnout is real and raging - across industries,
institutions, companies, and campuses.

You may find yourself asking, as a friend wondered aloud just yesterday, *“will
this ever end?”
<https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230309-is-it-impossible-to-end-burnout>
* Well, the downside is that, no, it likely won't end. The upside is that
there are *things you can do to recover from burnout
<https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-02-27/how-to-recover-from-burnout>
*or, if you are among the dwindling few who haven't felt it yet, there are
even* things you can do to prevent it.
<https://fortune.com/well/2023/01/10/how-to-avoid-burnout-at-work/> *

I do not, however, want to elaborate on burnout here. If you are interested
in exploring it further, check out this recent *summit held in the UK on
how to overcome the burnout crisis.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mx8ALHX_YMQ>* Rather, in the spirit of
wellness, I’d like to share a few thoughts on something that I have been
reminded of lately: friendship.

Having supportive friendships
<https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/relations/the-importance-of-having-supportive-friendships/>
is
always good for you, but especially in times like these. Most people know
that friends can have a positive impact on your psychological health, but
what is less known is that *steady friendships may also be vital to your
physiological health
<https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/27/health/positive-relationships-physical-health-wellness/index.html>.*
In fact, there may even be *special benefits to turning colleagues into
real friends
<https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/11/friends-relationships-work-productivity-career/>.
*

Having friends, and tending to the quality of our *friendships, can truly
help us maintain and strengthen our mental health
<https://www.forbes.com/sites/tracybrower/2023/03/07/maximize-mental-health-with-a-few-good-friends-heres-how/?sh=3613c97f62fd>.
*

As difficult as this is for me to admit, part of the reason I’m reminding
you about the importance of friendship is that I’ve needed a little
reminding myself lately. During difficult times, sometimes I can forget how
important they are. Well, I don’t really *forget,* but I certainly get
distracted from taking the time to appreciate them because everything else
can seem so darned urgent.  My own default response to stress is to batten
down the hatches and withdrawal from the world – including from my friends.
I can be preoccupied by my own troubles or I tell myself that I don’t want
to burden them. The truth is that friends want to be burdened. As I read in
a recent article on *how to be a better friend
<https://www.nytimes.com/guides/smarterliving/how-to-be-a-better-friend>
* (yes,
I actually Googled it), “family relationships often come with a dose of
guilt and obligation,” but friends “are the antidote to the burdens of
daily life.” Friends want to celebrate our joys in life, but real friends
also look forward to opportunities to help. Let them. And,  then savor the
shared gratitude of genuine friendship. If you don’t believe me, check out
the *advice on friendship from an ancient philosopher
<https://time.com/5361671/how-to-be-a-friend-cicero/>*.

And, as for burnout
<https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/14/burnout-is-on-the-rise-gen-z-millennials-and-women-are-the-most-stressed.html>,
perhaps try a different frame of reference. For example, shift from
thinking about what feels like a PERMA crisis
<https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/what-is-permacrisis-how-to-navigate-it-at-work-060017170.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNhLw&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAImg5wuXkr8Ve3tRAeVcJBPN-okn4QcWLOtpCMlRr0-KsNEyKBNBvwnBmSKaPzTRf3I9ho62vQQam2Z8i_o_P0qxY0o8P8QuyQrtUbsygICsvbSPJ_twXgVwyvFdr3Pe3TcfmJJBvdxy9qdC3Ee9NntEZHpNNQM3gYfQrG2kHeLP>,
and check out the *PERMA model of wellbeing
<https://www.inverse.com/article/54188-how-to-avoid-job-burnout-with-exercise-perma-model-for-happiness>*.
Instead of contemplating the impossibility of ending burnout
<https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20230309-is-it-impossible-to-end-burnout>,
perhaps, as the authors of a recent article suggest, “we need to figure out
if the sacrifices that put us at risk of burnout are worth making for the
sake of our jobs and careers.”

I wish you all a good enough rest of your week and time to connect with a
friend, or the chance to make a new one, this weekend.

Thank you for your continued work in supporting our students and each
other. If you would like a confidential meeting, assessment, or referral,
please do not hesitate to reach out to me.

Your colleague (and friend),

Kim McCoy Coleman

Employee Assistance Program Coordinator

401A Beaumont Hall

eap at plattsburgh.edu

(518) 564-EAPP (3277) – or- (518) 569-4230

*Employee Assistance Program (EAP)*

The New York State Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a worksite-based
program designed to help state employees deal with the everyday issues
involved in balancing work and life, as well as more serious problems that
may impact work performance. This benefit is available to SUNY Plattsburgh
employees, retirees, and their families and is sponsored jointly by labor
and management.

*Wellness NYS: *New York State’s Office of Employee Relations makes a
variety of resources available on their website. This includes statewide
initiatives and resources. One such resource is the Wellness Everyday
initiative.

*Wellness Everyday: *This is a monthly challenge with a daily “to-do”
suggestion list of little steps to improve overall wellness at work and in
life.

*Webpage: *https://wellnys.oer.ny.gov/

*Healthcare and Mental Health Resources:*

Most of our employees at SUNY Plattsburgh have the *Empire Plan*, which
provides both in-person and Virtual Care options. Virtual Care offers
convenient, private, and cost-effective online visits with eligible
providers, including online mental health providers. Online teletherapy can
be cost effective, time efficient, and may reduce wait times that can occur
in the North Country when seeking in-person psychotherapy.

*Empire Plan*:

Empire BlueCross BlueShield: Hospitalization

United HealthCare: Major Medical

Beacon Health Options Inc.: Mental Health/Substance Abuse

CVS/Caremark, Inc.: Prescriptions

Most of our Employees here at SUNY Plattsburgh have the *Empire Plan*,
which provides both in-person and Virtual Care options. Virtual Care offers
convenient, private and cost-effective online visits with eligible
providers.

Employees can search the provider directory
<http://www.empireplanproviders.com/provider.htm> to find providers in the
area, as well as providers that offer the telehealth option.

*Telehealth Under the Empire Plan: *If you are enrolled in the Empire Plan,
this telemedicine program is provided by *LiveHealth Online*.  Claims for
the telemedicine visits will be processed by Empire BlueCross, the Empire
Plan’s hospital carrier. Empire Plan enrollees/dependents who require
immediate access to medical or mental health telemedicine services can
visit Empire Blue Cross’s <https://www.empireblue.com/nys> website and
register through the LiveHealth Online link. To receive paid-in-full
benefits, the Empire Plan specific coupon code (listed on the Blue Cross
Empire Plan website) must be added when registering for medical
telemedicine services or when receiving *mental health telemedicine
services*. Currently, Empire Plan enrollees registering for LiveHealth
Online would use “Empire Blue Cross'' as the health plan and enter their
Empire Plan identification number. The Empire Plan specific coupon code
should be added on the screen which discusses payment (result will show a
$0 visit fee). After successfully registering and logging in, medical
services with a live physician can be requested.

Empire Plan enrollees are encouraged to call the Empire Plan with any
questions at 1-877-769-7447 (1-877-769-7447).

*988 Lifeline*

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route
callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (now known as the 988
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), and is now active across the United States.

*Website:* https://988lifeline.org/current-events/the-lifeline-and-988/

*Adirondack 211*

2-1-1 is the one number to call to find or give help in Clinton, Essex, and
Franklin counties.

2-1-1 is an easy-to-remember telephone number to call for free and
confidential community referral that connects callers with resources
providing food, shelter, rent assistance, clothing, child care options and
other types of community assistance. Trained referral specialists are
multi-lingual and available to help individuals find the help they need.

*Website:* https://211ny4regions.communityos.org/adirondack

*Symptom relief is a tap or click away*

Start a visit ›
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*See a doctor without leaving the house*

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feel like making the trip to the doctor's office. And if the doctor's
office is closed, you might be out of luck — but not with 24/7 care on
LiveHealth Online.

Doctors are always standing by and ready to provide a diagnosis, treatment
plan, and prescriptions if necessary. You don't even have to leave your
couch or bed.

Start a visit ›
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[image: Image of a woman lying on her couch speaking on a video call]

*Care for more than just your body*

Your mental health is important, too. Schedule a visit with a licensed
psychologist for one-on-one counseling. Board-certified psychiatrists are
also available for ongoing care and medication management.

They’re available in the morning, evening, and weekends.

*Use LiveHealth Online for mental health concerns like these:*

·      Anxiety

·      Stress management

·      OCD

·      Panic attacks

·      Social anxiety

·      Trauma

·      Insomnia

·      Depression

·      Grief

·      Life transitions

Schedule a visit ›
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*Kim McCoy Coleman, LMSW-ATR*

Assistant Professor of Social Work

Preferred Pronouns: she/her (why
<https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/GLSEN%20Pronouns%20Resource.pdf>)

SUNY Plattsburgh

Department of Social Work

112-A Ward Hall

101 Broad Street
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

Plattsburgh, NY 12901
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

(o) 518-564-2163

(c) 518-569-4230

*plattsburgh.edu <http://plattsburgh.edu/>*
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