Faculty and staff have access to free counseling through the Employee Assistance Program; free professional wellness coaching on topics like stress management, raising children and caregiving; and those on the Marquette medical insurance plan have access to in-network mental health care providers.
“Joy to the world” are words that ring out at this time of year, though for many people the holidays can directly lead to experiencing emotions other than just joy. Statistics show that around half of Americans feel a significant amount of added stress during the holiday season.
Here are a few ways to help reduce and manage holiday-related stress:
- Focus on having meaningful experiences instead of extravagant decorations, trendy outfits or lavish gifts
- Start holiday planning and tasks early to avoid having to make or execute them at the last minute. This can be especially helpful in staying within a budget for gift-giving.
- Be intentional about taking time to recharge
- Maintain boundaries by only committing to the invitations or requests that truly matter to avoid having an overly full calendar and being stretched too thin
- Make sure to stay consistent with prescribed medications, as this can be more difficult during the holiday season due to increased travel and varying pharmacy hours
- Pay attention to feelings. While it is okay to feel a range of emotions during the holidays, sometimes further processing of these feelings can be helpful and even necessary.
Employees and members of their immediate household can support their mental health throughout the year by utilizing free counseling sessions through LifeMatters, Marquette’s Employee Assistance Program. Eligible individuals can receive to up to six free, confidential counseling sessions, which can address and support a variety of issues such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, family problems, financial pressures and more. To take advantage of this benefit, contact LifeMatters by either calling 1-800-634-6433, texting “Hello” to 61295, or visiting mylifematters.com and using the password “MU1”.
Employees and their spouses also have access to free stress management-focused wellness coaching; more information on how to participate as well as all the health coaching offerings can be found on the Health Coaching page.
For those on the Marquette medical insurance plan, instructions on how to search for behavioral health providers can be found here. For additional mental health resources, visit the My Emotional Health page.
