Fall 2010

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In This Issue:

• Mediation Services' website can help you help yourself
  
  
• Some tools to deal with your emotions
  
  
• FASAP and the Work/Life Resource Center available to present at your staff meetings
  
  
• Happy 20th Anniversary Work/Life Recource Center!
  
  
• Tools and resources for addressing many of life's challenges available at "Understanding U"
  
  
  

 

In addition to providing information about how Mediation Services for Faculty and Staff can help you, Mediation Services’ website, www.umich.edu/~mediate, contains valuable information that can help you help yourself and others.

On the Our Resources page of the Education and Training section of the website, you’ll find some answers to these sorts of questions:  How can you prevent and resolve disputes?  How do you talk to someone about something they’ve done that upsets or disappoints you, without making matters worse?  Is e-mail really the means you want to use to communicate with someone when you are unhappy about something they’ve done?  What is your style of dealing with conflict and is it the best approach? 

On the Other Training Resources page of the Education and Training section of the website, you’ll see links to a number of websites containing a wealth of information about resolving conflicts.  For example, you can visit The Third Side website created at Harvard University that explains how to handle either your own or others’ conflicts as a “thirdsider.”  Or you can explore The Conflict Resolution Information Source site containing hundreds of articles, guides, training materials, websites, book summaries, and more.

Are you wondering what other resources U-M has that might help you with your particular issue?  Take a look at the Additional Resources part of the Mediation Services site for links to a number of services that the university provides that might be useful to you.

Think you might like to learn mediation skills?  Check out other areas of the Education and Training section of the site to find out where you can do that.

And the list goes on.  When you have a minute, take a look through the site and see for yourself.
As always, of course, if you’re having a problem at work that you’re not sure how to handle on your own, call Mediation Services at 615-4789 or send an e-mail message to mediation.services@umich.edu.

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Some tools to deal with your emotions
Tom Waldecker, Director FASAP

Each of us has days that are better than others.  At times each has feelings about the many situations we encounter. And it seems each day many of us are encountering more stress in our lives. The American Psychological Association reports that over half of Americans are concerned with the level of stress that is in their daily lives. The following are some suggestions and ideas for dealing with the many daily stresses we encounter;

• Nurture a positive view of yourself – Find ways to develop confidence in your own ability to find solutions to problems and trust your own instincts.
• Move toward your own goals – Develop realistic goals and a list of action steps that assist you to reach the goal in a realistic manner.
• Make connections with others – Reach out to others and develop positive relationships with others.
• Avoid seeing challenges as overwhelming – Try to develop alternative perceptions of a situation. Envision how someone else may see a given challenge. Stop and think how I can respond to this challenge versus react to it.
• Take decisive actions – Think of options, or consult with someone else on options that can help you take a look at a problem. Avoiding challenges often only makes us more anxious.
• Strive for a hopeful outlook – Try to visualize some things that make your life better and focus on them instead of worrying about those things that you have little control over or fear.
• Focus on taking care of yourself – Find some time to focus on your own needs and emotions to help keep you physically and emotionally well.

If there are times that you feel you are getting overwhelmed and need more assistance in dealing with your emotions consider contacting FASAP to discuss some options for reducing your stress level. Contact FASAP at 936-8660 or email fasap@umich.edu.

Some of above information Adopted from “The Road to Resilience” by the American Psychological Association.

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A  FASAP or Work /Life Resource Center staff member can come to your department, unit or staff meeting and make a short presentation on the range of services that are offered by their respective programs. They can also answer any questions that anyone in your team may have about the services offered.

To request a presentation please contact FASAP at 936-8660 or the Work Life Resource Center at 936-8677and ask to speak to a program representative.

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From its innovative Kids Kare at Home program to providing elder care resources and information about flexible scheduling, the WLRC provides a wide array of services. Additional services include the Child Care Referral Service, Early Childhood Programs, and the Campus Child Care Homes Network.  WLRC is always looking for ways to provide useful family-friendly services. Two of our sought after programs are the work/life balance conference “Connecting the Dots,” which is geared to the U-M community, and the U-M Family Helpers program, which connects students with U-M colleagues in need of assistance for a variety of household tasks.

The October, 2010 “Connecting the Dots” conference had over 250 participants attending the keynote and a choice of 22 break-out sessions.  UM Professor Joseph Himle spoke about strategies for managing stress and depression.  For many, the conference provided a day of information gathering and networking with colleagues across campus.

Visit our website at www.hr.umich.edu/worklife for information on child care resources, Kids Kare at Home, parenting , breastfeeding, eldercare, brown bag presentations, Family Helpers and flexible work arrangements.

“It’s exciting to be a member of the Work/Life Programs office and be able to provide ‘just-in-time’ information to our UM colleagues who find themselves challenged by work/life balance issues” Barb Mulay, WLRC Program Manager.

Please enjoy WLRC’s 20th Anniversary celebration by watching a special video, first presented at the 2010 Connecting the Dots conference. The video is available for viewing on the Work/Life Resource Center site: http://hr.umich.edu/worklife.

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There are excellent articles and topics about the following at the site; click on the link below.

• Relationship and family concerns
• Coping with grief and loss
• Asking for Help
• Bringing out your best
• Thriving at work
• Sleeping well
• Managing stress and anxiety

Understanding U also contains many links and suggestions for community resources. Please visit: http://www.hr.umich.edu/mhealthy/programs/mental_emotional/understandingu/ for more information.

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resolutions is published in the Winter, Spring and Fall of every year. To obtain additional information regarding our services contact FASAP, Mediation Services or Work/Life Resource Center at (734) 936-8660.

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