FEB 2014
Volume 1, Issue 15
THE RESILIENT WARRI OR Serving Our CT National Guard Soldiers and Airmen How to balance work, school and your National Guard Military duties We’ve all had moments when life’s demands, such as work, school, and military responsibilities make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. Stress is an inevitable part of being a student, worker, and soldier/airmen. Here are some tips you can follow to try keep your life balanced and fulfill your obligations. Be organized. Mark upcoming deadlines on your calendar and start tasks early to allow sufficient time to complete them in case other things come up that require attention. Also, don’t postpone any homework or tasks. Procrastination is not your friend. Keep your work area organized as it is a simple way to reduce stress and improve quality of performance. Create a flexible schedule. Some parts of your schedule are going to be inflexible, such as class times work days, and drill weekends. Build a routine that you can stick to, but are able to adjust if other important things come up. You have to be ready to adapt to new assignments, unexpected errands, military training, and sudden work crises that need to be addressed immediately. Communicate your schedule to your employers, unit, friends and family. Make sure the people around you know where you'll be and when. Not everyone with will understand the demands of being a student and, similarly, not all of your classmates will understand the additional responsibilities of working while in school or the rigors of a drill weekend. Live well Be active: Stretch, swim, run, walk, lift. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle helps relieve stress and you'll find that the more you get out and exercise, the easier work and school will seem. Exercising is commonly known to reduce stress. Enjoy life: Don't get bogged down by the excessive demands of your academic and professional life. Take time to experience the world around you and appreciate your relationships in life. See movies, read books, watch sports. Don't forget to squeeze in the things that make life worth living into your schedule. Take breaks: Give yourself time to collect yourself when you need it the most, so you can re-approach things with a clear head. Be realistic. There may not be enough time for everything, so get your priorities straight and don't beat yourself up if you don't accomplish every single task you've set out to do on a given day. Life can be challenging, but with planning, perseverance and behaving in a proactive manner, your goals can be accomplished. TRY THESE ON-LINE RESOURCES
https://t2health.org These mobile apps-developed for service members, concerned significant others and mental health providers-can help users cope with stress and difficulties.
https://moodgym.anu.edu.au This is a free computer based program to help you learn cognitive behavior therapy skills for preventing and coping with depression and anxiety.
http://startmovingforward.org/ Moving Forward is a free, on-line educational and life coaching program that teaches Problem Solving skills to help you to better handle life's challenges. It is designed to be especially helpful for Veterans, Military Service Members and their families.
B E H AV I O R A L H E A LT H T E A M PMCS Preventative Maintenance Checks and Services of Service Members
MAJ Alvarado, LCSW: (860) 883-2035 Susan Tobenkin, LCSW: (860) 830-8991 Alissa Wurtzel, LCSW, Army DPH: (860) 655-0296 Michael Dutko, LPC, LADC: (860) 946-9810 Lynn Biella, LCSW, Wing DPH: (860) 519-8125
“NEVER SURRENDER”
Back to Basics Connecticut National Guard
PMCS of Service Members If you wear a military uniform, the term Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services is a familiar term (also known in the Air Force as Preventative Maintenance Inspections or PMI). PMCS involves checks, service and maintenance performed before, during, and after any type of movement or before the use of all types of military equipment. PMCS utilizes manuals and charts to go over every detail needed or noted to ensure the proper function of every mechanical item or non-mechanical surface. A PMCS are also done at weekly, monthly, semi-annual, annual and bi-annual intervals, depending on the piece of equipment. Just like PMCS for equipment, PMCS of SMs focuses on taking action before issues arise. The CTNG Behavioral Health Team developed PMCS of SM (both Army and Air) to help restore interpersonal relationships and camaraderie by identifying at risk SM before they actually fail. PMCS of Service Members is a preventive maintenance program which involves activities to include building bonds among peers, and superiors at any period of time. In addition, SM can identify deterioration so they know to respond or refer before they fail, or escalate to crisis. The ideal preventive maintenance program would prevent SM distress before it occurs. PMCS of SM is a way to avoid and prevent future symptoms and to maintain an overall level of health and well-being. The PMCS manual ( spiral pocket—pocket size notebook) is being distributed guard wide and will be a service member driven program. Please take time to familiarize yourself with the PMCS of SM manual. If you are a leader in your unit share it with your subordinates and ask that they make it part of their drill weekends. You can demonstrate care and concern for each other and the PMCS manual can help guide those important conversations and most importantly demonstrate care for each other. As the country draws down from Afghanistan and the longest war in America comes to an end, there is growing need for all of us to get “Back to Basics”. Those basic principles can be summed up by the 5 Cs (Competence, Commitment, Candor, Courage and Caring). If you would like the BH Team to come out to the unit and provide a brief (10 minute) PMCS presentation or you would like an electronic copy of PMCS for SMs please email MAJ J. Alvarado at Javier.alvarado1.mil@mail.mil CT National Guard Behavioral Health Team