Sometimes, it is important to flip balancing life upside down and eat some chocolate cake, relax on the couch or head out to play paintball. Learn early on that all things in moderation can be important when relieving stress and finding life balance.

(Brought to you by Free To Be Parents Coaching)

May is National Tennis Month! Pick up a racquet and give this fun, calorie blasting sport a try with savings in the Tennis / Racquetball / Squash category.

The gentle, low impact movements practiced during a Tai Chi class can burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing! Practicing Tai Chi regularly has also been shown to reduce stress and high blood pressure.  Find a Tai Chi class near you with savings in the Martial Arts category!

A recent study suggests that taking a little time each day to read is one of the quickest and most effective ways to reduce stress! After less than ten minutes of reading, participants in the study experienced significant reduction in muscular tension and heart rate. Relax with savings on Books this month!

Research shows that pet owners have lower heart rates and blood pressure and report lower levels of stress and anxiety than non pet owners. Keep yourself and your furry ones happy and healthy with savings in the Pets category.

For more information and direct links to purchase these titles, please visit the LifeBalance / Boone Bridge Books page.

• The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
  Jim Loehr, Tony Schwartz & James E Loehr
• Bounce: Living the Resilient Life
  Robert J Wicks
  
• Will Shortz Presents Kenken for Stress Relief: 100 Easy to Hard Logic Puzzles That Make You Smarter
  Tetsuya Miyamoto & Will Shortz
• So Stressed: The Ultimate Stress-Relief Plan for Women
  Stephanie McClellan, Beth Hamilton & Diane Reverand
• In Search of Balance: Keys to a Stable Life
  Richard A Swenson
• What Happy Working Mothers Know: How New Findings in Positive Psychology Can Lead to a Healthy and Happy Work/Life Balance
  Cathy L Greenberg & Barrett S Avigdor
• Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and It's All Small Stuff: Simple Ways to Keep the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life
  Richard Carlson 
• Wherever You Go, There You Are (Anniversary)
  Jon Kabat-Zinn 
• Cool Cats, Calm Kids: Relaxation and Stress Management for Young People
  Mary Williams & Dianne O'Quinn Burke
• The Mindful Child: How to Help Your Kid Manage Stress and Become Happier, Kinder, and More Compassionate
  Susan K Greenland 
  

Between workplace reductions and wage freezes, employees are doing more with less. Responsibility is growing at the same rate as feelings of fear and uncertainty. This combination makes workplace stress and anxiety inevitable. Conflicting demands between work and home only adds to this stress. While some employees may see hope on the horizon, others are still feeling the pinch and wondering how to cope. 

Aside from the direct physical and emotional consequences of stress on employees, employers also suffer when employees feel strained and anxious. Workplace stress costs employers billions of dollars each year due to lower productivity, absenteeism, turnover, workers’ compensation, medical insurance, etc. Now, more than even, it is vital for employees and employers to wrangle in workplace stress; and it is a shared responsibility.

Employees, first and foremost, must take responsibility for their physical and emotional well-being. You know yourself best. Take calculated steps toward improving your well-being. Identify your stressors and the habits and attitudes that amplify this stress. When change is implemented in the workplace, for example, do you immediately see the negative in the change and find yourself resisting? Once you have identified your own reactions and attitudes that create additional stress, make a concerted effort to avoid them. Finally, workplace stress can be eased when employees and managers have open lines of communication. Do your part to hone your communication skills with managers and co-workers.

Employees look to their managers to give them guidance and direction, particularly in uncertain times. Managers should make it a top priority to communicate and manage expectations with employees. Employees feel less stressed when they know what is expected of them and feel that there is an open door to communicate with their managers. Having a monthly one-on-one meeting with each employee is a way to ensure the lines of communication are open on a regular basis. Change in the workplace has also become a norm in the last year. Managers play a vital role in managing change and can usher in success by communicating with and supporting employees through these transitions. Remember to verbalize the “why” and the “how.” Why is this change important, and how will we work through this change together?

Finally, workplace stress can be reduced by finding a balance between work and life. Employees can utilize their breaks and paid time off to focus on life outside of work. (And of course, utilizing your LifeBalance Program benefits to help!) Use this time to re-energize and re-focus on what is most important. Workplace stress is manageable, but takes an equal commitment from employees and management. With a team approach, unhealthy workplace stress doesn’t stand a chance!

(Brought to you by Xenium)

For a complete overview of the LifeBalance Program website, visit the About LifeBalance section of the site.

For more information on how to access program benefits, visit the LifeBalance Proof of Membership / Frequently Asked Questions page.

Find exclusive LifeBalance savings at thousands of recreational, cultural & wellness related businesses throughout Alaska, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. The LifeBalance Program Vendor Network gives members the opportunity to quickly search for specific recreational, cultural and wellness vendors by geographic region and category, or by business name, through the LifeBalance Search for Savings.

You can use our secure server to make payments online for many LifeBalance Member Events and Tickets. LifeBalance offers members thousands of special events at reduced rates with the top vendors, instructors, and venues. LifeBalance also has your ticket to the arts, including theater, dance, musical performances, sporting events, ski resorts, museums and more. Visit the LifeBalance Events Calendar and the LifeBalance Ticket Window for a complete listing and select the listing that interests you and then complete your registration.

The LifeBalance Wellness Window offers members food and fitness tips, wellness calculators, information about community events and more. MyLifeBalance is the component of the LifeBalance Program that includes personalized wellness tools, customized content and more.

You can also easily print the LifeBalance Program materials and this newsletter by visiting the Printable Materials section of the site.