BE RESILIENT: Coping Strategies Can Reduce Stress

Stress is at an all-time high around the world, according to a recent Gallup poll, with more people feeling stressed, sad, angry, and worried than ever before in Gallup’s tracking history. Unhealthy levels of stress can wear you down and make you sick, both mentally and physically.

The good news is that we can all develop skills to cope with and reduce stress. Here are three to try, all of them proven to bring a sense of calm, peace, and balance, to both your emotional well-being and your overall health.

  1. Meditation helps you become less reactive to stress and relaxes your body. Try it: Sit in a relaxed position. Focus on your breathing and clear your mind, pushing all thoughts away for 5-10 minutes. Follow a guided meditation or listen to soothing music.
  2. Reframing is a way to turn problems or negative thoughts into opportunities for change and growth. Try it: Ask yourself, “What opportunities could come from this situation?” or “How could this event have positive outcomes?”
  3. Positive Thinking is the practice of focusing on the good in all circumstances. Try it: When you notice a negative thought, try to stop it, then shift your focus to something positive in the situation.

A few phone calls or online sessions with a counselor can help you learn how to effectively practice coping strategies like these. Please use the EAP’s free, confidential counseling benefits to connect with a counselor.

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BE PREPARED: Long-Term Disability (LTD) Protects Your Income

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it is that we need to plan for the unexpected. One thing people don’t expect is that they might become disabled and need disability insurance to protect their income.

One in four of today's 20-year-olds will become disabled for at least one year before they retire. Those disabilities are usually for non-work-related injuries and illnesses, such as neck and back pain, muscle and tendon disorders, and cancer.

While only 14% of people in the U.S. have LTD coverage, 100% of eligible SD-1 Trust employees are automatically enrolled in self-pay Long-Term Disability benefits. (To see if you’re eligible, go to sdtrust.com, click on “Long-Term Disability” under “Protect Your Income” on the Home page, then select your union and status.) If you’re eligible, here’s what that means for you: If you become disabled because of a covered injury, sickness or pregnancy, the Plan pays 60% of your pre-disability earnings, up to $6,000/month.

And that gives you something priceless: peace of mind right now.

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BE IN THE KNOW: Get Answers Fast

Are you looking for information related to your benefits? Your go-to, 24/7 resource is always the Health Trust website at sdtrust.com. (Tip: Bookmark it in your browser for quick access.)

Here’s where you’ll find:

  • Updates and announcements on the Home page – usually in a banner across the top,
  • Current Plan Year information and Plan documents with all of the details about your benefit coverage,
  • Information on how and when to enroll,
  • Key contact information,
  • And so much more.

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