Volleyball
Faculty, staff, and students are invited to participate in volleyball Mondays and Thursdays from Noon - 1:00 p.m. in the auxiliary gym of the Athletic & Fitness Center. ALL skill levels are invited to join us for some physical activity and teamwork for the remainder of this semester.

Please join us, and remember, you can apply this to 1 hour of Wellness time per week. E-mail any questions to Michelle Moore at moorem1@grinnell.edu.


Health, Dental and Vision Rates & Open Enrollment
A memo announcing 2009 Health, Dental and Vision rates for College staff and faculty, and instructions/forms for enrolling in College medical plans were distributed this week via email and/or campus mail.

Open enrollment will be November 17 through December 5, 2008, for the plan year 2009. Open enrollment is a period of time when you may change your benefits, without a change in family status, for the upcoming benefit year(2009). Please contact Sherry Leshen at ext. 3500 if you have questions about these plans or the open enrollment process.


Time to Release a Little Stress
The effects of stress are familiar to you. You heart rate increases, your palms get sweaty, you breathe faster, you feel overwhelmed, and you have the desire to "get away from it all."

Stress is defined as the harmful physical or mental response to the pressures of an event or factors of living. Stress on the job can occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker.

The effects of stress
Biologically, when stress occurs, the body releases hormones that accelerate breathing and heart rate, and increase blood pressure and blood sugar levels. In the short term, these can be good, as they provide the body with the necessary energy to respond to the stressful situation. However, if stress goes on for a long period of time, the body cannot maintain this level and begins to wear down. The body's immune system will weaken, leaving the person more susceptible to illness.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that:

40 percent of workers report their job is very or extremely stressful;
26 percent of workers report they are often or very often burned out or stressed by their work;
29 percent of workers feel quite a bit or extremely stressed at work;
25 percent of workers consider their jobs to be the number one stressor in their lives.

Picture a warm, sandy beach…
When you feel yourself getting stressed, practice stress management techniques. Take a moment to do some deep breathing. Close your eyes and picture yourself on a warm, sandy beach surrounded by palm trees, listening to the sound of the gulls, the rolling of the waves, and the wind in the trees. Meditate for a few minutes. If your work area is too hectic to do this, walk away from it for a bit. Go talk to someone for a few minutes, walk to the cafeteria or break room, get something healthy out of the vending machine, and give yourself a little break. You will return a little more refreshed and ready to face what awaits you back at your desk. The latest research also shows that taking a short nap in the middle of the day can be beneficial to the heart and can relieve stress. So there's an argument for that nap room!

Another great stress reliever is laughter. Find something to laugh at (other than your coworkers). Keep a list of funny (but appropriate) jokes in your work area to look at when you need a lift. If you can find a list of English subtitles used in foreign films, those "interesting" translations are always good for a laugh. Keep a humorous page-a-day calendar at your desk. You know what they say…laughter is the best medicine.
- Prospera.com