The National Institutes of Health reports that stress can cause both short- and long-term changes to your body and mind.

Chronic stress can take a mental and physical toll, increasing blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and has been linked to cardiovascular problems such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, and stroke.

If stress has a way of creeping into your daily life, you are not alone. But that doesn’t mean it has to negatively affect your wellbeing. The Division of Human Resources (HR) has launched a series of workshops designed to help faculty and staff win the war on stress and tackle tension.

Led by experts from Penn’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), the Relaxing Ways to Manage Your Stress sessions provide different relaxation tools and guided imagery practices to help make stress management a lifelong habit. The series offers hands-on practice using a variety of breathing techniques and muscle relaxation tips for everyday use—at work and at home.

"We noticed an increase in the number of employees using our EAP services for stress-related issues, as well as a higher demand for our stress relief workshops," says Marilyn Kraut, director of HR's Quality of Worklife Programs. HR began offering the sessions in January to help faculty and staff better cope with stress. 

The free workshop series runs on the last Wednesday of each month from February through May. The next program, led by an expert from Penn Behavioral Health, will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 29, from noon to 1 p.m. at Houston Hall, Class of ‘49 Auditorium.

For more information, contact HR at 215-573-2471 or email gstull@upenn.edu.