With the holiday season approaching, various departments and organizations at Naval Medical Center Portsmouth (NMCP) provided resources to staff members during a holiday stress awareness fair. Caregivers Occupational Stress Control (CgOSC), Drug and Alcohol Program Advisors (DAPA), Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society (NMCRS), Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), and Pastoral Care representatives were on sight to hand out information on many different stressors and ways to cope and manage those stressors.
“We are here today promoting the resources that we have available for all of the staff to help with managing stress, whether it’s work stress, personal stress, or day-to-day stress, said Lt. Nina Shepherd, a CgOSC member. “We are here so people know that we have resources and that we are available to come out to different locations within the hospital or the clinics, and that they have people to reach out to if they need it.”
One focus of stress awareness and managing stress is the potential for it to lead to domestic violence. FFSC and Pastoral Care provided information and resources on how they can help.
“Everything works together, the stressors in military life, the stressors with family members getting jobs or when a spouse deploys, all go into play,” said Lori Thomas, the lead for the Work and Family Life Program through FFCS. “We are trying to work toward stress management and trying to help with the underlying issues before they become domestic violence.”
The holiday season not only brings stress, but can also bring depression. Thomas encourages people to look out for each other, look for signs of stress, depression or suicidal ideations and get them help.
Stressors often times leads to alcohol, and alcohol can lead to additional issues or problems and bad decisions.
“While drinking alcohol and being highly intoxicated they get into an argument with their spouse, or while drinking alcohol and being highly intoxicated they make the terrible decision to get in the car and drive home, or while drinking alcohol and being highly intoxicated they make poor choices, so we want to let our Sailors know who we are, that we are here to help them, and that we are here to be their advocate,” said Lt. j.g. Nicole Morris, command DAPA.
Holiday times also bring celebrations, and with celebrations people tend to drink. DAPA members brought the beer goggles for staff to wear to show how drinking changes depth perception, and one reason why getting behind the wheel is a poor choice.