"Coping with the Stress of Change" Webinar

Coping with the Stress of Change

      Wednesday, April 27 @ 0900-1000 (ET)

S – T – R – E – S – S….it comes at all of us in one form or another.  However one of the greatest sources of stress is change! 

The FLO Unaccompanied Tour Support Team knows all about change.

 

Change of location, change of routine, change of lifestyle, change of parenting skills, changes in relationships due to separation, and the list goes on. 

This webinar is open to all employees and adult family members.

We hope you’ll join us to discuss coping skills in dealing with change and the stress that comes along with it at our next webinar.

Virtual participants will need a computer with a high-speed internet connection and computer speakers. The “chat” function will allow virtual participants to post questions during the presentation.

To participate in the webinar visit:  Department of State Webinar Enter as a guest; type your first name and your current or future post. 

A digital link to a workbook to accompany the “Coping with the Stress of Change” webinar is available upon request by writing to FLOAskUT@state.gov.

No matter what kind of change you’re dealing with there’s no reason to let it get the better of you. FLO UT Team is here to help! The webinar session will be led by our partners at MHN

 Any questions please contact us at FLOAskUT@state.gov or call 202-647-1076 

Life in the Hooch

"Hey Roomie!"

Who knew that at this point in life, of living on your own or with your spouse and kids, you may be reverting back to having a roommate??

Welcome to life in a hooch!

Excerpted from DSMP Director, Dr. Chantay P. White's article "The Reality of Living with a Roommate" are some great 'Tips for living in the field' which will help smooth out any wrinkles that may arise from sharing tight quarters with a roomie:

Space:                  be considerate.  You each get 1/2, it's that easy unless otherwise mutually 
                              agreed.

Permission:          the golden rule is to ask permission before using your roomie's personal
                               items; no exceptions.

Shhhhh:                it comes down to negotiation.  Schedule when "quiet times" and "activity 
                               hours" are, then respect them.

Cleanliness:          it's next to godliness, or so the saying goes.  But there's no need to be a 
                               'god/goddess' but you do need to keep your space clean.  Agree upon the
                               cleanliness expectation from the beginning.

Moola:                   talk money from the start;  decide how the common household items will 
                               be divied up

Listen:                  be a good listener; be patient; make comprimises; be understanding; be 
                              asssertive (not passive or aggressive)
                       
Communicate:     Don't let things fester.  Repectful communication to solve conflicts 
                               that may arise, will go far to make a happy home.  Agreeing on mutually 
                               acceptable "rules" for living together will make having a roomie more fun!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Family Liaison Office (FLO) together with MHN  will conduct an interactive in-person and virtual webinar on Tuesday Feb 18, 2014 @ 9am EST. 

The webinar is designed for all employees and their family members (spouse, partner, children, parents, siblings) experiencing or interested 

in an unaccompanied tour (UT).

Participants may attend in person or call in.  The session will last one hour.  To participate virtually,contact FLOAskUT@state.gov for sign-on instructions.   If attending in person, it will be held in room 1239 of the Harry S. Truman Building.  

Topics to be covered will include an explanation of MHN’s services inclusive of navigating the MHN website to find health and work/life articles, assessments, and resources as well as an overview of existing FLO services, counseling options, and specialized training.

Coming in the Spring....

another informative webinar on April 16, 2014 dealing with the subject of “Reintegration after an Unaccompanied Tour".  The session will present material on all aspects of reintegration; relationships, family life issues, and work issues.

Communication Tips During a UT

Communication Tips for Unaccompanied Tours

By Margaret 

Communicating during a UT can sometimes be a challenge.  Uncontrollable factors such as time differences, work and other commitments that require time and attention, and power outages (just to name a few) can really impact our ability to communicate with our loved ones serving abroad.  Because communication is important and sometimes limited, we must make sure that we make every second count when we do get the opportunity to communicate. The following are some tips for communicating during a UT:

1.    Keeping it in perspective.  Understand that what may seem urgent to you back here on the home front may not seem as urgent to your loved one who is serving on a UT.  Therefore, if you share an issue with your loved one and do not receive a response that you like, don’t take it personally.  Nine times out of ten, your spouse may be dealing with issues that are far more urgent than those that are going on at home.  However, rest assured that this does not mean that he/she is not concerned about your issue.  Keep things in perspective, and don’t waste valuable time on the phone, Skype, etc. complaining about issues that are really out of your spouse’s control.  Instead, value the time that you have to communicate with one another, and try to focus on the positive.

2.    Keep it creative.  Oftentimes, long distance communication with your loved one can become routine, boring, and limited. While modern technology has made it easy to communicate with our loved ones who are away, sometimes it may be worthwhile to revert back to “snail mail” for a change.  Instead of using the telephone or Skype, try writing a love letter to your spouse. Can you imagine how happy he/she will be to receive a thoughtful, hand-written love letter? If writing is not your thing, simply send a care package with items that communicate “I love you” such as a CD with a mixture of love songs, a book of poems, or a collage of pictures that illustrate “love.” 

3.    Keep FLO/UT in mind in times of uncertainty.  Uncontrollable factors such as power outages, civil unrest, and long work hours may sometimes make it impossible for your loved one serving on a UT to communicate with you.   If you have not heard from your loved one and are concerned about whether or not he/she is okay, please do not hesitate to contact FLO/UT with your concerns.  We are here for you!

It's a Kodak moment!

                     

                 UT Team with our Director and Secretary Clinton on December 14th, 2011

Mark your calendars...

We will be meeting for coffee again on Thursday, April 28th at 10:30 at Ballston Mall Starbucks.  We have changed the time in hopes that more people will be able to join us!  Please email FLOaskUT@state.gov if you have any questions.

You are invited to the UT coffee club with the UT Team, fellow UTers and possibly some Embassy Cairo evacuees.

Please join us!

When:  Thursday, February 17th, 2011 at 1:30PM

Where:  Contact UT team please

Call us at 202-647-1076 or email FLOaskUT@state.gov for event details and location. 

See you there!

Happy Holidays from UT!

Here is a shot of our UT office's Holiday tree!  We wish everyone a safe, healthy and happy Holiday! 

Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays

Thank you to everyone who attended the December 14th event!  We were so happy to have the opportunity to meet everyone in person and we so appreciate your support.  Here are a few photos from the event.  :) Enjoy!

Happy Holidays from UT!

The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, will host Diplomacy at Home for the Holidays, a reception for family members of unaccompanied tour employees on Tuesday, December 14^th at the Department of State. This is a wonderful opportunity for family members in the Washington, DC area to get into the holiday spirit and to honor the work, service and sacrifice of State Department men and women that are currently on unaccompanied tours.

In order to receive an official invitation, please email CeremonialsRSVP@state.gov. Official invitations with more details on the reception will be sent out in the following weeks - at that time you will be able to provide your RSVP.

Please note that ‘Family’ is defined broadly to include spouse, partner, fiancé, parent, sibling, and children of anyone under Chief of Mission at an unaccompanied tour posting.

This week!!!

           UT Coffee Club Inauguration Event

Are you separated from your loved one by an unaccompanied tour (UT)?

Do you live in the D.C. area? 
Want to meet some new people?

Join our UT Coffee Club!  We will meet monthly with fellow

UT family members.  Join us to chat and enjoy a cup of coffee.

 

     When: October 27th, 2:30pm

     Why:  To have fun!  Meet new people and

     relate to fellow UTers

     Who is invited:  UT families and friends

 Please email us at FLOaskUT@state.gov for the location of the event! 

  See you there!

  “Because a cup of coffee shared with a friend

    is happiness tasted and time well spent.”

   Please RSVP to FLOaskUT@state.gov

DC's traveling food trucks- Worth the line?

Ever see these food trucks and wonder why the lines are SO long---but wished you had the time to see what all the fuss was about? Well, the Washington Post did all the work for you and reviewed the most popular traveling food trucks in the area, in "Finding the Wheel Deal: We rate the trucks".

To make you smile

“A man is but the product of his thoughts what he thinks, he becomes.”
---Gandhi

“I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today.”
----William Allen

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.”
---Benjamin Franklin

I feel better already! Share a favorite quote with us. :)