K-State to host Living Well Wednesday sessions in November, December
MANHATTAN, Kan. — Got stress? If so, two Wednesdays this holiday season are about to provide a bit of relief.
Kansas State University is re-booting an online program first popularized during the COVID-19 pandemic when it hosts the series Living Well Wednesday in November and December.
K-State Research and Extension agent Erin Tynon (Pottawatomie County) and specialist Rachael Clews (southwest region) will present ‘Stress Less: Celebrate Self-Care Through the Holidays’ to kick off the series on Nov. 17.
On Dec. 8, extension agent Tristen Cope (Chisholm Trail District) and specialist JoEllyn Argabright (northwest region) will present ‘Stress Less: Connect and Communicate Through the Holidays.’
Both sessions will be held from 12:15 p.m. to 1 p.m. and are free, but interested persons are asked to register online or through their local extension office.
Tynon said the opening session will outline the “evolution of stress,” with a look at whether it can have a positive purpose in life, and what happens when it becomes overwhelming.
“We’ll share stress management techniques, or things each of us can do to eliminate stress or downplay stress in our lives,” she said. “We can’t control all of the circumstances that happen to us…so how do we help ourselves to alleviate the side effects of stress in our lives.”
Tynon said the session will provide “a bank of techniques.”
“You know, maybe this one (technique) didn’t work for me, but I can try something else,” she said. “Our goal is to help people learn how to hone in on creating the happy memories of the holiday season while alleviating the stress that is involved.”
The Dec. 8 session will focus on communication during the holidays across generations – from young children to older adults.
Sharolyn Jackson, a northeast area extension specialist, was a key force in establishing Living Well Together, a weekly one-hour series hosted by K-State Research and Extension through the first quarter of 2021.
“We heard from people that were feeling very isolated and we thought this is an opportunity for them to connect…(and to realize) that they’re not the only one’s feeling the way that they were,” Jackson said. “We got a lot of positive feedback about the wide variety of topics that we offered because there was something there for everyone.”
The November-December sessions are a continuation of that successful effort. She said more online programs focusing on healthy living are planned for the early part of 2022.
“I think that we have to understand that the pandemic is still with us in a lot of ways,” Jackson said. “We may not know how that is impacting family and friends getting together this year – obviously it did last year – but it is going to affect some things this year.”
A current schedule and program updates are available online.
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FOR PRINT PUBLICATIONS: Links used in this story
Living Well Wednesday, www.ksre.k-state.edu/fcs/livingwellwed/livewellwed.html
K-State Research and Extension statewide offices, www.ksre.k-state.edu/about/statewide-locations.html
K State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county extension offices, experiment fields, area extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K State campus in Manhattan. For more information, visit www.ksre.ksu.edu. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Story by:
Pat Melgares
785-532-1160
[email protected]
For more information:
Sharolyn Jackson
785-532-2273
[email protected]
Erin Tynon
785-457-3319
[email protected]
