“Family Connections” is a virtual community for parents and caregivers who support loved ones facing substance use and/or mental health challenges. Families tell us they need credible resources, guidance on accessing help, and the opportunity to connect with others facing similar challenges. Monthly gatherings will focus on a specific topic, provide tips and tools, and offer the opportunity to network with other families.

Family Connections take place the first Thursday of every month at 1:30 p.m. ET. Join us October 6th from 1:30 – 2:30 pm for Be Strong and Carry On with Dana Asby, Program Specialist for the National Federation of Families and the National Family Support Technical Assistance Center.

Description: If there’s anything we’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that stress — and its ongoing effects — do not discriminate. It doesn’t care who you are, what you need to get done, or that you need to get back to sleep so you can work tomorrow. Keeping “calm” doesn’t always help you “carry on,” but strengthening your knowledge about stress, understanding its physical effects, and building new routines to interrupt the stress response cycle can give you a stronger foundation, so you are strong enough to carry on.

Learn how you and your family can stay “present” during times of uncertainty and increasing stress. Join us for a conversation and stress-reduction practice session with our own Dana Asby, project specialist for NFSTAC and the Federation of Families. Dana is a developmental and educational psychology researcher and author, as well as mental health and transformational leadership educator.

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will understand the various types of stress and resulting effects on the mind, body, and spirit, plus what happens when a stress-response cycle never turns “off.”
• Participants will learn how to gradually build or rebuild healthy habits and routines that can change their day and benefit parents, caregivers, and their family members.
• Acceptance Focus: Participants will learn why accepting and addressing daily stressors is a useful tool to build the formula that works for them — by recognizing that they can develop full control of their own reactions to stressors.