BEMIDJI, Minn. — Rick Demers will provide a plan to break an unhealthy life cycle when he presents the program “Making Peace with Yourself: Managing Your Stress” at noon Wednesday, Feb. 11, at the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation, located at 3801 Bemidji Avenue North.

Participants are encouraged to bring a lunch for the one-hour session, which is open to the public at no charge.

“The way we manage our stress is according to our background, our programming,” Demers said of the cycle. “Our programming causes our beliefs, which cause our attitudes, affecting our feelings and finally our behaviors. Our behaviors then reinforce our programming.”

That programming may result in stress, which is a perception that demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize. The results of stress can be anxiety, depression and poor health.

According to the American Medical Association, stress is a factor in more than 75 percent of sickness today while the World Health Organization considers stress as America’s top health problem.

“I believe that most people spend their lives managing stress,” Demers added. “A person can change programming and manage stress in one of three ways: changing thoughts, changing behaviors, or changing lifestyles.”

The presentation will explain stress and outline how people can begin controlling its effect on their lives.

Demers received a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s in counseling psychology from the University of North Dakota. A licensed independent clinic social worker, he spent 19 years working as a social worker with young children. He currently is a training specialist for Leech Lake Gaming, where he works with employees in several capacities, including stress management and conflict resolution. He also does life coaching to help healthy people find more fulfillment.

The Brown Bag program is part of free training and informational presentations offered by the CRI each month. A full schedule can be found at http://www.cri-bsu.org/BrownbagSeries.html.

For more information, contact the Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation at (218) 755-4900; toll free, (888) 738-3224; email, cri@bemidjistate.edu; or at http://www.cri-bsu.org.

FOR YOUR CALENDAR
Feb. 11 – noon – Bemidji State University Center for Research and Innovation hosts Brown Bag Luncheon training sesson, “Making Peace with Yourself: Managing Your Stress.” Presenter: Rick Demers, training specialist, Leech Lake Gaming. Location: CRI; 3801 Bemidji Ave. N.; Bemidji, Minn. Cost: free; participants encouraged to bring lunch. For information: (218) 755-4900; (888) 738-3224; http://www.cri-bsu.org.