The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

 By: Lucas Olan, IMH  One of the most interesting phenomena of the human experience is the inquisitive desire to get to the heart of the matter. The “heart of the matter” is an expression that leads us to inquire about results and meaning. Simply put, “We always want to know WHY?” “Why is this happening?” “Why am I feeling this way?” “Why did I not see this coming?” All of these very real questions bring us to a place of anxiety. This preoccupation with a future, whether known or unknown, encases us into a mental and emotional struggle. We yearn for a locus of control which we find in our present days is fluid at best. The combination of futuristic worry and the intertwined fear subsequently results in a mass of probable outcomes which now puts a strain on our hearts figuratively and biologically. In the days trailing the precedent of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more inhabitants have walked into professional mental health consult concerned with irregularities in their c

  by Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC Understanding how AQ can reduce fear and help you build post-covid normal. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced they were relaxing the guidelines on wearing facemasks for fully vaccinated people you might have thought most people would feel relief. Surprisingly, you would have been wrong. Half of those surveyed about returning to their pre-pandemic lifestyles told the American Psychological Association they felt uneasy or even scared about going back to in-person interactions as the pandemic ends. Attending concerts, movies, dining in restaurants, dating, going to a sporting event or worship service, travel to visit aging relatives, or even return to their workstation inside an office building caused many to feel a sense of panic.   Why would Americans be afraid to take off the facemasks they have been required to wear over a year? It has to do with understanding what the word ‘normal’ meant to them during differen