The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Megan Brewer, LMHC   Did you grow up in a home with psychological abuse? For as long as Jane could remember, she struggled with depression and anxiety. After carrying her struggles on her own for years, she decided to seek the help of a counselor. As Jane began to explore her feelings and the stories attached to them, she and her counselor started talking about the kind of home she remembered growing up in. “My home life was OK,” she said. “We were never physically abused or anything like that, and my parents provided for what we needed.” But as Jane continued to explore and unpack the relational dynamics of her childhood home, a different story began to emerge. While her father was involved in different areas of her life, she remembered being afraid of him most of the time. She remembered fragments of memories about how her dad used to treat her mom, and it never seemed right. It often felt confusing to think about. No one outside of the family seemed to really know abou...

By: Dwight Bain, LMHC, NCC  When your brain is refreshed from a good night of sleep your mind and body perform better. Sadly, over 25 percent of Americans report trouble getting to sleep according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 10 percent of those experience insomnia. Research shows chronic sleep deprivation takes almost 16 years off your life while ruining your quality of life (QL) in the process. Continual sleeplessness leads to a higher risk for chronic illnesses like heart disease and stroke. If you want a better life it starts with better sleep. Here is a checklist of 26 factors to get you started.   ___ Keep a sleep schedule of going to bed and waking up at the same time every day ___ Practice a bedtime routine to get your body and mind prepared to sleep ___ Take a break from work tasks an hour before bedtime to let your mind wind down ___ Avoid talking about stressful issues or conflict right before bedtime ___ Keep y...