The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By: Christine Hammond LMHC It took several committee meetings for Jill to put together a thorough proposal for the management of a new department. She did the work under the presumption that her narcissistic boss would be open to suggestions and recommendations from the committee. But even given that liberty, Jill carefully still sought out opinions from those outside the committee and department to ensure that the most accurate information was gathered and properly processed. She had achieved unanimous agreement from the committee on how to precede, something that was unheard of in the past. Not wanting her boss to be caught off guard during the proposal meeting with the committee, she messaged a preview of their progress privately to her boss. Just before the meeting began, she was ecstatic at the opportunity to effect real change in the company. As they sat around the conference table, the boss quickly took control of the meeting and did not allow Jill or the commi...

By: Christine Hammond, LMHC Do you ever feel like there isn’t enough time to do everything that is needed, wanted, or demanded?   Time seems to slip by unnoticed like a thief in the night who has taken all of your prized possessions with little satisfaction left over.   Minutes turn into hours, hours turn into days then years just disappear with hardly a remembrance of a fulfilled passion or dream.   The sadness looms over you and knowing that some direction, guidance, wisdom and counsel is absolutely essential just adds to the frustration of a ticking clock. So when the stillness of the early morning hours finds you pondering random thoughts over and over, you finally give in and get up searching for answers.   Googling results in numerous blogs, all with helpful tips, but nothing really satisfies.   Praying brings some peace but nothing really changes.   Even if a friend was awake the conversation would result in a competition over how busy o...

By: Christine Hammond, MS, IMH Do you have a senior from high school or college who seems to have shut down and is no longer productive? Maybe they were productive in the past but now they are procrastinating, their grades are sliding, they don’t care about the things that mattered to them in the past and their tempers seem to be higher than normal. Or perhaps they seem to negatively obsess over a class, another student, or a family member. In short, your senior is different and not for the better. Change is difficult for most people and transitioning from a high school student to a college student or from a college student into the workforce can be more change than they are prepared to handle. Stress levels are high whenever someone moves but add to that a change in status, change in environments, change in friendships, and change in expectations. Now you have a recipe for one stressed out senior. So how can you help? By paying attention to their behavior and acting acco...

By Chris Hammond, MS, IMH Have you ever begun a project knowing that it was the right thing to do but everything seems to be working against you? Without even realizing it, discouragement overtakes you and what appears to be a good idea has now been put on the back burner. Maybe the discouragement came in the form of criticism by a loved one or in the form of diminished enthusiasm from co-workers or in the form of last minute emergencies that consume excessive amounts of time. Regardless of the source of discouragement, it is there and the once great project is no longer getting any of your attention. There is a story in the Old Testament about a group of people who tried to rebuild the Temple after it was destroyed but got discouraged (book of Haggai). Several governmental officials went out of their way to prevent the rebuilding from happening and slow the efforts of the workers. The workers in turn got distracted with building their own houses, planting crops and tending to the...