The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

  On Veterans Day, and every day, we honor and express our utmost gratitude to our veterans for their willingness to make sacrifices for our country. Veterans Day is set aside annually on November 11th to honor our veterans who have served in the United States Armed Services. This is different from Memorial Day which is set aside in memory of those who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Serving in the military requires commitment and at times can be harsh. As a U.S. Army Infantry veteran myself I can attest to these hardships. Hard and tough training is only the beginning. The only choice you get is to do what you are told. You have to endure long days and nights with very little sleep, freezing cold, extreme heat, rain, snow, being hungry and not knowing what is going to happen tomorrow. “First to go and last to know” is a common phrase. Another one is “don’t ask why, just do or die.” This is all part of the military culture and it’s very stressful. Witnessin...

By: Brian Murray, LMHC, NCC Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Practicing gratitude and having a thankful heart has many benefits. Multiple studies show that gratitude helps our emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. Think of it this way, three parts of our life are a lot like a three-legged stool. If one of the legs is missing or out of balance the stool will fall over. This is a great metaphor to practice living our lives in a balanced way.   Gratitude is part of a positive psychology approach that has been shown to increase our immune capability, improve relationships and decrease anxiety and depression. This happens because of positive thoughts sending neurological signals to the brain that life is good. This does not mean that we look at the world through rose colored glasses, but to take some time each day to find something to be thankful for.   A good and easy way to start practicing gratitude is to start a ...