The Lifeworks Group, Inc.

By Chris Hammond Have you ever felt as though you were doing everything you could, yet no matter how hard you tried, things got worse and worse?   Are you caught in a trap that leaves you feeling helpless, frustrated and discouraged?   Do you find that your behavior, which you believe is careful and cautious, is perceived by others as obsessive and often repels instead of drawing them closer?   Certain emotions such as fear can add fuel to an obsessive cycle that leaves you feeling trapped and out of control. It all starts with a painful event such as abuse by a relative, abandonment by a friend or rejection from a job.   Each of these events can spark fear directed at another person for their part in the event or directed at you for failure in handling the event properly.   This feeling of fear is uncomfortable so you counteract it with a desire to over-control yourself, others or your environment.   So you turn to the obsession of your...

By: Brian M Murray, MS, IMH Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Learning to let go of things that cause anxiety is not always an easy task. God calls us forward to present those things to Him through prayer and petition as found in the Philippians scripture. Learning how to manage anxiety is nothing new and there are many references regarding it throughout the Bible. Anxiety is a natural feeling and serves a purpose to protect ourselves from the threat of harm and danger. This is often exhibited commonly as fight or flight. However, if the threat is not real and only a perception of harm and danger it can lead to unwarranted feelings of distress. Anxiety often is the result of worry and fear about a situation that creates feelings of uneasiness often found in the pit of the stomach. It’s the relentless worrying about something that is not within our control. Very often in...