Odds are, you and I have very similar stories. Stress feels like a vise squeezing us from all sides. Worry is an annoying companion who keeps coming back. Fear of being wrong. Concern we've hurt someone we love. All the "what if'" anxiety worries chase us around like howling wolves. Decision-making can be a nightmare. Pounding heart, racing thoughts, shortness of breath, inability to sleep, and feeling overwhelmed. How do we make it stop? I've spent more than 16 years personally wrestling with this question. There's no simple answer. You can't "just put it out of your mind" or "think about something else." It's unnerving to be a confident, mature adult one moment and feel helpless or insecure the next. We try to hang onto Bible verses such as: cast all our cares on God, all things are possible with God, and God doesn't give us more than we can bear. Now you and I know all these truths in our head. We've tried to push worry aside and incorporate healthy stress reduction activities. But it's still there and it's draining and frustrating, bringing a hopelessness to our soul. My journey to freedom began many years ago on the client side of the counseling couch. There I poured out all the ways I'd tried to deal with stress, worry, and fear, sharing disappointment at my failure to control those qualities. Wisely, my counselor helped me expand my understanding about stress, teaching me to look holistically at my life rather than viewing it through a narrow lens. I'm passionate about helping folks understand the concepts in this book and develop healthy, godly strategies to handle stress and worry. That's why I went back to school and received a M.A. in Clinical Pastoral Counseling. Utilizing my faith, education, and personal experience, I help clients look at three main factors which feed into the stress and worry in their lives: Physiological, External, and Internal stressors. I'm excited to share these insights in my Moving from Fear to Freedom book series.