A Mental Health Checklist

If you find yourself feeling blue, agitated, or just not 100% on your emotional game lately, there are a few things you can do that will help.

1)    Pray. Spend a few minutes in meditation and prayer each morning before you start your day. Even 5 minutes of quiet time will make a huge difference.

2)   Breath.  Take deep cleansing breaths in and out.  Practice this several times a day.  Deep breathing will help your cortisol levels which in turn will lower your stress.

3)   Exercise.  If a daily walk is all you do, change it up. Vigorously walk up hills or stairs or run a few yards off and on.  Install the “7 Minute Workout” on your phone and add that to your schedule.  Slowly increase the time until you can do 3 or more cycles of the workout.  When you get used to it, change it up again. 

4)   Sleep.  Most people are sleep-deprived and don’t know what to do about it.  All of our “smart devices” are playing havoc with our health, one way is by interrupting our sleep.  Don’t look at your screens 2 hours before you plan on sleeping; 1 hour minimum. 

5)   Diet.  Eat meals that are unprocessed, and include raw, organic food as minimally prepared as possible.  Avoid chemicals contained in most sauces and salad dressings.  Consume all caffeine before noon.  Things like colas and chocolate are culprits too.  Not only will they affect your mood, but later, your sleep, which in turn affects your mood.  

6)   Self-inventory. Your mental health will improve when you are proactive. Spend time examining your thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors. Be courageous and make those tough changes that will help you become a better version of yourself.  Seek professional help when you need it.  

Let me know if I can help.  You can email me at Donna@DonnaSchuller.com

3 Ways to Become a Better Version of YOU

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”  Eleanor Roosevelt

If you are guilty of talking more about people, or even events, instead of ideas and other great things found in living, I suggest you implement three things that will transform your life. 

1)    Travel.  By airplane, by train, or by car.  Often, I meet people who give off the vibe that they are more important than those who live in other  places in the nation, or in the world.  Take caution, narrow mindedness, judgmentalism, extremism and bigotry can occupy the minds of those who have limited knowledge of how God’s presence and love spans the globe. God doesn’t love anyone more or less than the person who makes a living sweeping floors in the Midwest or who stands on the side of the road selling bananas in Africa.  

2)   Get a job.  If you don’t need the money, then work for spiritual and emotional growth. (It will also help you physically) If you don’t travel because you “can’t afford it,” save some money in a travel fund.  In just a year’s time, you can go almost anywhere. If you don’t need money, then volunteer. Go to the local thrift store and put in a few hours a week.  Engage with the people who shop there.  Learn their stories. It will transform your life. 

3)   Turn off the news and forget about politics until it’s election time. The constant barrage of negative messages, dispersed via social and traditional media, is exhausting and divisive.  If you don’t use social media for work, consider abandoning it altogether.  Get a social media private family account for sharing photos and other kind, loving information.  

If you need help sorting all this out please contact me and I will give you practical steps you can take that will help you a lot! 

You Still Have Time to Accomplish Your 2019 Goals!

It’s July, and 2019  which means you still have almost 6 months to accomplish the goals you set for yourself back in January! Here are some simple steps that will help you finish a productive year:

1) Write your goals down. Remember- “if you’re failing to plan, you’re planning to fail.” Handwrite them first and then put them on a word doc. Your brain will process the goals differently if you engage your motor skills. It’s like writing them on your brain.

2) Prioritize and categorize. Always list what you do want.

3) Keep your goals visible. Post them in a few different areas where you will see them several times a day.

4) Be accountable. Share your goals with your family and your best friend. Accountability helps you stay the course.

5) Review your goals periodically. As weeks and months go by, scrutinize your goals. Your circumstances may change in any number of ways throughout the year. Update individual goals or eliminate those that are no longer essential.

6) Reward yourself for achieving each goal. Upon accomplishing a well-earned goal, treat yourself with something you’ve wanted. Maybe it’s a new pair of shoes or lunch out at your favorite restaurant. Maybe it’s making a donation to the charity of your choice. Celebrate your accomplishments.

7) Rework goals that seem too difficult to reach. If you find a goal that seems impossible to initiate, re-write that goal in a way that makes achievement possible.

8) Be a goal-setter for life. It’s never too late to start, or, to start over.

By following these steps, you will be more likely to achieve whatever you set your mind on!