One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is…

By IHM Sisters and IHM Associates

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is unplug from my computer and cell phone and go for a walk. This allows my eyes and brain to become realigned to my heart and body resulting in a greater sense of wholeness, peace and calm. -Sister Grace Surdovel 

Engage both my positive and negative emotions to learn what they mean to teach me to foster deeper emotional growth. -Sister Joanne Madden 

I do a few things every day: I begin my day with gusto before sunrise. I pray, exercise outside, offer my being to the universe and ask for the grace of our Creator God. -Sister Donna Korba 

I try to exercise each day and be still in my thinking. -Sister Regina Burns 

I sit by the river or ocean and reflect on Jesus’ time on the water. -Dorothy Dove, IHM Associate 

One thing I do to stay emotionally well is stay in contact with my friends and try to exercise often. -Sister Anne Mary Boslett 

I practice yoga, chat with friends, talk with a therapist and spiritual director. -Lisa Orlandini, IHM Associate 

I pray daily, attend Mass, and meditate on scripture. I go to yoga classes and socialize with family and friends. I walk one hour a day. I have reconnected with three IHM Associates from my Circle of Grace and we plan to meet soon. -Eileen O’Donnell, IHM Associate 

One thing that I do to stay emotionally healthy is take some quiet time “to be.” -Sister Mary Ellen Higgins 

I remember reading this advice and copying it in my prayer journal: “To boost your productivity and happiness, write three sentences a day. Today I will: Focus on… Be grateful for… Let go of….” This is not my idea, however it is an act that helps me stay emotionally healthy. I cannot remember the source, only that I read it as a reflection on Dec 10, 2021 in Give Us This Day. I find that these are always in the back of my mind in prayer. Focusing on gratitude is perhaps the most important thing I do and journaling is something I regularly do that helps me stay emotionally healthy. I think about those three things: “focus, gratitude, and letting go.” -Jo-Ann Baca, IHM Associate 

To stay emotionally healthy, I make an effort to be faithful to a time of personal prayer each morning. I remember that one of my brothers-in-law sat at the breakfast table with a cup of coffee for a length of time every morning. One day I asked Bill what he thought about for that length of time. He responded by saying, “I get my head on straight.” I’ve often thought about his remark. Without giving it a name, he was communing with the Lord about the coming day. I believe I do the same by spending time in personal prayer each morning. -Sister Michael Marie Hartman 

One thing–and the first thing I do every day to stay emotionally healthy is to acknowledge how much God loves me and then, I thank him for his blessings and his love! -Madonna A. Smith, IHM Associate 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is exercise. My nightly exercises for my back and my daily 1/2 hour rosary walk both keep me physically fit, which is necessary for my emotional well-being. Without both, I would not be able to go through the day without pain, and, at my age, that would make me a basket case. -Sister Miriam Joseph Reinhardt 

I stay in touch with Jesus. -Margaret Keller, IHM Associate 

I believe to stay emotionally healthy is to stay spiritually strong with one’s church community and one’s Circle of Grace. -Raymond Wheeler, IHM Associate 

I receive spiritual direction monthly, connect with friends or family weekly, and have prayer time and laughter daily! -Sister Mindy Welding 

I smell the flowers and blow out the candles. -Frank Walsh, IHM Associate 

My husband and I watch Mass daily and listen to music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. We also listen to religious themed music such as, “There are no Scars in Heaven,” “The Prayer,” and “O Danny Boy.” We had a wonderful pet, Danny Boy, a black lab, that we rescued in 2007 from Griffin Pond Dog Shelter. Danny went home to God on February 1, 2022. We are having a difficult time without him. I pray every day and ask God if we should rescue another dog. -Barbara and Joe McCarthy, IHM Associates 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is my morning prayer time. I find that this quiet alone time sets me for the day as I pray for family, friends, our world and myself. -Pat Sheehan, IHM Associate 

I take a few moments each day to sit quietly and reflect on what I’m grateful for. It helps me to see that there is always something good in every day. No matter what difficulties life may bring, there are also many blessings. -Becky DePrato, IHM Associate 

One thing I do is I attend an opera or some other musical opportunity. I also am engaged in watching sporting events. I try to allow for some quiet time each day where I can sing my praise and thanksgiving to my Lord. -Sister Dolores M. Banick 

I join with my sisters here in Sicuani and order pizza on Friday nights, which we enjoy together, along with a wine cooler. It is part of our “wholeness” according to our IHM Core Values. -Sister Eileen Egan

I try to maintain a positive attitude, live a balanced lifestyle of prayer, exercise and work, and be of service to others. -Sister Mary Martha Gardiner 

I meditate, do yoga, and write in a gratitude journal each night! -Sister Karen Steinberg 

I stay positive and know God walks beside me always. Namaste. -Cheryl Kosydar, IHM Associate 

I keep my sense of humor and laugh a lot! -Sister Jane Gaughan 

I talk to and listen to a lot of people. Communication! Connection is the ticket for me! -Sister Maria Rose Kelly 

I regularly practice Sabbath time that rejuvenates the human spirit. Also staying connected, delighting and enjoying relationships, sharing a good meal and conversation with a friend contribute to my emotional wellness. -Sister Suzanne Delaney 

I enjoy my porch at Our Lady of Peace Residence and the delightful birds who come to visit. -Sister Margaret Gannon 

I think that prayer is my means of staying calm and well. -Sister M. Alphonsa Concilio 

One thing I do to be emotionally well is to make sure my bird feeder is full so I can watch those beautiful creatures enjoying life as I should. -Sister Lenore Thomas 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is, piecing things together (1000 piece puzzles). -Sister Joel Marie Sheehe 

Before I could address the topic, I needed to define “emotions.” Emotions are associated with bodily reactions that are activated through neurotransmitters and hormones released by the brain in response to our interpretation of a specific trigger. These can be conscious or subconscious. Feelings come after the emotions and are the conscious experience of the emotional reaction. We and others can spend years or a lifetime trying to understand the depth of our emotions. On our journey toward wholeness we need to be aware of our feelings and, if needed, try to trace them back to the underlying emotion. Wellness necessitates addressing and understanding the negatives and reinforcing the positives. -Sister Janet Yurkanin 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is, think of what is possible rather than look backward and dwell on the past that I cannot change. -Sister Janet Milan 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is focus on the Holy One within guiding, guarding and loving me, believing that this God, who has always been active in my life, won’t give up now. -Sister Robert Mary Murphy 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is talk and text on the phone and visit people since I am a “people person.” -Sister Francis Rose Lapitino 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is read the daily newspaper comics (for early morning laughs) Crankshaft, Pickles, Family Circus and Maxine’s “Words of Wisdom” from her daily calendar. -Sister Marion Tarone 

I spend time with God explaining how I feel and asking for help to sort out my feelings. The time I spend with God could be on a walk, in a chapel or sitting quietly in a comfortable chair. Often, I don’t have to explain, God knows and helps. Spending time thinking with gratitude of all God has given me also helps me to stay emotionally healthy. -Sister Delia M. McNeirney 

I have a nightly phone call with a sister resident at Our Lady of Peace. We talk about the events of our day. The end of our conversation is always, “I think it is time to say good night!” -Sister Judith Ann Ziegler 

Yes… flowers! Buy an amaryllis (preferably red!) and watch it grow! Get a bunch of tulips or daffodils and enjoy their beauty… or surprise someone else! Look for signs of spring everywhere! -Sister Theresa Frere 

To stay emotionally healthy I remind myself that my God is a good God and has been with me in good times and not so good… so why would God leave me now? Sometimes God sends someone to talk with and enlighten me. Other times the Spirit strengthens me with a positive suggestion as to what to do and how to view a situation. I try not to dwell on the negative. I take a walk, read a book, listen to some good music. These help to clear the air. -Sister Helene Hicks 

Being in touch with my emotions is key to informing discernment, knowing myself, knowing others and my relationship with Jesus. To understand my emotions (with my head and heart) and how I express them directly impacts my ability to be in relationship with others and the world around me. I intentionally reflect on my emotions each day in prayer and find myself asking, “what emotions did Jesus experience” and “how is Jesus feeling.” An intentional healthy balance of all the key elements of my life (spiritual, ministerial, intellectual, emotional, physical, environmental, stewardship) keeps me emotionally healthy. Really, when one element is missing, it can affect my emotional health. They are all intertwined! -Sister Liz McGill 

I get up early every day, so that I can have my coffee and breakfast in bed and reflect on the Scripture readings for the day. Then I walk and/ or bike around Marywood University campus and breathe in the beauty around me. -Sister Mary Elaine Anderson 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is stay connected with people, whether via social media, sending cards, calling, or visiting. -Jean Shields, IHM Associate 

All dimensions of wholeness are interconnected and are essential components of vital living. From my perspective, however, the spiritual and emotional are aligned to feed into each other. Much is said about mindfulness these days. This intentional practice of self-awareness alerts me to the fact that I might be feeling out of sorts; will I stay in my mood, sadly polluting the field of presence around me? Perhaps during the course of the day I make a critical mistake and immediately I hear the negative self-talk going on in my head. Becoming irritated, will I then beat myself up? I celebrate emotions as gifts from God, that is, if I use them as my growing edges while doing my inner soul work. St. Alphonsus Liguori was convinced that, “God is crazy in love with us.” Edwina Gately echoes his message in her book, Psalms of a Lay Woman, when she prays, “Let your God love you… God loves you with an enormous love.” When I recall those words while dealing with an array of emotional states, my mind turns toward my heart and I am attuned to feel into those subtle, assuring whispers of the Holy One. Gratefully and humbly, by claiming the transforming power of emotional well-being, I can be the presence and action of LOVE in the world. “And the greatest of these is Love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13) -Jean Louise Bachetti 

Each day, I recall a different memory that has given me joy and thank God for that special gift. It really sets the “tone” for my day. -Sister Cor Immaculatum Heffernan 

I have a Kindle and my sister-in-law gifts me with wonderful books to read. Somehow they always have a depth of beauty in the characters which takes me into their lives. I walk often with our dog Blackie and enjoy the beauty all around me in these fields of corn and the surrounding Andes mountains. -Sister Ancilla Maloney 

One thing I do to stay emotionally healthy is to be faithful to daily Mass, hearing the Liturgy of the Word, and partaking in the Eucharistic celebration. -Sister Rosella Salvato