Dr. Vicki Berkus
Patti R. Albaugh
Dr. Vicki Berkus, Ph.D., M.D. and CEDS (certified eating disorders specialist) was the featured speaker at a recent SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary meeting. She is a psychiatrist and a twenty-two year resident of SaddleBrooke. She is the author of Ten Commitments to Mental Fitness.
Dr. Berkus has found that one of the most useful mental health tools we can use is mindfulness. Staying in the here and now keeps us from drifting into negative self-talk, worry and blame. She recommends a daily practice of a four question psychological inventory, each of which is answered by one word describing a feeling. The four questions are 1. How do I feel about me today? 2. How do I feel about the significant others in my life? 3. How do I feel about today’s tasks? 4. How do I feel about yesterday’s events? The purpose of the inventory is to help your subconscious learn that you count, your feelings count and your thoughts count.
Growing older is filled with changes, Dr. Berkus stated, and it’s easy to caught up in the “if onlies” and “what ifs.” If we find ourselves overwhelmed, however, it’s important to get support and have someone who can help us look at options.
SaddleBrooke Sunrise Rotary meets 8:00 a.m. Thursday mornings at the MountainView Country Club. For more information, contact President Tim Johnston at 520-219-1290.
Our next meeting is Thursday, August 11, HOA 2, East Room, at 8:00 a.m. Speaker is Louise Grabell, Master Gardeners of SaddleBrooke. Then Thursday, August 18, same place and time. The speaker is Al Mellenkomph, SaddleBrooke Western Heritage Preservation.