Mental Wellness Mastery: Mental Health Expert DeeAnna Merz Nagel On Everyday Life Hacks For Optimal Mental Wellness
An Interview With Eden Gold
Your body is your temple. Eat well. Sleep well. What goes in, on and around your body can impact your mood, emotions as well as your mental and physical health.
In our modern, fast-paced society, mental wellness is a crucial aspect of leading a fulfilling life. However, for many people, achieving and maintaining good mental health can be a challenging task, with obstacles such as stress, anxiety, depression, and more. That’s why it’s essential to have practical and accessible strategies for mental wellness that can help build resilience, emotional intelligence, and overall well-being. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing DeeAnna Merz Nagel.
Dr. DeeAnna Merz Nagel is a psychotherapist, coach, aromatherapist and spiritual teacher. She specializes in professional development courses that often double as personal growth experiences for therapists, coaches and healers. Dr. Nagel has co-created Essential Soul Care®, a psychospiritual model that offers tips and tools for living an expansive life. Her doctoral studies focused on multi-faith spiritual direction.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about Mental Wellness Life Hacks, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I had my first experience with therapy when I was in my mid-twenties. That provided me an opportunity to uncover and heal my own childhood trauma. I was so profoundly changed by the therapy I received, that I chose to become a therapist myself.
I also had a long history of “just knowing things” but I couldn’t hang out my shingle and call myself a seer. That would fall into the category of psychic, claircognizant, intuitive- and I had not yet accepted that about myself. Graduate school gave me an opportunity to learn formal counseling skills and also helped me integrate my intuition in ways that kept me within my scope of practice.
Fifteen years into my counseling career, I decided to become a coach and soon after that, I trained to be a Reiki Master Teacher. I was (and still am) fascinated with energy healing, especially from a distance. And during that time, I was introduced to essential oils. THAT was a game changer. Each of us are “awakened” in different ways and for me, the olfactory sense was a gateway to deeper spiritual understanding, bringing me more emotional and mental wellness. And because I love to learn, I took aromatherapy certification courses. With my daily practices both personal and professional, immersed in the psychospiritual, I decided to pursue a doctorate of theology in multi-faith spiritual direction.
All of this has culminated in my current endeavors. When I came out of the intuitive closet, pixie dust and all, I was told I was committing professional suicide. That has certainly not been the case. And now I teach others how to harness this goodness for themselves and their clients.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
About five years after I received my master’s degree and was working as a counselor, I became very ill. For a solid year I went without a diagnosis, I was in and out of the hospital and unable to work outside the home. Imagine. I was a counselor, accustomed to being in the room with the client. And this was before Zoom. I needed to get back to work. I was at my wits end so I went on the internet to find answers. I joined a bulletin board (remember those?) and posted my symptoms to other people experiencing similar. It was a matter of days before a few people chimed in and said, “You might have sarcoidosis.” I took this information to my doctor and was scolded for engaging in my own advocacy, but I demanded the diagnostic tests and indeed, I was diagnosed with stage 4 sarcoidosis. I was one of the first “e-patients” turning to the internet for support and for answers.
Through that experience, I realized the power of the internet for providing not only information, but emotional support. The people conversing with me from across the country, perhaps the globe, helped save my life, literally. So that led me to the next iteration of my career. I became a thought leader in the field of online therapy and telemental health. For many years, we thought leaders were sitting amongst ourselves proud of the possibilities, but nobody seemed to care.
As I branched out into other areas within the helping profession, I remained dedicated to spreading the gospel of online therapy. I wrote, I delivered online services, I taught. It was mostly a side hustle, but one I was passionate about for obvious reasons.
And then the pandemic happened. All the preaching and teaching of the previous two decades came to fruition and I trained thousands of therapists and coaches as they transitioned from in-person to online work. From that experience, students found out about my other teachings and that has sustained me to this day. Online therapy is not a hot topic anymore in terms of continuing education because it is mainstream now. That’s awesome because so many people who might not have sought mental health therapy can now do so easily and without stigma. Most interesting in terms of the trajectory of my career, for sure, don’t you think?
You are a successful individual. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Resilience. I always manage to get back on the horse when I am knocked down. When I was undiagnosed for a year with no idea what was wrong with me, I would not give up. I was determined to find an answer and move from victim to victor.
Perseverance. This can be a double-edged sword. I have been needfully perseverant many times in my life and there have also been times when I lost my intention and mindfulness and instead I perseverated. Prior to my diagnosis and after, I had times of sheer worry and anxiety due to concerns about my health.
Humility. I can’t say in my young adulthood, I would have described myself as humble, but after over three decades in the helping profession, I have learned, and I have grown. I have taught, but mostly I have been taught. Remaining open to learning from the people I serve has been a great gift.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview about mental wellness mastery. What is one often-overlooked daily habit that can significantly improve one’s mental wellness?
Be grateful. Research bares out the benefits of gratitude. Keeping a gratitude journal is a great habit to engage in. List at least 3 things you are grateful for every day. When you begin your day with gratitude, your heart becomes more open to both giving and receiving.
How do you recommend individuals recalibrate their mental wellness after experiencing a significant setback or failure?
First, be gentle with yourself. Feeling like the boat is rocking is normal. Take efforts to ground yourself using a grounding technique such as putting your feet in the dirt or placing a drop of essential oil such as frankincense or cypress on your root chakra (located at the tail bone). These are just a couple of examples. You can also take a serving of your favorite comfort food or talk to a trusted friend. There are so many ways to right the ship so explore and find a technique that resonates with you.
In your experience, what is a common misconception about mental health that hinders people from seeking help or improving their wellness?
The stigma of seeking help to become mentally well still exists. It’s getting better but people still hesitate to reach out for fear of what others will think. Most of us believe it is okay to go to the doctor if we break a bone or have a virus, but doing the same when we are not mentally well is still frowned upon in some circles. Work culture is shifting with in-house wellness programs and Employee Assistance Programs, but this is not universal. Also certain cultures and religions do not condone outside intervention.
Can you share a transformative moment or client story that highlights the power of a specific mental wellness strategy?
One of the first trainings I attended in undergraduate was for the domestic violence hotline so that I could volunteer. The crisis training I received was bar none and I learned early in my career how to work from a distance. We didn’t have the internet yet, but we were on the phone with people in crisis who were not in the same room. I learned the power of reaching out for help and support as the one giving the support. In later years, I would reach out on the internet when I struggled with health issues, I needed answers about my illness, but I also needed emotional support. Help is a phone call or a chat away. It doesn’t have to be therapy; Resources exist that offer free support 24/7. Befrienders.org and 7cups.com are two examples.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Everyday Life Hacks For Optimal Mental Wellness?”
1 . Keep a gratitude journal. This daily practice gifts you with a giving and receiving heart.
2 . Use essential oils. Find good quality pure essential oils and diffuse or inhale daily. A few drops such as lemon or lavender can shift your mood. When I conduct contemplative writing workshops and I pass around lemon, faces lift and I see smiles. That is because citrus oils are a mood brightener. When I pass lavender around, a calm falls like a soft feather into the room.
3 . Spend at least 10 minutes a day with a visualization, in meditation, prayer or just being intentionally quiet. Quiet the mind and the soul will speak. Countless people practice a form of mindfulness every day.
4 . Increase your awareness and intuition by tracking synchronicities in your life- those meaningful coincidences that occur all the time. When we are paying attention, and we can track these daily, that is a sign that we are on track.
5 . Your body is your temple. Eat well. Sleep well. What goes in, on and around your body can impact your mood, emotions as well as your mental and physical health.
What role does technology play in mental wellness today, and how can individuals leverage it positively without exacerbating mental health issues?
Just about everything in life can be taken to an extreme, right? We are all living in a mixed reality as we maneuver our day-to-day living and straddle technology at the same time. Most of us are wired up every day. Taking those 5 steps daily can help keep everything in perspective, including our use of technology. But as I have witnessed, technology also offers so much, especially in terms of mental health support, intervention and information.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
We are all beacons. I would start a movement of people who understand they are a beacon for others- people whose priority it is to shine their own light bright so others may benefit and do the same. Wouldn’t that be lovely?
How can our readers further follow you online?
@DeeAnnaNagel on IG and X
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Eden Gold, is a youth speaker, keynote speaker, founder of the online program Life After High School, and host of the Real Life Adulting Podcast. Being America’s rising force for positive change, Eden is a catalyst for change in shaping the future of education. With a lifelong mission of impacting the lives of 1 billion young adults, Eden serves as a practical guide, aiding young adults in honing their self-confidence, challenging societal conventions, and crafting a strategic roadmap towards the fulfilling lives they envision.
Do you need a dynamic speaker, or want to learn more about Eden’s programs? Click here: https://bit.ly/EdenGold
