September 2009 Archive
45 Lessons of Life
09.22.09
This blog is unlike any I have shared before. It is actually just the content of an e-mail forward I received! However, I have found myself re-reading it all week since it first appeared in my inbox. I have been greatly inspired by the wisdom of these words and thought many of you may be as well. How can these wise words empower your recovery, life and relationships? Enjoy and share!
Written By Regina Brett, 50 years old.
1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.
12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry
13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.
16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.
35. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
36. Growing old beats the alternative — dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.
41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come.
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
We want to know what YOU think about Eating Disorders.
09.15.09
Researchers at the University at Albany in Albany, New York, are conducting a study that examines how individuals struggling with eating disorders think about their disorders. We are looking for your insight about how and why your symptoms started and have changed over time.
Participation in this study would involve providing basic demographic information, your current eating disorder symptoms, and information about how you think your eating disorder and related symptoms developed and have changed over time.
All the information we collect will be anonymous. Your participation will be kept confidential.
You can participate in the survey by going to http://tinyurl.com/lsz8yr
If you have any questions about the study, please contact the investigator, Dr. Drew Anderson, at the University at Albany: telephone: 518-442-4835; email:drewa@albany.edu.
Fall…a time for apples, pumpkin, football and new beginnings…
09.14.09
It is that time of year! The time for football, apples, all things pumpkin and back to school!
Every year I find myself pondering new beginnings as the first fall crispness hits the air and the leaves begin to change. It’s funny, Fall is not the marker of new beginnings for me anymore. I am no longer in school, yet I still find myself re-examining where I am and where my life is headed every September. Something about fall compels me to examine the possibility of new beginnings.
Much of what I have learned for myself on the advent of this new autumn can be applied for those in recovery from an eating disorder.
As I looked back at the past year I recognized that despite the pace at which I had been working, I found myself always feeling one step behind. At first I had difficulty pinpointing why this would be. Gradually, it dawned on me. I simply have been taking on too much. I had not taken any time to step back, re-evaluate and prioritize the things I needed to do both personally and professionally. At the end of the day many things I most wanted to do remained on the “To Do” list with no end. In turn, I was constantly judging myself and criticizing myself for not getting it ALL done. I realized I did need to do more– I needed to do better.
Doing more did not mean taking on additional responsibilities and increasing demands. It meant taking care of myself. It meant coordinating my schedule in a way that worked for me. This included doing the work I felt passionately about and not doing things only because I thought I should or I was supposed to. So, this fall I am committing to saying “No” when I need to and allowing time for the things that mean the most (Hmmm…more blogs! Upcoming additions and services for Mindfullness! New Mindfullness activities!!) and less what I feel I should do.
People with eating disorders like to please. They tend to have high expectations for themselves and others which often leads to feeling overloaded and overwhelmed. As this autumn begins, how can you put yourself first, before the shoulds that the eating disorder so often dictates?
08.19.09
| September 18, 2009 | to | September 20, 2009 |
National Eating Disorder Association Conference Minneapolis