Stormy Weather

A storm hit this part of the country over the last couple of days
We've had rain
High winds
Sleet
Hail
Thunder
And the mountains are covered in snow
It's been so lovely to snuggle up with a hot cup of sweet tea
A fire blazing
Cozy pyjamas
And listen to the storm raging outside
The dogs are terrified of the thunder though

It's been hard to get a walk in over the last few days
The weather has just been so bad
But I love this kind of weather
I really hope it snows for Christmas

Today we went down to the beach to watch the waves
The sea was so wild
Here are some photos
Although they don't do it justice....

Christmas Survival Guide

It's almost Christmas again
Where this year has gone
I do not know
I thought I would do a list of tips to get through the holidays
As I know people with EDs can really struggle this time of year
Please feel free to add in any of your own
These are a mixture of my own experience
And tips from other sites

It's important to remember that everyone with an  ED is different
What works for one person
May not work for another
It's important to find what works for you
And focus on that

I love Christmas
But there is no denying that it can be a tricky time of year
I think it's important that we all find strategies that help us get through
And come out the other side relatively sane!

Remember Christmas is just another day
There is so much hype around the day itself
And if you are to believe the songs
'It's the most wonderful time of year'
This is not strictly true
Christmas can be a really tough time of year
For those who are sick
Who have no family
Who have no where to call home
Just because it is Christmas
It does not mean that everything is perfect
So if you don't feel like celebrating
That's ok
Just do as much as you feel able for
No one expects any more than that


Christmas is not all about food
Even though sometimes it can feel that way
Stick to your routine
If you have a meal plan
Stick to that
Although saying that
If you eat more on Christmas day
That's ok too
It's one day
And no damage will be done
Try not to let meal times become a negative experience over the holidays
Distract yourself before and after eating
Or even during eating
Take a walk
Phone a friends
Help out around the house
Beware of all or nothing patterns of thinking
Eating nothing or everything
It's about listening to your body and recognizing your own needs

I try to stick to my usual eating on Christmas Day
But it's easy to get caught up in the day and over eat
Don't best yourself up if this happens
You can get back on track tomorrow

Keep in touch
It's easy to become completely enveloped by home life during the holidays
Which can become claustrophobic, stressful or make Christmas related stress seem greater than it would otherwise
Make sure you maintain contact with the outside world
And you don't get drawn in to a vortex!
Make time to email, call or see your friends
Get out of the house
And do something outside of the family

There will be 10 here in my house for Christmas Day this year
I know I will be taking the dogs for plenty of walks over the holidays
Or going for a spin in my car
When I was a smoker
That was my excuse to take 10 minutes for myself
But I can still do that
Without the cigarettes of course

Comments
If you are coming home for Christmas
You may be seeing friends and family that you haven't seen in a while
If you are in recovery
Be prepared for the comments
Being told you 'look well' can be really tough
Acknowledge that people want to  give a compliment
Say thank you
And quickly change the subject

I am still getting comments about my appearance
Although I have to say it is getting easier
It may help to ask your family not to mention your appearance
Or give them some information on EDs
So your family have  a better idea of what is going on for you


Increase in symptoms
It's common for people who suffer from EDs to experience an increase in symptoms of their illness as the holiday season approaches.
 This may be due to stress over the impending festivities and/or anticipation of the presence of challenging (often high calorie) food in the weeks to come.
 Many sufferers will tell themselves that if they lose a few pounds before the holidays, they will be able to eat like everyone else
In reality this approach rarely works and the ED reasserts itself during the family time

As you know
I have been struggling myself in the run up to the holidays
And it is truly scary how things can take a turn for the worse
I am trying and fighting hard to get back on track
I am trying to treat this time of year like any other
Trying to use mindfulness to calm my mind
And I think I may need to go back to meetings
Just for my own sanity

Planning Ahead

In the midst of the problem however, good planning will help make the holidays a little easier. Below is a list of suggestions to help cope with the holidays:

• Talk to your treatment team and help identify what difficulties you may expect and problem-solve some strategies for dealing with them.
• If you are following a meal plan try to stick to it over the holidays. Try to anticipate some of the situations that will make following it harder, such as time in transit, time changes, and not having access to your usual foods. If you are traveling, plan how or where you will get the food you need.
• If you are traveling, it is wise to pack some snack foods both for the time in transit and to have upon arrival at the destination until you can go shopping.
• Make a list of things you can do to help relax and distract yourself from the feelings of fullness after a big meal. e.g. go for a walk, take a bath, read, visit a friend, go for a drive, etc. If you are traveling be sure to bring some of your distraction activities.
• Have the phone numbers of your treatment team and friends available to you.
• If you need to be at a function with certain people who make you uncomfortable, plan some ways to excuse yourself from their immediate presence. Put your own health above anything else at all times.
• Try not to count calories and try to avoid the scale.
• If you feel yourself starting to panic because you are feeling too full or if you allowed yourself to eat foods that you consider to be forbidden, remind yourself it is okay to eat what you did, that food will not make you fat, and it is normal to eat more during the holidays. Most people do and it really is okay.
• If you end up bingeing or purging, do not beat yourself up over it. Just put it behind you and move forward. Try to get back on track at the next meal.
• Prepare responses to people who may say something to you that would make you uncomfortable.
• If you feel you need to, set some boundaries for yourself by telling people ahead of time that you do not want anyone to comment on your appearance or your eating.
• Be sure to plan some time for yourself to do something that you enjoy. It is very important to take special care of yourself during the holidays.

I hope these tips helped you get through Christmas
Please feel free to add in any of your own
Wishing you a happy and peaceful Christmas
Remember it is just one day
Remember you are stronger than you know
More capable than you think
Take care
And have a safe holiday

Breakdowns and break ins

Thanks everyone
For your support on my last post
I really didn't want to write it
I didn't want to admit that I was struggling
The last thing I want to do is worry anyone
Or let anyone down
I've worked so hard to win my little piece of recovery
And even though it was far from perfect
At least it was a start
And was a hell of a lot better than living in the midst on an ED

I just worry about myself sometimes
How quickly my thinking can change
How my behaviour can turn on a dime
Thee have been a few things on my mind
My trip to Dublin reminded me
That the drug I was addicted to is still out there
I have been having non stop drug dreams since last Friday
I guess I am craving
Craving escape
Craving oblivion
Craving a break from the reality that is recovery from an ED and addiction

I don't really deal that well with reality
At least reality on realities terms
I like being able to switch off
To check off the planet for a while
I joke here at home
That Monday is my day off life
And it is
The only I do on a Monday is go to the doctor
I take my meds
And sleep for most of the day
It's my day off

But yes
Reality can bite
I hate to be so present
To be thinking all the time
Or in my case over thinking
I get bored very easily
And I hate being bored
As I always say
I like to keep myself in a state that I can fall asleep whenever I want
I can just enjoy oblivion for a while

Of course I know that this is not healthy
I know technically I am not clean and sober
And my ED is just another escape of me
I float off to the land of weight and numbers and food
And the rest of my brain switches off
And speaking of numbers
The dreaded weighing scale has made it back in to my life
I did throw one in to the lake back in he summer
But there is another one in the house
And I have been using it every morning
Rad flag right there!!!
However I am determined that this slip will not become a relapse
God dammit I have worked too hard to throw this all away
I won't let it happen this time

Anyway
It's Monday morning
I saw my doctor first thing
I was siting in the waiting room
Trying to find the words to tell him that I am struggling
I don't know what I wanted him to do
But at least I would have told someone
I was called  in to his room
I sat down
And he launched in to a story about his dogs
And radio
And anything else that was on his mind
I just couldn't find an opening to tell him
So I left without saying a word

I took my script and was walking up to the pharmacy
I saw a police car at the back entrance
Where I was going to go in the side door
Then I saw my pharmacist standing outside
She told me that they had been broken in to
And they couldn't touch anything inside
As it was a crime scene
And they were waiting for forensics to arive
She asked me if my meds were urgent
I told her they were
She went inside to see of she could organize another pharmacy to dispense my meds
Then I saw the owner
She looked really shook and upset
I asked her if everyone was ok
She said they were
Then another staff member came out and told me that the pharmacist would be out in a few minutes
I stood in the freezing cold waiting
I saw the door
The shutter was forced up
And the glass was broken
I could see part of the shop
It looked completely ransacked
A while later the pharmacist came out
And she had my meds
It really was very good of her
And I told her I really appreciated it
I really felt bad for them
As they are a family business
And what a rotten time of year for it to happen
I really feel for them

So I guess now it is up to me to get back on track
First things first
I need to put a ban on weighing myself
Maybe even get rid of this scale too?
Then make a meal plan
Which we used to do and it was very helpful
I know I have the ability to get back to where I was
I  just need to put things in place to help myself
It's not even about being thin anymore
I have been there
Done that
Bought the extra small t-shirt
It's about control
It's about running away from myself
And my life

I also need to ask for help
From my family
Why is it so hard to ask for help?
It seems to me that the 3 hardest phrases to say are
I'm sorry
I love you
And help me
I rarely say any of them
Apart from I'm sorry

I am not perfect
Recovery is not perfect
There will be highs and lows
Ups and downs
And that is ok
It's life
Nothing ever runs perfectly smoothly
At least I have acknowledged this slip
And I can do something about it

One good thing that happened last week
Was that I got a call from a the counsellor whose waiting list I was put on
So I am going to ring her today
And hopefully I can see her soon

So yes
I am struggling
I am not ok
But I will be
I know I will be

Honesty

Ok
I need to be honest about a few things
Everything is not well over here in Recovery Land
Something is amiss
And I'm not quite sure when or why it happened
All I know is that over the last couple of weeks
My purging has increased markedly
And I've lost more than a few pounds
My Mother has commented that  my face looks thinner
She said very seriously that she hopes I don't spin out of control again
God I don't want that to happen
I really don't

I know a couple of weeks ago
I was going for long periods of time without eating
And of course that culminated in a binge
Which culminated in me purging
And once I purge once
I seem to do it again and again
Lather, rinse, repeat

Last night for example
I wasn't aware that I was jumping up out of my seat every few minutes
I was up and down
And in and out of the kitchen like a yo-yo
I didn't become aware of it
Until my mother commented that I was very restless
And I was
Everytime I got up
I had something else to eat
And then purged afterwards
I knew in the lead up to my going to Dublin
That I was stress eating
But I thought that was because I was nervous and anxious about my trip
But now the trip is over
I am still eating and purging
I won't say binging and purging
Because what I am eating does not constitute a binge

Then this morning
My sister kept asking me if I was ok
She said I looked very pale
And eventually said that she had noticed that I had lost weight the last couple of weeks
I feel terrible
Because I don't want to be worrying my family
I am barely a few months in to my recovery
And it seems to be slipping through my fingers

I was reluctant to write this post
As I said I don't want to worry anyone
But I have to acknowledge where I am
That I am indeed struggling
And may need extra support
Especially at this time of year
When stress levels are high

I know one thing for sure
I don't want to go back the way I was
Sick
I don't want to be that person
I can'r go there again
I just can't
I have to much to lose now
My family has too much to lose
Things are just beginning to turn around for me
But I have to admit
I am not fine
I don't feel fine
The happy glow from my face has disappeared again
I feel like I am slipping
I am grappling with my hands to hang on to the little bit of recovery that I have
But every day it seems further away

As I always say
This is not my first rodeo
This is not my first slip
Or relapse
I know the way they happen
They creep up on you
And you don't realize it until you are up to your neck in it
By then it's almost to late
The damage is done

I know what I need to do to stop this
To get off the speeding train that is a relapse
But knowing it
And doing it
Are two completely different things
It's no secret that I struggled to come to terms with my weight re-gain
I was delighted when I thought my weight was settling
But now it is going down and down
And I feel powerless to stop it

I don't feel the thrill of weight loss any more
The only thing I felt when my sister remarked that I had lost weight was sorry that she was worried
There is no pleasure in this thing any more
That left a long time ago
Now all that is left is bitterness and resentment
Confusion and fear
I don't want to be sick again
I may have another relapse in me
But I don't have another recovery
I don't know if I could do this all again
It had taken so much out of me

Again
I was reluctant to write this post
As I didn't want to let my family down
I didn't want to let you down
I know my story have given you hope
And I really don't want to take that away
But in the same breath
I have to be honest about where I am at
And where my head is at
I'm not ok
I'm not fine
I'm afraid
I'm confused as to why this is happening again
When it is the last thing that I want
I know what I need to do
Ask for help
Tell people I am struggling
I guess that is what I am doing here
Letting you know
And asking for help

Clothes Post # 10

I picked up a couple of tops in Dublin on Friday
The blue woolly one I am going to wear on Christmas day
I just to find something to wear with it
The others are just for casual wear
Here they are......

Navy and orange lace top - Superdry

Grey hoody with Aztec print - Protest

Blue wool jumper - Fat Face

Dublin!

It's  early Saturday morning
The only reason I am up is that Lea was barking to get out
I am sleeping
And A bit grumpy
But that's only because I spent a wonderful day in Dublin yesterday with my friends
It was quite the eventful day
Let me tell you about it

I got up at seven
It was pitch dark
I made a cup of tea
Let the dogs out
Called my sister
And then set about getting ready
I put on my Dublin outfit
Straightened my hair
And put on make up as best I could at that hour of the morning
My sister made me have some breakfast
But I could barely eat it
As I had such butterflies in my tummy
Just before eight
We set off for the train station

There have been many times this week when I have thought
'What am I a doing?
Am I nuts?
I can't go to Dublin
Back to the place I used to use
I can't do it'
There have been many times when I talked myself out of going
But something in me really wanted to go
I knew it was a big deal for me
For many reason
It was really pushing me outside of my comfort zone
And we all know how much I love my comfort zone
But also
These girls
Are special
These girls will always have a place in my heart
They saw me at my worst
When I was beaten and broken
And they gave me nothing but love and encouragement
Of course I wanted to see them
Even if it meant braving my old using haunts

The train was at nine
I got there about 8 45 am
Got a cup of tea
And settle in to my seat
My friend arrived soon after
And the train pulled off

It was a 3 hour journey
Although we didn't find it as we were talking the whole time
Then something very peculiar happened
We were about half way to Dublin
When a young girl sat down on the seat beside us
I would say she was about 12
And I'm thinking she was, what we call a Traveller
Maybe you use the word gypsy?
So she sat down
And produced a box of Christmas cards
And a sponsorship sheet
She explained that she was collecting money to give to children who had no presents for Christmas
It all sounded very vague
But we let her talk
When she had finished speaking
My friend
Who I will call L, said
'I've given a lot already this Christmas so I will say no thank you'
Then the girl looked at me
I thought the whole thing sounded a bit suspect
So I asked her some questions
Who is the money for exactly?
She repeated her spiel
I wasn't convinced
So I asked what she was giving in return for the 5 Euros she was asking for
'A card' she replied
'One card?' I asked
'yes' she said
I couldn't help but laugh at this point
As it all seemed a bit ridiculous
It was then that the girl started to get very annoyed
She sat there for a minute
In utter dismay that we would not give her any money
Then she turned to L and said
'Well at least you say thanks, not like some people'
And shot me a dirty look
I continued to laugh
Mostly because I was a bit nervous and wasn't exactly sure  what was happening
The she turned to me and snapped
'What is your problem?' She demanded
I said I had no problem
She sat there for a good 2 minutes just fuming
I was in disbelief
I wasn't so much worried about her
As I was who she had with her
Where there is one Traveller there tends to be many more
Eventually the girl got up and went back to her seat
Which was just behind mine
I could hear her giving out yards about me to someone who I presumed was her mother
But there also seemed to be a gaggle of young lads with them too
I have to admit
I felt a bit uneasy
A minute later she came back
'WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?' she demanded again
But this time didn't give me time to answer
And stomped off again
By this stage other passengers were looking at us
Thank God for my friend L
Who unlike me has no problem telling someone off
She sat up straight and said of that girl came back she would tell her where to go
Thankfully soon after that
The girl seemed to forget about the incident
And didn't bother me again
Although I did worry when I was walking up the train platform and saw about 12 of them all gathered together
I just kept my head down and kept walking
I probably shouldn't have laughed at her in first place
But it just came out

Anyway
The train pulled in to Dublin at 12pm
We gathered our things
And set off for Suffolk street
Where we were meeting our other friend
Who I will call K
Walking through Dublin was harder than I thought
As we made our way through the streets
I could feel the anxiety rising
And it didn't help that I had forgotten to take my meds that morning
I went very quiet
And went right in to my head
At one point I thought I was going to have a panic attack
I just felt so over whelmed
Every where I looked
I saw addicts and junkies and alcoholics and homeless people
It was too much
I'm not sure how I calmed myself down
I didn't say anything to L about how I was feeling
As I didn't want to worry her
Soon we arrived at our destination
I was so glad to get off the streets
The place we were meeting was called Avoca
A beautiful shop and cafe
Myself and L had a browse around while we waited for K

I must give you a little back ground information
As you know
I was in treatment last year
L was already there when I arrived
She is 46
A mother of 3
And lives in the same town as me
K came in a few weeks later
She is almost 21
And lives about an hour from Dublin
They are both amazing kind and caring girls
I have so much love for them

Soon K arrived
I gave her a huge hug
It was so lovely to see her
We all chatter for a minute
Then made our way up to the cafe
It was so busy
And we were lucky to get a table
I was a bit nervous to eat
As I wasn't hungry at all
But I knew I should eat something
In the end we all ordered carrot and sage soup
Spot the ED girls!
Although L ordered skinny fries too

We had such a lovely time chatting
We talked about how we could remember treatment like it was yesterday
Conversation we had
What people were wearing
What they were doing and saying
It's like time stopped then
We talked about the carol service we went to when we were all on bed rest
The time Julia the nurse pushed mine and K's beds in to the lounge so we could watch a film in bed
All the times I feel asleep in group
The time we made red velvet cake in cooking and it exploded in the oven
So many memories
And such fond ones too

After a spot of lunch we hit the shops
I have to admit
I was very full after the big bowl of soup
But I soon forgot about it as we walked
We were heading for Temple Bar
The cool trendy part of Dublin
We were looking for a shop called Siopa Eile
Which is a consignment store for high end and designer clothes
It took us a good half hour to find it
As we weaved in and out of the cobbled streets
In the end we found it and a couple of vintage shops
Which were amazing
L found two dresses in Siopa Eile that she tried on
One was a hot pink revealing number
When she tried it on
All the shop assistants gathered around her telling her how skinny she was
And saying things like
'Oh my God I need to exercise
I need to exercise right now
I wish I look like that'
And she did look smokin' hot
So beautiful
Then she tried on a very sixties black and blue dress
Again it looked amazing
But in the end she didn't buy either

After that we went to Superdry for yours truly
I bough a navy and orange top
When I tried it on
The two girls stood at the dressing room door telling how well I look now
'Your hair
Your skin
Your eyes'
I was mortified
I really can't take a compliment

Next we headed for Henry Street
Where the girls wanted to go to the big department store to get make up
And I wanted to go to Fat Face
I know
I am so predictable
I left the girls to their make up
And I head across the road
Where I bought a blue woolly jumper to wear on Christmas day

By now it was almost 4pm
And getting dark
I decided I would try and mae the 4pm train
As I really didn't want to be in Dublin when it got dark
I met the girls again
And told them I was heading for home
Hugs and kisses
And telling each other to keep going
And we would see each other soon
Then just as I was leaving
K pulled two Christmas gifts from her bag
And gave one each to me and L
I was so touched
How kind of her
More hugs
And I left the girls
I speed walked down to the station
And made it with 2 minutes to spare

My sister picked me up
And I arrived home about 8pm
Tired but very happy
Happy that I saw my friends
And spent some time with them
Happy that I had faced my fears
And pushed through the anxiety
All in all
It was a great day

I only took a few photos
So here they are..........

Temple Bar

You can see L and K in the left of this photo

L and K

One of the vintage stored we went in to

Tired Ruby on the train on the way back

Dublin tomorrow!

It's Thursday night
I am so excited
For tomorrow I head for the big smoke to meet my friends
I can't wait!
I love Dublin
Especially at this time of year
I just have to be careful to avoid my old stomping ground
If I stick with my friends I should be fine

Tonight I have been getting ready
Having a shower
Doing my hair
Packing  a little bag with wallet, travel pass (Yes I get free travel, one of the perks of being on disability)
And a book to read on the train
Laying my clothes out for the morning
And just generally making sure that I am mentally prepared for this
The last time these girls saw me
I was very ill
So I am both nervous and excited to tell them how I have been getting on
It's good though
I wrote a post about my comfort zone recently
And I think this is a good way to test the boundaries

I won't get to post tomorrow
As I will be on the road early
But I promise to let you all know how it goes
And of course some photos
Until then........