10 things.

not much to report on today...just wanted to leave you with this thought for today from a wonderful woman's blog (Kristina Wandzilak). It focuses on addiction but i think it rings true for eating disorders as well...

10 Things You Can Do for Yourself

I’ve been asked over the years about things families who have been affected by addiction can do for themselves, whether their addicts are sober or not.

Here are the top 10:

1. Tell the truth. Families of addiction are afraid to tell the truth. Feelings are only feelings. They will not kill nor do they need to direct your life.

2. Keep your own use of alcohol in check. You cannot pass on what you do not have.

3. Do not let your life plans be derailed by another person’s choices or consequences. Addiction will derail the best-laid plans if you allow it to. Stay focused on path, and your family will follow.

4. Take a break from alcohol. Create new family traditions that don’t include alcohol. If addiction has affected your family firsthand, it makes sense to take a break from all substances and enjoy life unaltered, sometimes for the first time, in years.

5. Don’t be afraid to be different. Not as many people will notice if you choose to take on number 4. Set the tone for your family and lead the way. It simply isn’t true, that “everyone drinks.” Be brave. Be sober.

6. Attend a 12-step meeting. You do not have to have your own addiction to attend a 12 meeting, and the redemption in the rooms is contagious and the good will palpable. Go. Be inspired and enjoy the liberation that fills the 12-step rooms.

7. Be of service to someone else. Nothing soothes the soul like getting outside of yourself.

8. Play. Take time to play. Families that have been affected by addiction become accustom to heavy tension, free-floating fear and a sense of powerlessness to help themselves and those they love most. Over time, this “walking on egg shells feeling” becomes the norm. Families need to play. Run on the beach, walk down a sidewalk and notice something you haven’t noticed before, or simply get up ten minutes earlier and stare out the window and take in the beauty of early morning.

9. Write a gratitude list. Families of addiction can have a narrow tunnel of vision as the disease slowly takes over the lives of the family members. When you have an addicted family member it can be difficult to see what is good when every movement can be painful, never knowing if your loved one will live or die. Write a gratitude list. Put down everything you are grateful for. I guarantee that by the time you get to number 10 you’ll begin to feel better, if only for moments.

10. Ride a bike. I know this might sound silly, but just try it. I think it’s impossible to ride a bike and not smile. There’s something young and free about riding a bike that will, if only a short time, soothe the deepest ache that addiction can cause. Ride a bike and see what happens.