10 Things About Me

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Kickin'It Old Skool, Day 5
Today's idea is a classic, simple as that: "Tell Us 10 Things About You". Sounds easy peasy, but is it? What to tell? Try not to state the obvious, or perhaps I should exactly do that. 10 things, pfew... Let me think...

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If you don't know me yet, I'll share 10 things you should at least know about me...

If you do know me, can you predict which things I'm going to share in this list? Stop reading, make a list and tell me afterwards how many you had correct. :)

1. I'm married to the love of my life, Ron. Next Saturday is our 18th wedding anniversary, but we are together for more than 25 years. We met at a local marching band: he was on drums, I was a majorette/twirler. And the rest as they say is history... and present, and future! :)
2. I'm pagan, more precisely I call myself an eclectic heathen witch. Interested why or what that means to me? Read more here and of course you'll find lots of pagan stuff on this blog.
3. I'm a Robbie Williams fan ever since he left Take That back in the day. I have all his albums, dvd's and more. I've been to several concerts. This year I went to his Take The Crown Tour and just yesterday I scored tickets for his Swings Both Ways Tour next year. Woohoo! :) Read my posts about him here.
4. I love reading, I love books. I have a lot of books; you can see a small portion (appr. 1200 of them...) in my LibraryThing. I breathe books, like the smell, sound, feel, etc. of real books. My all time favourite book is The Lord Of The Rings, but there's so much more...
5. I'm a Trekkie! Love, love, love Star Trek. I like The Original Series and love the rest. I have all seasons of The Next Generation, Voyager and Deep Space Nine and all movies on dvd. I would love to have Enterprise too. Years ago I've been on television talking about Star Trek. That same day I've met Patrick Stewart, my favourite actor (not only as Capt. Picard).
6. I'm very fond of (all!) animals. I'm a cat-lover and a dog-lover. Some say you can't be both, but I am. We share our home with 3 cats (Freyja, Bastet & Maia - goddess names) and two dogs (Foofur, a crossbreed Welsh Corgi / Jack Russell, and Arwen, a Bernese Mountaindog). Read and see more of them here on my blog.
7. In the past I have been struggling with eating disorders and depression. For some years now I use my experience to help others. I tell my story, educate and give information to different groups of people: teenagers, students, fellow-sufferers, nurses, etc. I coach social workers and medical professionals in how to be of real help to a patient on the way to recovery by showing them a different point of view. 
8. I'm a computer-addict. :) Internet, social media, downloading, digital photography and lots, lots more. I like to learn and try out new things. It's my window to the world.
9. I love all seasons, but especially winter. Snow, ice, cold sunny weather... I've written about that yesterday, so I'll leave it at that here.
10. I like to make herbal home remedies. I'm a reiki master. I make my own candles. Ron and I brew mead. I collect Dutch stamps. I miss my mum and dad. I'm a hobby-genealogist. There's always more to know... And yes, I know this is cheating. ;-))

O what a day...

This morning I did a guest lesson for staff nurses about eating disorders. It's one of the things I do to help others with my experience. It was part of a special information day in a mental health care institution. I tell about my own experiences and discuss with the audience (this time nurses, but it can be any audience). When they are social workers I try to make them see that patients are individual persons that need an individual approach. They aren't cases that need to be treated according to protocol. Of course treatment protocols are necessary, but I try to make them think outside the box. I give them a view from the other side. As usual the response was positive, they were thankful for my input. I believe I gave them something to think about and that's exactly what I want to achieve.

When I wanted to go home afterwards I encountered a problem. A car had parked so stupidly that I couldn't get out of my space. I tried to get out by direction of someone that tried to help, but it couldn't be done. I was stuck between a lamppost, a tree and that car. The personnel was very kind and tried to help me in every way they could. I called Ron and he got the name of the owner through the car dealer. Unfortunately that wasn't someone known there. After two hours I called the police, but they said they couldn't help me as I was on private property. Eventually two people from the local parking management team came. They weren't allowed to tow away the car either, but they managed to get my car a few inches sideways with a drag-rope on my tow bar. That way I could finally drive away. After three hours I was on my way home. I was pissed and worn out, but thankful for the help and happy to go home at last. Quite the adventure...

I'm back!

Wow, it has been looooooong since I posted a blog. The reason..? Hmmm. The easiest answer would be "I'm busy", but that's not all true. I often thought about posting, but it just didn't end up here. Ah well, whatever the reason... I'm here! :-)
I have been doing some things during the 'silent time' that are worth mentioning; here are some (not in any particular order).

April 10th I attended a workshop with Linda Wormhoudt about Seidr. She has written a great book about it: "Seidr, het Noordse pad", so I was looking forward to learn more. We were asked to bring our staff or another stick, as the theme of the day was to work with the staff and with energyfields. Apart for some theory it was a lot of action; not hearing about it, but trying it ourselves. Very interesting and worthwhile!

I discovered a lovely bookshop in Haarlem called De Groene Godin (The Green Goddess). I often shop in Haarlem and I even lived in the city centre long ago, but I didn't know it. It's a little shop with a large table in the back where you can sit, drink tea etc. and workshops are held. I did a workshop there with Mandragora some weeks ago. We made an ointment and a tincture. I learned new things and had a great evening!

I was asked to tell my personal experience story and talk about depression in a theme group of a day-care program in a hospital. I went there twice. The first time I told my story and answered questions; the second time I answered more questions and we discussed it further. The supervisor/counsellor was very content, the group was positive and for me it was another good experience with this work!

The Tuesday before Easter Evert and I went to the Matthäus Passion in Breda. It was a great performance with wonderful soloists. My favourite part are the bass voices and they were very good! In the afternoon we went to 'my tree' in the Mastbos. It had been some time since I could be there. We also visited the burial mounds (around 1700-1000 BC) on De Regte Heide. There are six of them, but a little one in the back caught my attention. It felt very strong. There was a tree nearby and I couldn't resist climbing in it...

More later! :)

End of the aftercare group

In August I started an aftercare group for people with an eating disorder with Chantal in Haarlem. Unfortunately we had to call it quits last Monday. The group we started with said goodbye one by one and we couldn't find enough new participants to keep the group going.. We did all we could think of to promote the group and to make it known, but the response wasn't enough.

In December we had 3 people. Then one of them stopped to get more intensive therapy. One other was very enthusistic, but after one cancellation we didn't hear from her again. I tried to contact her by mail, sms, phone... nothing! I really don't understand; I hope nothing serious happened.

And so we ended up with only one participant. When I contacted Chantal about it, she had more bad news. She has to stop because of health issues of her own. I know another woman that wants to step in, but into what...? The foundation of the group is gone. We could only pull the plug...

I feel disappointed. Everyone always says there aren't enough aftercare groups in our area, but when there is one there aren't enough participants. I know I did my best, but I'm sad about it nevertheless. It was the right decision to stop, but it feels wrong...

Busy busy bee

Wow, raising a puppy and training her to relieve herself outside is hard work! Last Wednesday we had the first time puppy-training with Arwen. It was a lot of playing and learning while playing, but it's a start. She met a lot of different dogs: big and small, nice and not-so-nice, etc. Yesterday she had her second vaccination. She grew 1.35 kilo (3 lbs) in 1 week, although she still has diarrhoea most of the time. She got tablets Panacur for that and we're trying to regulate it by keeping her on rice and chicken for the weekend. I think keeping clean will be easier when this problem is solved. But besides the problems and fatigue we're still very very happy that she's part of our family now! She's adorable, cute, playful... our sweetie pie!
You can see more pics of her in my Facebook album "Arwen".

Last Monday was the first meeting of the aftercare group in Haarlem. Chantal and I take turns to lead the group, I started. One woman had to cancel the group, because she couldn't find a proper babysitter (she has a child with special needs); she cancelled the night before. Another didn't show up and doesn't react at all. A third woman didn't show up, but had e-mailed about it very short before we met. With the other cancellations we only have 4 women in the group now instead of 11! The women know each other from the selfhelp group they did.
All in all it wasn't a nice way to start. I started with the announcements and info. After an introduction round we took a break. After the break we tried to make an inventory of subjects to talk about, things that are still difficult to deal with, etc. We talked, but the communication didn't go smoothly. It was a bit remote, stiff. Of course this was the first time, but I noticed it made me very insecure. I was asking myself what I did wrong. Looking back I would say I didn't do anything wrong, but still... Ah well, we won't give up, it will get better!

Aftercare group

In 2005 I did the training to be able to lead a self-help or aftercare group for people with an eating disorder. With the help of a professional health care institution and other volunteers I tried to set up a group. A self-help group started, but the aftercare for people who had Binge Eating Disorder (BED) didn't get enough participants. After a few years we decided to leave it for a while. Some weeks ago I was approached to lead a general (all eating disorders) aftercare group. I didn't have to think long! And now we are preparing to start next Monday!

I'll do the group with Chantal. We already have enough participants, because most of the self-help group wants to do an aftercare group together. With a few others the group is ready! I'm really looking forward to do this. It's a bit exciting too, I'm nervous but in a good way. There are still some things to do, but that will be okay. We'll meet fortnightly on Monday evenings from 7 till 9 PM in Haarlem.

TT #98: random stuff

Thirteen random things It has been a while since I did a TT, so here's a new one. Just some random stuff I'd like to share with you. Today is Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) in The Netherlands. You can read more about it here. Queen Beatrix and her family will visit Apeldoorn, but there are activities throughout the country. I especially like the freemarkets on the streets in almost every town or village, where mostly children (or so it should be...) sell old toys, books, stuff! Last weekend Ron and I went to the Elf Fantasy Fair in Haarzuilens, a medieval / gothic / fantasy / pagan festival on the grounds around Castle "De Haar". I'll post about it later and add my pictures. Ron is still recovering from his surgery. The pain afterwards is worse than expected; they really should have told us about it. It's slowly getting better and his armpits and hands are still dry. He is a happy man! The last few weeks I was a member of the application committee that was interviewing people for the job of coordinator of the pool of voluntary people helping others with their own experience. As a member of the pool I was added to the committee. It was very interesting work! Maia has been neutered today. She is still a bit woozy, but everything's okay. She is almost two years old now, but she remains very little. That poor little body with a big cut on her tummy... I spoil her rotten! ;-) This is my 98th Thursday Thirteen. I want to do 100 and then it's time to quit. Time for a new meme, a new challenge. Do you have a tip? Let me know! This coming weekend Ron and I will go to a pagan forum meeting in Hengelo to celebrate Beltane. I hope the weather will be nice, so we can have the ritual outside and make some great fires! I have finished the fifth and last book in the Gardella Vampire Chronicles. I simply love this series and now it has ended... The heroine can be described as "Buffy in regency-era London", a brilliant setting with unexpected plots. Don't know it? Lucky you, because you have 5 great books to read! Colleen Gleason is an amazing author; on her website you can read all about her and the series. Around this time I would have been initiated with the other Ara-girls, but it wasn't meant to be (yet?)... We are very disappointed and consider our possibilities. I'd still love to be initiated in the Ara tradition, but there are some issues that have to be solved first. This year around Midsummer Ron and I will go back on vacation to the lovely cottage near Lier in Belgium where we stayed last year. We are invited to stay there for two weeks while our friends (the owners) are away. Although I'll miss the cats very much, I really look forward to spend time in this little paradise again! I am busy organising a walk in the dunes near IJmuiden with a guide that has been a ranger there for years. He knows a lot about everything that grows and lives in the dune area. The walk will have the focus on herbs. Have you seen the video of Susan Boyle in Britains Got Talent? She has a fabulous voice. Looks can deceive... Everyone was laughing at her, until she opened her mouth. Wow!! I hope her dream comes true, she deserves no less. A new Star Trek movie is coming! I have to see it of course. I'll have to get used to new faces with familiar names, but that doesn't have to be a problem. Did you watch the trailer already? The release date is May 7. ~*~*~*~ The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted Unfortunately the original TT website doesn't exist anymore. There's a new hub : Thursday-13!

TT #95: about me

Thirteen random things about me I've been tagged for several random-things-about-me-memes and I decided to do them in the form of a TT. The first one (tagged by Mike) exists of 9 random questions, the other two (tagged by Randilin and Beverly) just ask random facts about me. Have you ever been on TV? Yes, years ago Patrick Stewart (Capt. Picard) was in The Netherlands to promote the first Star Trek The Next Generation DVD-box. I was interviewed with some other Trekkies for a live morning program called “Goedemorgen Nederland” (“Goodmorning Netherlands”). Have you ever sung in public? Not solo, but several times together with others. Have you ever had your hair blond? My hair is darkblond and I have strings of lightblond done, like I had them naturally when I was younger. Have you ever eaten frogs' legs? Yes, but I didn’t especially like it. I prefer chicken. Have you ever received a present that you really hated? Not that I remember. Gifts that weren’t really me, but hated? No. Have you ever walked into a lamp post? I’m sure I have, I’m clumsy enough to do it again. Have you ever cooked a meal by yourself for more than 15 people? Noooooo way! I hate cooking and I never do. Ron is the cook in our household and a very good one too. :) Have you ever fallen or stumbled in front of others? O yes, often. I have fear of failure. I have learned to hide it by acting sure of myself, but before I could do that I was a mess. Still am sometimes. Have you ever done volunteer work? Yes, since my teens. I like doing it. I have worked for a cultural foundation in our city for quite some years. Later I switched to the local Animal Welfare Unit and pet shelter. I still do work for those. In highschool I had a lot of foreign penpals (no e-mail back then): in Lithuania, England, France, USA, Philippines and lots more. The most letters I exchanged with a girl from Denmark called Lene Andersen. She played in a school orchestra which came to The Netherlands one day, so I could meet her. Over the years we lost touch. I met Ron in a drumband. I was a majorette and he drummed. I had just broken up with my fiancé and Ron was fooled by his girlfriend. We took it slow, but the only way was up! That is almost 23 years ago. I have done my driving exam 8 times. I was so nervous I failed the test 7 times. The 8th time was different. I had a nervous breakdown before I stepped into the car, so the driving went okay. I couldn't believe I finally did it! That was in 1991 and I wouldn't want to miss my license! I don't drink alcohol and I don't smoke, but I have several addictions. To name a few: chocolate, books, internet! :) ~*~*~*~ The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted Unfortunately the original TT website doesn't exist anymore.That's a pity, but I'll keep on doing TT's and I hope everyone else will. There's a perfect new hub : Thursday-13!

Pets...

Last weekend was the Grand Reopening of the local pet shelter, Kerbert Dierentehuis. There have been major changes, rebuilding, new building, rearrangement of rooms... A real metamorphosis! It looks nice, modern, clean, GOOD! The cats and dogs can walk freely inside and outside, they have everything they could possibly need to make their stay in the pet shelter as comfortable as possible while they are waiting for a new home. Years ago a visit to a pet shelter could be a bit depressing, but times have changed and so has our shelter and its accommodation. I had seen the progress when I was there for meetings of the shelter commission and Dierenbescherming (Animal Protection). The Kerbert has worked hard to meet all the new rules and regulations, with result! We are now fully certified.
Saturday the managing director of the national Dierenbescherming reopened the pet shelter and officially presented the certification. The manager got flowers and an envelope with money, because he is in charge for 12 and a half years. He and his co-workers (a few paid, but mainly volunteers) are doing a terrific job every day keeping the shelter at the high standard it is. After the official part illusionist Hans Klok (a local resident) concluded the reopening magically with a small performance.
You can see the pictures Ron made here, and another album with pics here.

Yesterday I was talking with Wonder on the telephone when suddenly behind me all hell broke loose. Freyja and Bastet were fighting like crazy and Foofur was caught in between because he interfered. Normally they'll stop when I stamp my foot, but this time it was serious. Maia was scared and run away into the kitchen. Unfortunately that was where Freyja was heading too. She broke the glasses on the kitchen unit and Maia disappeared behind the dishwasher. Freyja and Bastet weren't finished yet and Foofur was stupid enough to interfere again. I gave him a little kick in the butt. When I wanted to come between the cats I hit the couch and hurt my wrist. I screamed and after a while everything calmed down. I wanted to drink something and noticed my wrist was hurting a lot more! So while the cats have solved their differences and reinstated their mutual positions I'm left with a bruised wrist......!

TT #69: resolutions again!

Thirteen attainable resolutions Last week I reviewed my 2007 resolutions. I decided not to make resolutions this year. Still, I couldn't resist... This time they will be done for sure though! ;-) buy books eat chocolate spoil my pets no alcohol no smoking read more extra computer time do voluntary work watch more tv celebrate my 40th tell Ron I love him every day drink more Diet Coke do witchy stuff I can do this!!! *LOL* ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ SusieJ ~*~ Robin ~*~ pjazzypar ~*~ ellen b. ~*~ SJ Reidhead ~*~ Nicholas ~*~ Sandy Carlson ~*~ Joely Sue ~*~ Greatfullivin ~*~ Rae ~*~ Lazy Daisy ~*~ Wani ~*~ Janet ~*~ Lori ~*~ armywife ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Wacky Mommy ~*~ Yuriko ~*~ Shesawriter ~*~ damozel ~*~ cajunvegan ~*~ Yen ~*~ Joyismygoal ~*~ Kristie ~*~ Sarah ~*~ Xakara ~*~ Darla ~*~ Linda ~*~ Nancy ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Experience work

This morning I drove to Utrecht for an open meeting of the "Vakvereniging voor Ervaringswerkers" (VvE), an association / union for people who are working with their experience in the mental health care. I got the invitation and was curious enough to go! :-)

It was an interesting meeting. Unfortunately the guest speaker had become ill and gone home. That's a pity! I learned a lot about the VvE though: the goals, the collaboration with other groups, the finances, etc. It didn't really apply to my personal situation, because I work as a volunteer. Voluntary experience workers are welcome to join, but for the VvE the emphasis is on experience workers with a paid job. A uniform job description and rules for payment are important goals. Furthermore they support research in the field of working with experience, aim for more cooperation (together we're stronger) and special education opportunities.

Because part of the agenda was off, we were ready around 2pm, so I could drive home without a lot of traffic jams. It was worth the time to go; I don't think I'll go another time though. I'll write a report about the meeting for the newsletter of the experience workers pool I'm part of.

Working with experience

In the beginning of this year I did a course on "Working with your own experience". Last month the course leaders called me to ask whether I wanted to be a guest speaker in the new course. I was surprised but very honoured to be invited. I gladly accepted!

Yesterday afternoon I reported for duty! ;-) I was a bit nervous, because I didn't have time for a proper preparation. The group was smaller than ours, but all very nice people. After an introduction I started to tell my story. Different from my story at the information meetings about eating disorders though, because this was a different audience. I told a more detailed story about my life and my problems with eating disorders and depression. Then I told about the work I do with my experience. The group was very interested.
After a short break I answered questions for quite some time. I also got a lot of compliments for the way I presented myself and my story. They said I made a strong impression and my story was very clear. A real boost for my ego! :-)

Sometimes I'm surprised (but proud) that the girl who was terrified of talking in public is now doing it with just some healthy tension and even enjoys it!

BED meeting

Today was the second information meeting about eating disorders. This time it took place in Haarlem, in Het Dolhuys (museum of psychiatry). There were six applications, but the attendance was small again. I won't say BED is a taboo anymore, but the subject is still sensitive I guess. All the more brave of the people that did come!
My story was a bit different from last week, but that's okay. I don't want it to be recited, always the same. After I finished the questions came. I think it was a good afternoon and well-spent. I hope it meant something for the visitors too.

Eating Disorders Day

Today is the National Day of the Mental Health Care. It's a yearly thing with a theme. This year the theme is "Gevangen In Gewicht" (Caught In Weight): eating disorders. There are all kinds of events, meetings, lectures etc. throughout the country. I have been asked to tell my personal story in 3 information meetings in October in Hoofddorp (today), Haarlem (Oct. 17) and Amstelveen (Oct. 23).

So today was the first meeting in Hoofddorp. The target group was people with binge eating disorder, but of course they could bring someone else with them. Unfortunately a lot of people who had said they would come had to cancel because they fell ill. All around me I hear about people with the flu or something like that. Maybe they were all ill, but it could well be some of them got cold feet. I can certainly understand that from my own experience. The meetings are easily accessible, but a person can put up his or her own barriers...

Anyhow, the attendance wasn't very large, but it was a good meeting nevertheless. I did my story and it went well. I had made a rough outline of what I wanted to tell, just some words to guide me. That works best for me. The questions came naturally during and after my story, the interaction felt good. The time went by very quickly. It was good to do, for the "public", but also for me!

Busy Bee

Friday afternoon Wonder and I went to the Albert Cuyp Market, a big (semi-)permanent market in Amsterdam. I like it very much. Wonder had some things to buy there. One of my favourite shops/stands is De Peperbol with herbs, spices, tea, kitchen stuff, etc. I bought a strainer and a beautiful disc of ash wood. When we had seen everything, we decided to eat tapas. Yummy! Then we went back, because Wonder had to work that evening. When we arrived at the parking, he discovered he didn't have his carkeys. Lost or stolen, they weren't there... and he doesn't have a spare key. We called everyone and everything we could think of, but found no solution. We had to leave the car in the parking garage and took tram / train / bus and shanks's pony to come home (IJmuiden). I was exhausted to the max and went to bed almost immediately. I'm still not fully recovered. If all goes well, Ron and Wonder can pick up the car tomorrow with a new key.

Saturday was Gaialynn's birthday. At first we wanted to surprise her, but we decided not to take the risk to drive all the way for nothing. We called her to tell we were coming to Den Bosch. First we had to pick up the car of Wonder's brother near Breda, so he'd have a car to do his job for a few days. Then we went to Gaialynn's. Her kids had given her a new kitten for her birthday (smart kids!), such a cutie! So small even Maia would look big next to him. Towards the evening I took a long nap on Gaialynn's bed, so I could stay longer. Ron and I were home around midnight.

Sunday morning I stayed in bed until late and decided to have a quiet day. Well, decided... My body ordered me to. ;-)

This morning I had a meeting of the advisory panel of the empirical experts pool of the Client Concerns Bureau of De Geestgronden (mental health service organization). I hope you can follow and understand that; hard to translate! Tonight I'll have another meeting: this time of the pet shelter committee. Pfew... I think it will be an early night for me!

TT #52: Binge Eating Disorder

Thirteen things about Binge Eating Disorder (BED) Yesterday I told my story about eating disorders in a follow-up meeting of a group of women who have been suffering from Binge Eating Disorder. It strikes me how much incomprehension people with BED still encounter. Anorexia and bulimia are mostly recognized, but often people with BED are condemned and told "they should just eat less and all will be okay"... How much do you know about BED? Most of us overeat from time to time, and some of us often feel we have eaten more than we should have. Eating a lot of food does not necessarily mean that you have binge eating disorder though! People with binge eating disorder frequently consume an unusually large amount of food during a short period of time (a limited period, usually less than two hours) and feel out of control during the binges (i.e. the feeling that one cannot stop eating). People with binge eating disorder also may eat more quickly than usual during binge episodes, eat until they are uncomfortably full, eat when they are not physically hungry, eat alone because of embarrassment and feel disgusted, depressed, or guilty after binging. People with BED do not show inappropriate compensatory behaviour like purging, excessive exercise, lengthy fasting and/or abuse of laxatives. Serious medical conditions can be a consequence of BED: obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, kidney disease and/or failure, gallbladder disease, arthritis, bone deterioration, stroke or other heart problems, upper respiratory problems, skin disorders, menstrual irregularities, ovarian abnormalities, complications of pregnancy, depression /anxiety and other mood disorders, suicidal thoughts and substance abuse. Social consequences are common. People with BED are extremely distressed by their binge eating. Most have tried to control it on their own but have not succeeded for very long. Some people miss work, school, or social activities to binge eat. Obese people with binge eating disorder often feel bad about themselves, are preoccupied with their appearance, and may avoid social gatherings. Most feel ashamed and try to hide their problem. Often they are so successful that close family members and friends don't know they binge eat. Studies have found that people with BED may find it harder than other people to continue in weight loss treatment. In addition, they may be more likely to regain weight quickly. These are some of the reasons that people with BED may require treatment that focuses on their binge eating before they try to lose weight. Further, even those who are not overweight are frequently distressed by their binge eating and may benefit from treatment. There are several methods currently used to treat BED: a. Cognitive-behavioural therapy: Method in which the client is taught techniques to monitor and change their eating habits, as well as to change the way they respond to difficult and stressful situations. b. Interpersonal psychotherapy: Method in which the client is taught to examine their relationships with friends and family and to make changes in problem areas. c. Medications: Antidepressants may be helpful for some individuals. d. Self-help groups: These groups may be a good additional source of support for many. Research is still trying to attempting to determine which method or combination of methods is the most effective in controlling BED. Although it has only recently been recognized as a distinct condition, binge eating disorder is probably the most common eating disorder. Most people with BED are obese (more than 20 percent above a healthy body weight), but normal-weight people also can be affected. Obese people with binge eating disorder often became overweight at a younger age than those without the disorder. They also may have more frequent episodes of losing and regaining weight (yo-yo dieting). Binge eating disorder affects women slightly more often than men; estimates indicate that about 60% of people struggling with binge eating disorder are female, 40% are male. BED is often confused with Compulsive Overeating. It is not exactly the same though. CO is more like eating too much during the day, not necessarily in binges but spread and eaten more steady and calm. No one knows for sure what causes BED. As many as half of all people with binge eating disorder are depressed or have been depressed in the past. Whether depression causes binge eating disorder or whether binge eating disorder causes depression is not known. It is also unclear if dieting and binge eating are related. Some people binge eat after dieting. Dieting here means skipping meals, not eating enough food each day, or avoiding certain kinds of food. These are unhealthy ways to try to change your body shape and weight. Studies suggest that people with binge eating may have trouble handling some of their emotions. Many people who are binge eaters say that being angry, sad, bored, worried, or stressed can cause them to binge eat. Researchers are looking into how brain chemicals and metabolism (the way the body uses calories) affect BED. Other research suggests that genes may be involved in binge eating, since the disorder often occurs in several members of the same family. This research is still in the early stages though. If you think you might have binge eating disorder, it is important to know that you are not alone. Most people who have the disorder have tried but failed to control it on their own. You may want to get professional help. Talk to your health care provider about the type of help that may be best for you. The good news is that most people do well in treatment and can overcome binge eating for good! sources: SABN (Dutch foundation of Eating Disorders), ED Referral, WomensHealth.gov, Weight-control Information Network, Healthier You ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ Sue ~*~ Susan Helene ~*~ Toni ~*~ Christine d'Abo ~*~ WendyWings ~*~ Shannon ~*~ Mark ~*~ Lara Angelina ~*~ Lori ~*~ DK ~*~ Tempest Knight ~*~ Wylie Kinson ~*~ Midas ~*~ Starrlight ~*~ The Gal Herself ~*~ Samulli ~*~ Daisy the Curly Cat ~*~ Xakara ~*~ Gattina ~*~ Barbara ~*~ Robin ~*~ Grace ~*~ Joely Sue ~*~ Debbie ~*~ MissMeliss ~*~ Kris ~*~ scooper ~*~ Jeremy ~*~ Ed ~*~ Bee ~*~ Gabriella ~*~ N.J. Walters ~*~ Daisy Dexter Dobbs ~*~ Darla ~*~ L^2 ~*~ Missy ~*~ Luka ~*~ Mitch ~*~ Candy Minx ~*~ Chelle Y. ~*~ Born2Cree8 ~*~ Dorothy ~*~ Thomma Lyn ~*~ Kuanyin ~*~ colleen ~*~ Lesley ~*~ Ann ~*~ Travis ~*~ Rhian / Crowwoman ~*~ tanabata ~*~ Callista ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

End of course

This afternoon was the twelfth and last meeting of the course "Working with your own experience". I was waiting for the bus to Haarlem, but after I waited for 25 minutes I called Ron. He called me back to say there was a bus strike outside the rush hours. Ron and Wonder were driving to Haarlem to look for another car for Wonder, so they gave me a lift.

The theme of this last time was evaluation. We shared our constructive criticism and personal highlights. Last week we all got 12 blank cards to make a personal message to say goodbye to everyone. I've been thinking a lot about what to make. Finally I decided to make a diagram with the names of the participants, with the name of each person in the middle. It was quite a puzzle to get all the names in it! Around it I put stickers, images (personal if possible) , thanks and good wishes. On the back I glued my personal card, a sticker of Tinkerbell, a cut-out of a witch and the saying "Merry meet, merry part and merry meet again". Here you can see a front and back, here all the cards together.

I had brought my camera. In one of the breaks we asked someone in the building to make a group picture of us in the courtyard. Unfortunately one of the participants was absent, but this was the last possibility to make a picture.

After the official course time we all went to a pub in the centre of Haarlem. I jumped on the back of the bike of one of the others. We got 2 drinks and some snacks at the expense of the course. It was very pleasant and relaxed. Around 6pm Ron and Wonder picked me up.

Course

Last week I missed the 4th lesson of my course because we were at Centerparcs. I had done the homework though. Because more people had missed it, we could make it up in short before the 5th lesson started.
I had to take the bus around 11am to be in time. I had put some music on my iPAQ memorycard, so I could listen to it during the journey. That made the 45 minutes a lot less boring!
The subject last week was recovery and what will help when you are recovering. We had to make a rough diagram. It was striking to see what helped everyone. Recovery is so personal; what helps one may be very bad or completely useless for another!
This time everyone was present. It was the last lesson about our personal stories. Next week we are free and the weeks after that there will be quest lecturers, people who are already using their own experience to help others. Very interesting! This afternoon we talked about our motives for putting our experience to use. There were a lot of similar motives, but also differences. I want to do it for more reasons: to give patients something that wasn't there for me at the time, to educate professional helpers by bringing the matter to life, to make the taboo disappear, explain things to whoever is interested.
Because I was so early the afternoon lasted too long. It was getting harder to pay attention and keep concentrated. At the end I was totally worn out. Listening to my music I fell asleep in the bus. Fortunately I woke up in time to get off at the right bus stop! ;-)

Working with experience

This afternoon I started with the course "Working with your own experience". I'm working on setting up an aftercare group for people who have/had BED (Binge Eating Disorder) and I'm a member of a pool with people who use their own experience to help others. My "experience fields" are eating disorders and depression. Last week I had an intake with the two course leaders.
The group consists of 9 people. Everyone has experience as a client in the mental health care system, but with different symptoms / illnesses. The course will help us to put our own experience to good use in different situations. There will be 12 course afternoons from 1 to 4.
Today's theme and aim was to get to know each other. We got several assignments. In one of them I mentioned that I'm a witch. Some people were interested, some tacitly accepted it, but one man clearly didn't take me seriously. He made a 'joke' too. Ah well, there will always be reactions like that... They don't hurt me anymore, I shrug my shoulders and let it be. No use or need to explain it to someone like that, waisted energy. Otherwise it's a nice man, nobody's perfect. ;-) All in all it was a very tiring but interesting and worthwhile afternoon.

TT #22: resolutions

Thirteen New Year's resolutions New Year's Resolutions are the curse of the modern calendar. Our calendar is not in rhythm with the natural world; we have not had a timekeeping system in sync with the cosmos and nature for centuries. Our intentions are honorable, but our timing stinks. The right timing for new beginnings is at the spring equinox: to innovate, target our goals, and just do it. From Winter Solstice on December 21st until Spring Equinox on March 19th, it's time to reflect, slow down, and hibernate... let the old disintegrate and die while the embryonic seed energy builds up for sowing new and wonderful things at the natural spring New Year. ©2003 by Joyce Mason Having said that... I can't resist to try anyway! ;-) go back inside and make contact with myself again, learn to accept and honour myself (read more here) lose weight (what's new..?) bring back regularity in my eating pattern be more involved in planning and preparing dinner exercise more frequently meditate drink less Diet Coke work on my Temple of ARA petition spend more time in nature be more active again in snail mail projects (PostcardFairies, PostCrossing, etc.) visit the pet shelter for "cuddle duty" make time to let the creative juices flow say NO more often, be assertive ~*~*~*~ Links to other Thursday Thirteens! ~*~ N. Mallory ~*~ Nathalie ~*~ Skittles ~*~ Di ~*~ Mike ~*~ Darla ~*~ busy91 ~*~ My Twenty Cents Keeps Moving ~*~ DK Raymer ~*~ candyminx ~*~ she ~*~ Norma ~*~ Sparky Duck ~*~ Laura ~*~ Erika ~*~ SciFiChick ~*~ Laughing Muse ~*~ Kim Priestap ~*~ Joy Renee ~*~ Stacy ~*~ Maggie ~*~ Tisha ~*~ elementaryhistoryteacher ~*~ Cheryl ~*~ Desert Songbird ~*~ Christine ~*~ Bond ~*~ Teena ~*~ Dawn ~*~ peppylady ~*~ Caylynn ~*~ Mert ~*~ Gina ~*~ Jenny Ryan ~*~ amy ~*~ Get the Thursday Thirteen code here! The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted! View More Thursday Thirteen Participants