Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

image: http://artilleri.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html I had a client, Sandra (not her real name) who came in this week feeling particularly down about her weight. She is anorexic, and at least 25-35 pounds under what most doctors would consider a minimum healthy weight. She avoids looking at herself in the mirror, afraid of looking at her "fat body." When Sandra gets in the shower, she checks herself out to see how far out her ribs stick out. It never feels like enough.  Frantic to know that she was skinny enough, she weighed herself and found that she was "only" about 25 pounds underweight. Considering how little she eats, she was sure she would weigh less. Sandra was crushed to see the number on the scale. She ruminated for days feeling disgusted about how much she weighed. I had a second client who came in this week, Claire (not her real name),  also feeling down about her weight. She had started exercising regularly and eating better. Yet, wh...

FREE RECOVERY WEBINARS OFFERED BY THE RENFREW CENTER  The Renfrew Center is offering a FREE upcoming recovery webinar series. These one hour webinars are open to anyone in recovery or currently struggling with disordered eating. February 19, 2014 12pm - 1pm & 8pm - 9pm EST Defining Recovery: What Does it Mean? Why Does it Matter?    March 19, 2014 12pm - 1pm & 8pm - 9pm EST Finding Hope in Families: A Special Focus on Mom, Dad and You April 16, 2014 12pm - 1pm & 8pm - 9pm EST Holding onto Recovery: Preventing Relapse and Moving Onward May 21, 2014 12pm - 1pm & 8pm - 9pm EST Navigating Social Media: To Tweetor Not to Tweet? June 18, 2014 12pm - 1pm EST & 8pm - 9pm EST What Are You Craving? Exploring the Elements of BingeEating Disorder

In a culture obsessed with thinness, it was sort of surprising at first to see a sport that encouraged women to embrace whatever body type they had, but that is exactly what happens in the sport of roller derby . If you ever go to a roller derby game, you will notice there are thin girls, short girls, amazonian girls. It is a wonderful motley crew. Each of these body types carries some advantages in the sport. If you are short and small, you may be able to get low enough to get past your opponents, whereas being bigger may give you extra-strength to block or hit your opponents.   Roller derby turns all of the regular conventions of the "right" body type on its head. A prime example of this is a player named Beyonslay. She learned to use her larger size to her advantage. She is pretty amazing as the video link below attests. And because she is so amazing at using her larger body, it starts to subtly change the way everyone on the team looks at wei...

One of my Houston clients brought in this picture of a naked woman embracing a skeleton. She told me it had moved her deeply and spoke to her in a way that words could not. For this client, it was a visual depiction of a relationship she was holding onto with a man who could never really give her what she needed. When he would call her, she experienced a rush of happiness. But when he ignored her for days or weeks, she was forlorn and hopeless. She questioned herself and wondered why she was not more attractive to him. She was sure that if she were prettier, or smarter, or better in some way, he would be more interested. And she hated herself for not being able to just move on despite knowing the relationship was broken and lifeless.  Seeing all of this depicted in this image communicated directly to her heart what was really going on. She was holding onto a man who was emotionally dead, unable to give back or love, or share in any satisfying way. She felt disgusted at t...

This is a great article from National Public Radio about how you can deal with past trauma or current feelings that are troubling you by simply editing your life story through journaling. If you can commit 15 minutes a day for four days, you can do this. The article includes a link with instructions on how to conduct the exercise. This is similar to what I do in therapy sessions when I help my Houston clients who are stuck learn to reframe their views of themselves and their life situations. It is often exactly what my clients need to get un-stuck. Are you feeling stuck? Contact one of our Houston counselors to find out how to become unstuck and find your happier ending today!

It is day two of 2014 and some of you may have already broken your new year resolutions- if you had the time or energy to make resolutions at all. With the holidays behind you, you are starting to think about work, school, kids, bills, and feeling the anxieties of your real life start to creep back in. The anxiety can start to suck the energy and enjoyment out of your life. In the Christian scriptures, there is a verse with wisdom about how to handle worry and stress, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I have also heard it said this way, "Do not borrow trouble." Think about how much time and energy you invest in worrying. How many minutes, or hours of your day are spent worrying. And then ask yourself as the scriptures do,"Who of by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" But, how can you worry less, and enjoy your life more??? Today you can start with one simple t...

http://homeklondike.com/2011/10/21/10-ideas-for-christmas-dining-room/ Need a little extra help dealing with your eating disorder this holiday season? I am reposting this from last year because I think the information is appropriate this time of year. These are helpful ideas from the  National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) about how to successfully negotiate your way through the holidays. Tips # 6 & 7 can be especially useful in talking about specific ways your support system can help you through this season. I hope you all have a wonderful, relaxing, Holiday Season. If you or someone you love are dealing with an eating disorder, please contact one of our Houston counselors to find out how we can help.