Good morning everyone,
This came to me while I was in the shower this morning. Well... it's better than singing, isn't it??? So here is my 2 cents worth...

Currently, what are your top 2 or 3 issues and what action are you taking to improve on them?

Here are mine:
<font color="red"> Social phobia: </font> this issue had me so paralized that by the time my sanity quiz results shocked me into action, I was isolating so much that I couldn't even get myself out to my NA meetings, dual disorder group, or even to make my counseling appointments. Now, I am just making myself step out of that comfort zone and make all of my pre-scheduled meetings, groups, and appointments. The work I've been doing on my self-esteem issue is also helping in this area because I am learning to accept and love myself just the way I am. I also have to remember that my ego is all twisted out of perportion and who the heck do I think I am to believe that everyone else is all wrapped up in me . Many of them are probably too involved in their own anxieties about being in a group of people.

<font color="red"> self-esteem: </font> this is something I have struggled my whole life with and I recently learned that it's not an easy issue to just cure. We must work vigilantly every day for the rest of our lives to obtain and maintain a healthy self-esteem. What am I doing? When my score of 92% came up for this issue, the first thing I did was move myself from the bottom of my "people's list" and place me at the very top where I belong. This may seem and feel a little selfish at first, but you just have to remember your motives for doing this. It isn't to be insensitive or selfish about other people's needs. It's about learning how to start loving yourself and take care of you... because ain't anybody else gonna do it baby. Period!!! Next, I decided that I need to start putting just as much focus and energy on my good qualities and accomplishments as I do my "unfinished parts" (I refuse to call the defects). I remind myself every day that God made me in His image (the bible says so). He doesn't make junk and I am one of His very special, beautiful children. Next, I am working on constructing a list titled "what does self love mean to me". Here's a fun one... I've been talking for months about making a "me" book, which I felt would be a fun, creative way to get to know myself and who I am. Then one day as I was trying to find a web site to start a journaling on, I was introduced to the concept of blogging. I decided to create my own blog, which is like having your own web site and it's free. It revolves around a particular subject or topic and mine happens to be about, guess who? Me. It's curently under construction, but it's beginning to take shape and I welcome any of you to visit my blog to learn more about me, see my creative side, or even if you're just plain nosey. I can create friends groups and would like to add some of you to my list of PC friends.

<font color="red"> Eating disorder: </font> this issue still has me totally stumped and it affects every area of my life. It's fueling my depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. I absolutely hate being fat, which makes it extremely difficult to accept and love myself exactly as I am. And the binge eating is making me literally sick and causing other medical issues such as IBS and severe sleep apnea. Maintaining an unhealthy weight also puts me at a higher risk for developing some major health issues and diseases such as diabeties and even cancer. What am I doing now to work on this issue? I keep trying to get back on my healthy lifestyle plan and just end up going right back to the binging. So all I really can do at this time is keep thinking about it and trying to come up with a solution, or at least the willingness to stop shoving food in my mouth when I'm not experiencing true physical hunger. And this morning I decided that I'm going to try applying the principles of my NA recovery. I know the 12 steps can work with any addiction and I'm sure my binging is just another manifestation of my disease of addiction.

I'll sign off for now and hope some of you will share your progress with your own issues. Just make it simple, you don't have to elaborate like I did. This is usually called rambling... Sorry

gb