Winter Update

My weight is out of control! This winter has been awful with regard to my weight as well. Ever since the time change, I have been struggling. I have been fighting depression and trying to find happiness with junk food. I don’t know why I keep eating this way. Is it the weather? Is it my depression? Maybe it’s a combination of both. All I know is I need to improve. My weight was about 188 lbs., and now I’m at 222 lbs. I never wanted to be over 200 lbs. again, and yet here I am. I am upset, but apparently not upset enough to stop eating the junk I’ve become addicted to. I do have S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder) which doesn’t help. We did have a few really nice days recently, and I got out and walked 1.5 miles. The sun was shining, and the birds were chirping. It was awesome. I do think I’ll do better once Spring arrives and the weather gets nicer.

I got my laptop for school, which has been really cool. I’m actually using it to type this. It’s so nice to have a laptop to type my papers on because using my iPad was getting frustrating.

Something else new is that I am now on the faculty for Clubhouse International! I’m so proud of myself for doing well on the training and mock accreditation visit. I encourage you to check out the Clubhouse International website and learn more about it. http://clubhouse-intl.org. I also attend the clubhouse here in Holland, MI, and their website is http://lakesideclubhouse.org. Clubhouse is for those who have a history of mental illness. I really have come so far in the four years I have been attending. It has helped me find my own value, meet my goals, and now become faculty for Clubhouse International. There are over 300 clubhouses worldwide, and I hope to visit others in other countries someday, too. Yesterday I went on an outing with the clubhouse. We went thrift shopping and out for lunch at McDonald’s. We went to Goodwill, Salvation Army, Dollar Tree, and Five Below. I got a little something from each place. I really enjoyed my time out with my friends from the clubhouse.

My depression is not quite as bad as it was. I’m still a little down because I miss my family. I haven’t seen my kids or grandkids in a while. I also haven’t seen my aunt and uncle in a while. And recently, my other aunt passed away. I felt horrible because I hadn’t seen her in a few years. She was in her 70’s.

I hope you are doing well, and if you have any healthy snack ideas, please let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

Peace and Love,

❤ Dorothy