When was the last time you stood in front of a mirror and chose self-love over self-criticism? The most important relationship we have is the one we have with ourselves. When we knock ourselves down, we devalue ourselves. We prevent growth and bury our strengths. Many can feel like this
Failure to Thrive. Those three words jumped off the page at me as I made my way through the hospital doors to be admitted. After countless followup visits, IV hydration treatments, banana bags full of nutrients, endoscopies, swallow tests, shots, and ER visits the decision was made to re-admit me
Over the last ten years, I have learned much about obesity, motivation, complacency, and self-love. On March 21, 2012, I had Bariatric Surgery, RNY, and my life changed forever. The biggest lesson has been, “You don’t know what you don’t know!” At the age of fifty-four, I accepted the fact that
Between The Tigers: Finding Your Sweet Spot: Mental health is often confused with mental illness. This is a failure of both the limitations of language, but also a tradition of focusing on what goes wrong in the body and in life. Mental health, or wellbeing, is really about maintaining balance
As an example of how to be kind to yourself - Kelly (not her real name) walked into my office with tears in her eyes. “I need to be tougher,” she said, “I hate myself for being so weak. I keep letting my siblings take advantage of me. I’m doing
The effects of emotional abuse can affect your success after Bariatric or Weight Loss Surgery (WLS). In this article, we will discuss the definition of emotional abuse, the prevalence of emotional abuse, the association between Obesity and emotional abuse, the consequences of emotional abuse, how emotional abuse can affect your
Ah. Social Media. Like most things, there are positives and negatives associated with this 21st-century reality of daily life. One of the things I often hear from people is how they sometimes feel uneasy about themselves and their lives as they observe what appears to be the “perfect life” portrayed
Years have gone by, diets have come and gone, maybe disease states have exacerbated and the decision for treatment via weight loss surgery has become more present. Now it’s time to prepare and gain insight into any emotional vulnerability you may have. Questions to Consider for the Mental & Emotional
Obesity is often referred to as an epidemic in the United States, and with good reason, as more than 1 in 3 American adults are classified as obese[1]. Many of us sought out weight loss surgery to help with our obesity, as we tried many other methods prior to this,
As both a bariatric patient and a counselor, I am a big fan of behavioral interventions serving as a foundation for long-term weight loss surgery success. And you may ask, why should we bariatric post-op folks see a mental health professional? It’s very normal that we have behavioral issues after
