It's been a while

I haven't written in a while and generally, I see that as a good thing. While I do enjoy blogging, I generally blog when I'm slipping or in need of inspiration. Today is different.

I have been doing pretty well- of course, I have had my ups and downs but in general, the ups are bigger and better than the downs. I am trying to focus on my health and not those with EDs around me, who may otherwise be triggering.

One thing I realized yesterday- people who have never suffered from a mental disorder are surprisingly intolerant of individuals such as myself. My friend admitted to me last night that she used to get "annoyed" with me our sophomore year- I pointed out that I was really struggling.. I needed help. It kind of hurt to hear that, but I'd rather she told me than not. She just didn't understand. So I give her the benefit of not knowing, even if she is my closest friend. I guess one thing I gain from this disorder is patience and understanding.

As part of my course load this semester I have been doing a special studies. My topic: the relationship between eating disorders, anxiety disorders and alcoholism. In particular, paternal alcoholism.. One interesting thing to note: alcoholic fathers are more likely to have children who have anxiety disorders than alcoholic mothers. I am curious about the implications for genetics. I also have found that alcoholism, like eating disorders, may have developed after the anxiety disorder as a coping mechanism. Of course, I had suspected this but it is nice to see that this same topic has actually been studied. Anyways, in addition to writing a paper on the topic (and I will probably post a link when I am done), I am creating a website. I hope this makes people more aware and tolerant of all three disorders.

My final update for the day: I have decided to apply to nursing school. While I was all about medical school, I could never actually see myself carrying through with the process. Nursing is so much more attainable and I think, in the long run, it will give me the flexibility to pursue many areas of interest.

Well, time to read and study genetics. That and digest a shit ton of dairy (maybe that dinner wasn't the greatest idea...).