2012 Goals

Health

• I would like to be symptom free from my OCD. Now, I know I can't resolve this on my own. Something about nature doing its own thing...but I vow to do everything in my power to achieve this
• I got two scars this year, both from silly accidents. I chopped off a chunk of finger while cooking and I burnt a semi circle into my arm at work. My goal for 2012: no more scars!
• I would like to loose some weight. And by that I mean pant sizes, I don't care about the number on the scale. Ideally, I'd be back in the single digits, but I will settle for a 10 if I must.
• I'm going to keep doing derby. I'd also like to work out at the gym. I will have to revisit that situation once my seasonal job ends.

Family

• I truly appreciate everything Joe does for us. My goal for 2012 is to show my appreciation.
• My mom wants to do family meals once a month, I will do my best to help her accomplish this.

Volunteer

• For the AFSP: I want to volunteer for the Overnight. It's in San Francisco this year, I want to be on the Walk Committee for the Chicagoland Walk, and volunteer the day of that walk as well.
• If I could be useful, I'd like to do so for the International OCD Foundation Conference that is in Chicago in July.

Travel

• Joe and I want to make a vacation out of the AFSP weekend. We'd like to spend a few days in SanFran and a few days in LA. I want Joe to see a Conan taping and go to Disneyland.
• I want to start a Europe fund. As my family begins to plan for the International Feely Family Reunion, my heart physically aches from missing London. I don't know when it would be a responsible choice for Joe and I to make the trip, but I am definitely feeling a need to start saving for it.

Home

• I would like to completely clean and declutter the apartment and donate/sell/throw out things we don't need.
• I would like to be more cautious about saving money. With my medical needs under control, it should be easier then the past year.
• I have three years of scrapbooking to catch up on.
• I have hundreds of recipes to organize.

School/Work

• I am going to go back to school and begin my certificate in Library Technical Assistance.
• I would like to have a part time job by the end of the year (the sooner the better)

Entertainment

• I really need to read more. I need to make it a greater priority in my life. So, every month I would like to read a book. Preferably a classic. But if a new Janet Evanovich comes out, that's OK, too.
• I am taking Joe to see Jerry Seinfeld in March! I'm so excited to make him so excited!
• It has been quite awhile since I have seen a play or a musical. I would really like to make time for that sometime in 2012.
• Assuming Glee tours again, I would really like to see them preform. Especially since its the last year with the original cast. Nothing makes me quite as happy as a good Glee performance.

What are your plans for 2012?

Year In Review

Well this has been a long and tough year. The majority of this year was focused on me attempting to beat this dang OCD. As the year comes to an end I am proud to say that:

1. I got through the worst and am in much better shape then I was this time last year.
2. I learned the importance of doing your own research and finding specialists.
3. I have no doubt as to how much my husband loves me.

There was also some pretty cool parts to this year:

1. I got to participate in the AFSP Overnight in NYC and I got to be on the walk committee (and participate in the walk)  for the Chicagoland Community Walk and volunteer with Survivors of Suicide day.
2. I discovered the joy of Blackberry Cobbler.
3. I met a lot of cool people.

Next week I will be discussing what 2012 will hopefully look like! It's guaranteed to be a good one!

Inspiration

I have this nasty addiction to celebrity "news" sites. Today on my daily website reading I came across two very inspiring stories. Because of my "coming out" as a survivor of OCD, I found these two girls inspirational. They both did a lot of work to end stigmas to their individual stories. Kayla spoke out about what it is like for her to be gay and Demi Lovato often speaks out about her struggle with eating disorders, self injury and bipolar disorder. To honor them, and to continue my campaign for ending stigmas, I would like to share some of their stories with you tonight. These girls are wiser and stronger then their age would suggest. I admire them both for their confidence in sharing their stories.

Kayla's story: http://perezitos.com/2011-12-04-brave-teen-kala-kearney-comes-out-to-students-at-high-school-assembly/?from=PH

Demi's story: http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20550971,00.html

The Blog Post I Didn't Think I'd Ever Write

There were somethings I was planning on never talking about in this blog. The plan was to keep somethings private and not share with the world. Last night changed that.

Last night I was watching Private Practice. It was a two hour special that followed one of the doctors through her struggle with addiction. During the episode a debate between two doctors (neither the addict) occurred comparing and contrasting heart disease and addiction. Basically, they are both diseases, neither of which a person is responsible for contracting. (Note: there are things you can do to treat both these illnesses, and I encourage people to seek that treatment.) As the show continued, I realized how common and acceptable addiction has become. No one is looked down on for admitting they are an addict and have been clean for any amount of time. I have even seen strangers congratulate and encourage people upon learning they have become sober. As I sat in bed watching, it then occurred to me how far behind society is on mental illness.  Physical conditions (ie heart disease) are accepted without the blink of an eye. Addiction issues are becoming main stream and less taboo. Yet mental illness continues to have this huge black stigma cloud hanging over it. The reason? I believe its because people don't understand it. And why is that? Because people do not talk about it much, not the people suffering, the people treating the disorders or the media. The lack of understanding and accurate information on mental illness prevents people from seeking help, keeps people ashamed of their illness and does not provide the support that someone needs (however, if it was a more physical ailment they would have people lined up to help them in a heart beat). Naturally, the fix would be to make mental illness a less taboo topic. I quickly realized that if I wasn't willing to take a step in this direction, I certainly couldn't expect other to do the same. So....

My name is Meg, and I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It is not my fault, I did not bring it on myself, my brain chemicals and neurons just do not always work properly. With the proper treatment (which I have) I am able to live a normal and mostly symptom free life. I refuse to feel ashamed for something is not my fault. I am hoping my honesty will be a step forward in destigmatizing of mental illness. If you know anyone suffering from a mental illness I ask you to please not look at them any differently then you would if they had a physical illness. It is not their fault anymore then cancer would be.