MCS Team Blog

Book Recommendation for Women & Teen Girls: "Made to Crave"

05/10/2012 10:38:00

Here's a book recommendation from Dr. Mary!

Book Description from Proverbs 31 Ministries:

"Everyone craves something, be it a new pair of shoes, a piece of chocolate, popularity, or even for one glance from that cute guy in English. In fact, we were designed to crave things—just not earthly things.In this teen adaptation of Lysa TerKeurst’s Made To Crave, you’ll discover how to direct your craving toward God, where you’ll find lasting satisfaction and understand how our heavenly and earthly cravings can live in better harmony."

Click HERE to purchase or find out more!

Need Parenting Help? Check out this video!

05/01/2012 14:48:00

John & Julie Gottman, author of "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child," offer a quick intro video looking at how to talk to your child and understanding emotional intelligence. Check it out! ~Dr. Mary

(click here to check out the book on Amazon)

Art Journaling Resources

04/17/2012 11:39:00

I have fallen in love with art journaling! It is a great way to express the creative soul within, to allow yourself to heal from old wounds, to challenge yourself to go higher with your passions and dreams. I use art journaling in my therapy and coaching with individuals to explore many aspects of themselves and their desires for their lives. I would love to offer you a few website links that provide quality (yet inexpensive) instruction on art journaling, digital journaling, and creative mixed media projects (those that use many types of media: paint, pastels, paper, fabric, pens, inks, sprays, etc.) The great things about these types of art expression is that you do not have to be a trained artist. If you like to try your hand at some meaningful creativity, here is your chance!

Here are some really great sites about mixed media art and art journaling:

1. www.willowing.com with Tamara Laporte out of the UK. Tamara teaches online classes that are so much fun! Come join me in making a Life Book for 2012 and a class called Digital Dreams (about working with Photoshop in your art journaling). There are bunches more to choose from not to mention all of the free classes and STUFF!
2. www.journalgirl.com with Kira Harding. The group I am presently participating in is Journaling Deep, a weekly studio on art journaling. She provides videos and an art community to connect and journal with.

3. www.creativeworkshops.com is a great site to join in workshops about many creative things, especially regarding art journaling and mixed media expression.

I also provide creativity therapy and creativity coaching using art journaling, as well as instruction and fun at my Art Journaling classes at Miller Counseling Services. Take a look at our services to see if you may be interested in serving yourself with a creative journey of your own that will help you get on track with your life!

Best,

Susan S. Miller, PhD, LPCS, NCC, BCPCC

Clinical Director, Psychotherapist, and Creativity Coach

Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor

Kaizen-Muse™ Creativity Coach

8 Sure Fire Ways to Declutter Your Messy Home

04/08/2012 08:18:00

It has been said that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure, but how much “treasure” can our homes hold? Over time, keepsakes and everyday items accumulate and become clutter, taking up valuable living space. Nineteenth-century philosopher Henry David Thoreau has urged us to “simplify, simplify,” and failure to do so when it comes to home organization will eventually result in living environments reminiscent of what you may see on an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive. The de-cluttering process may be a daunting task, but think about the time you could save by organizing your home. Here are eight surefire ways (according to each room in your home) to help you manage and refresh space effectively.

Kitchen

There are countless items in the kitchen we have collected through the years that end up not being used at all. If you’re not sure what you use and what you don’t, a true way to find out is to gather all utensils and cooking gadgets into a cardboard box. For one or two months, put all the items you have used into a drawer. All the items that remain in that initial cardboard box are underutilized and you’ll have to reevaluate if you should hang onto them, or pass them along to charity. Sure, there are those items we use once in a blue moon for baking or for a specific purpose, and those items should be stored away, making room for things that are used more often.

Garage

For longer-term storage, this is the perfect place to store those seasonal items, such as sporting equipment and holiday décor. A common mistake is that people store these items with no consideration to organization or labels, which makes it more difficult to sort through when you do decide to utilize these items. Labeling boxes, bins, and containers so that items can be instantly located is a great way to keep things in their place rather than having random stuff pile up.

Bathrooms

Some of us have stocked up medicine cabinets with plenty of personal care products but this isn’t always a good thing. All personal care products and medicines have an expiration date, which should be purged once in a while. A good rule of thumb is that most makeup goes bad after six months; the closer the product is used to the eyes, the shorter the lifespan. Go through all your vanity products and medicines and get rid of those products that have hardened, softened, changed colors, or expired.

Home Office

A common culprit of cluttered home offices is massive buildups of paperwork. If you are uncomfortable with discarding or shredding some past paid bills, or need to keep them for your records, make sure they are organized and take up little space. For example, filing away documents in expanding files, or investing in a digital scanner and filing system, is a great way to transform paper documents into a more accessible electronic form. Twelve-month expanding files are also very useful when it comes to deciding which bill receipt you should throw or shred. When you pay for bills, like say in January, place them in the January section for a year later. If you haven’t even looked at the document, you probably don’t need it.

Closets

You probably own a lot of clothes you never wear, or no longer have use for. Use this system to determine which clothes you should toss or donate: for six months or so, turn all the clothes in your closet facing back-to-front. When you wear an item, return it to the closet with the hanger facing the right way. If you try it on but don’t end up wearing it; make sure you put it back with the hanger still facing backwards. Chances are, you’re going to discover you own lots of clothes you don’t wear often or at all. Store away clothes you wear on rare occasions, or donate them. It’s better that someone else finds use for them.

Family Room

Excess movies, books, and old gaming systems tend to sit and gather dust. We keep certain items because of the sentimental value, so here’s a surefire way to compromise, using the ratio-reduction rule of thumb. For every four or five items or old DVDs you decide to keep, remove one you could do without. This sort-and-purge process seems to work well if you can increase the ration to, say, three-to-one, which will really clear up some space for new possessions. This goes for old magazines, knickknacks, and toys.

Children’s Rooms or Common Play Areas

Rooms frequented by little kids are typically clutter-intense zones, but you can help them keep toys and play items organized by designating some “clear zones.” Sort items and store according to a specific activity like painting, reading, and studying, with labels for each area of use. When you involve your kids in this sorting process, they will be able to identify and keep up with where everything should go in the future.

Cleaning Closet

We all have that cabinet or closet for our cleaning supplies, dusting items, and general disinfectants, but if they’re all piled up, it’s hard to tell which products are old or for what use. You can sort out all your cleaning products by using vertical space for storage, leaving more floor space. A good shelving system should do the trick to help stow the items you use on a regular basis. Keep in mind that just because you have space, it doesn’t mean you should overcrowd it.

Jana Bain

Staff Researcher/Part-time Writer

http://www.homeinsurance.com

Reference

Bain, Jana. 2012. 8 Sure Fire Ways to Declutter Your Messy Home. (posted with permission of author). Original post can be found online at http://www.homeinsurance.org/8-surefire-ways-to-declutter-your-messy-home/.

Is Sugar Toxic? CBS Segment

04/03/2012 11:29:00

"Is Sugar Toxic?" segment of 60 minutes on CBS aired on Sunday evening. Is an interesting segment and matches the research that is being done regarding Food Addictions and Eating Disorders by Eating Disorder professionals who presented at the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals in March 2012.

There is certainly strong indication of the actuality of sugar addiction! Take a look at the segment and see what you think!

Blessings,
Susan

My Journey with Lap Band

03/07/2012 14:55:00

Most of you are probably familiar with the Lap Band. Maybe you’ve seen the “roaring hungry lion” commercial or have read about this weight loss surgery in a magazine. Maybe you’ve even undergone surgery and have a band yourself! Either way, I thought I’d share my thoughts about some discoveries along my journey.

I was Banded in July 2010. I’m small framed, 4’10”. I made the decision to be Banded not only because I have a history of losing and gaining weight multiple times in my 27 years, but also because of hormone, spinal health, and ultimately insuring a better future (not to mention I was hovering over the ____lb mark). Surgery and healing was a breeze, and to be honest, I didn’t notice much of a change in how eating felt for quite a while.

Lap Band 101: It’s a hollow band that’s wrapped around the top of your stomach opening. The hollow band can be filled with saline to become tighter (making the opening of your stomach smaller, limiting the amount of food intake) or loosened (to open up the stomach entrance, allowing more food to go through faster). Imagine a deflated balloon (your stomach); put a rubber band about an inch under the opening. Stuff the balloon with several bites and all the sudden, that upper area near the top is full! Food takes quite a while to pass through the opening.

Now that you’ve got an idea, understand that I didn’t particularly feel the effects of the Lap Band until about 6 months after surgery. I had to work my way up to getting a tight lap band (monthly or weekly saline injections to tighten the band to the most beneficial amount). So it’s been almost 2 years, I’ve dropped about 80 pounds (all 80 within the first 12 months, these last few pounds are hard to move!) just through healthy eating and light exercise.

There’s a big debate as to whether the Lap Band is even necessary. I lost weight on the Band the same way other people do with out it: exercise and healthy choices. So why did I get it? Think long term. This Lap Band is a tool not the answer to a healthy weight. I could abuse it and still gain my weight back believe it or not. Being a weight loss tool, the Band has helped to constantly remind me not to over eat, or to watch the quality of the food I intake. Sure, there have been ups and downs in regards to adjusting to the Band itself. It is known to be “tighter” in the morning and “looser” in the evening. So, I’ve simply adjusted my food choices to accommodate. My typical choices on an average day:

Breakfast: ¼ cup yogurt with 1/8 cup granola, coffee.

Snack: protein shake w/ milk

Lunch: soup or some sort of soft food (around 1 cup)

Snack: protein shake w/ milk, fruit

Dinner: baked potato and a veggie side

These quantities seem small, but with all the protein intake I’m never hungry. It’s true you physically can’t stuff your face on the Band. I’ve had to cut out a lot of choices like bread, some chicken and pork, some pasta, and most fast food. These things rarely move through the band resulting in not so fun regurgitation.

With healthy choices I can eat until my Band feels full and know that food will digest slowly in my Band for about an hour after eating (so I’m constantly getting nutrition on a slow basis instead of all at once).

I hate exercising, by the way. I try to walk a couple miles every few days or more. Or at least do some rigorous yard work to amp my muscles.

Would I ever get the Band taken out? Fat chance! Not only is it a pricey decision, but the Band also ensures a steady weight instead of yo-yo weight. I could not be happier! Remember that the Band is a tool, not the answer. You still have to work at healthy choices and exercising if not more. Whenever I’m at a restaurant, it takes me a little longer to decide on my choice due to how it may “flow” through the Band.

If you think you’ll get the Band and never have to worry about food or exercising you’re misinformed. If anything, it puts you in the driving seat to make mandatory healthy choices from here on out. Just thought I’d share in case you or someone you knew were interested in the process! And as always, consult your medical professional.

Before & After! ~Sarah

Bulimia Nervosa Fact Sheet

03/03/2012 19:21:00

National Eating Disorder Week 2012 is coming to a close today. If you or someone you know is heading down the path of destructive or unhealthy eating patters, please seek help with a medical professional and therapist.

Below is a Bulimia Fact sheet to help you understand and identify one of the most common Eating Disorders. Did you know that Bulimia often goes unchecked because the person may appear to be of an average body type and weight? Only 6% of people with Bulimia actually seek mental health help. Help spread the word by expanding your knowledge!

Dieting & The Drive for Thinness: The Truth About Dieting

02/29/2012 14:26:00

National Eating Disorders Awareness Week: Day 4

Dieting is such a common trend. Most of us have probably done so many types of dieting over the years we can't even count. With as much hype as dieting gets, in the long run diets don't work! Instead of dieting, change your eating habits, eating behavior, and life style choices and you'll be on the road to success. Check out this flyer on dieting facts and help spread the word.

Anorexia Facts, Signs & Symptoms

02/28/2012 10:31:00

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Day 3!

Let's look over some facts about Anorexia:

Binge Eating Disorder Facts, Signs & Symptoms

02/27/2012 10:59:00

National Eating Disorder Awareness Week: Day 2