Spring Awakening!

Looking at this week's forecast all I see is rain. Last week was about the same. I should not be surprised as this is April and without the rain Spring cannot bloom, bringing with it new life and new beginnings.

As my internship with The Awakening Center and my undergraduate career wind down, I feel like I am in a stage right before bloom like the season. Reflecting upon my last year it has been one of tremendous growth for me. I have accomplished more than I imagined both in my personal life and with The Awakening Center. As I prepare to say good-bye to this past year as an intern and undergrad, I also am giving myself a much deserved pat on the back.

Reflection can be a powerful tool to harness along our journeys. Through reflection we can learn from our past ways and move forward with clearer vision. Providing us with insight, we can pick out patterns that can lead us to successes in dealing with an array of situations. More so, reflection can give us strength in knowing that we made it through something. There may have been struggle, but we did it and some form of celebration is in order! We often can fall into a cycle of focusing on our faults, yet acknowledging our successes can help build confidence that can be invaluable. Most of all, it just feels good to acknowledge the awesome things we have done!

Journaling is a great way to help reflect upon the day, week, month or whenever you feel like it. Writing it down can help you physically see how something came to be. It can help be a way for you to recognize your achievements you may have missed. More so, you can brag how awesome you were without anybody judging!

With the awakening of spring (finally!) I am going to take a moment to look back upon my last year with The Awakening Center and my undergraduate career and give myself acknowledgement for everything that I have accomplished. I will also take this past year's personal growth with me into my new beginnings as a blossoming adult. I encourage everyone to take a moment this rainy week to take a moment to reflect and give themselves credit for any success they have recently had. With the coming sunshine and spring bloom you have yet another opportunity to begin fresh with greater confidence.

Warmly,

Katie

Katie Infusino is an undergraduate intern from DePaul University and enjoyed her opportunity to be an intern at The Awakening Center this past year. She co-leads the Tuesday Night Drop-In Eating Disorder Support Group.

Flowers and Growth

I was drawing a flower the other day, when I decided this flower needed to be pelted with large black and blue raindrops. Feeling relaxed after doing so I began to thing about my image. Flowers, especially in April in Chicago, get a pretty intense share of rain, and sometimes hail and snow, sometimes bending or breaking their leaves or shoots. Despite this abuse they still manage to use this precipitation to elicit growth. In fact, with out it the flowers would not be able to grow. Thinking about it some more, the growth of a flower became a clever metaphor for growth in general.

Growth is beautiful, it’s the lessons, issues and situations which often force growth that, to be honest, usually suck. Ok, may be that is a little harsh, I normally try to be the one to find the good in all situations, but there are times you just have to focus on making it through the hour, day, week, to get by. However these situations are forcing you to adapt and grow. They make you stronger, more complex, and more beautiful.

It is important to take time during and after the struggle to look back at what you have done. This feeling of pride in the growth you have achieved, and depending where you are at in you journey a huger sigh of relief. You are making it through and blossoming into your self in the process.

As a student who is getting close to finishing grad school, I can tell you there were plenty of times I just wanted to fast forward to the end because the stress of the situation was so uncomfortable, but looking back The discomfort lessens and I am beginning to recognize my growth and cherish it. I am weathering the storm and coming out on the other side. What ever your struggles may be I know that you too can make it through, growing into something beautiful on the other side.

Peace

Kira

Kira Redig is the Awakening Center’s art therapy intern and leads the Thursday night Art Therapy Group from 7-9pm. If you are interested in group or individual art therapy please contact her at

(773) 929-6262 ex 13

Breaking the Cycle of Silence

Tomorrow marks April 1^st and the beginning of Sexual Assault Awareness Month. As I write this I am reflecting on my past year which has culminated in an event at The Awakening Center on April 15^th that I am excited to share with everyone.

On Friday April 15^th, from 6-9pm The Awakening Center will be hosting “Breaking the Cycle of Silence” where we will screen the documentary Searching for Angela Shelton followed by a discussion on sexual violence and the silence surrounding the issue in our society. The documentary tells the story of Angela Shelton as she travels across the United States interviewing women with the name Angela Shelton. During her journey, Shelton discovered that over half of the participants had experienced some type of sexual violence in their lives. As I watched this documentary for the first time as a freshman in college, the gravity of the film did not fully hit me. It was not until participating in DePaul's “Take Back the Night,” an event focused on ending sexual violence towards women and girls, that I realized how prevalent sexual violence is in our society, yet remains largely unspoken about.

A portion of “Take Back the Night” is set aside for a speak out where participants are allowed to open up in a safe space and discuss how sexual violence has impacted their lives. The speak out allows for these people to have a voice and break the pervading silence regarding this issue. As I sat through the speak out, it finally hit home that people I was close with had personally been affected by sexual violence throughout their lives. I could not believe that this was something I did not know about my friends, people I talked to on a regular basis and cared about. Finally, I realized just how prevalent this issue is in our society and realized just how many people I knew had experienced some type of sexual violence.

Remaining silent only continues to allow for sexual violence to exist. It keeps the feelings and emotions someone may feel after experiencing it bottled inside as a secret. This cycle of silence allows for us to turn our heads rather than dealing with and stopping sexual violence, not just towards women, but anyone.

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men report experiencing sexual assault during their lives. On college campuses 1 in 4 women report being raped during their time as a student. Due to many factors including shame and embarrassment, it is believed these numbers may be underreported.

Start a dialogue today and help us end the silence surrounding sexual assault. With more voices together, we can educate men and women that sexual violence is never acceptable. Together, we can foster an environment where victims of sexual violence can speak about it and begin to heal.

Join The Awakening Center on April 15^th from 6-9pm to raise money for Rape Victim Advocates of Chicago, a non-for-profit looking to advocate for victims of sexual violence and change the way our system deals with sexual violence, and to begin a dialogue to help break the cycle of sexual assault and violence.

Katie Infusino

Katie is an undergraduate intern from DePaul University and a recent cast member of DePaul's 2011 production of The Vagina Monologues. She can be contacted at kainfusino@sbcglobal.net for more information on “Breaking the Cycle of Silence” or to reserve your spot on April 15^th.

We are asking for a minimum $9 donation/$5 donation for students. All proceeds benefit Rape Victim Advocates. For more information on RVA visit: http://www.rapevictimadvocates.org/

The Patience of Trees

Today, while I am writing this, it is a warm, sunny and beautiful spring day! (Although the office start of spring is not until next week.) I saw the first crocus blooming in my yard! The birds are making their way back north! I've noticed the skunks have become active at night while I walk my dog. A hint of green is being to show in my lawn.

While January 1st begins the New Year, I usually don't get around to thinking about new beginnings until it's sunny and warm. Each spring I notice a Part of me feels antsy to start something new and this Part gets impatient. It wants to abandon projects that are still unfinished. It wants to rush headlong into something else.

The other day while meditating, I noticed that high above, the clouds were racing by, even though it was a windless day down here on earth's surface. As I watched the clouds they reminded me of my own antsy feelings - the clouds hurried by seemingly without thought or goal - abandoning where ever they had been and rushing to get somewhere else. I noticed what it felt like when a Part of me hurried without thought or goal - not a pleasant feeling, but very familiar to me.

Then I shifted my focus and observed the two maple trees out my office window. The trees were bare of leaves and motionless. They seemed to be waiting, patiently. They knew there time to bud and bloom would come, but were not in a hurry to do so. The trees seemed calm, and I noticed the Antsy Part of me calmed also as I observed the trees' patience - not a familiar feeling, but very pleasant to me.

The rest of the day I would purposely glance out the window and breathe in the patience of the trees. Deep inside, in a place of peace within, I knew there was a time for everything and I did not need to hurry without thought to get where I was going. I could finish what I had started. I could wait for the time when something new would present itself to me.

I encourage you to emulate the patience of the trees. There are some things we need to wait for - and waiting calmly knwoing that it will come in it's own time can help our Parts feel calm too.

Namaste,

Amy

Amy Grabowski, MA, LCPC will be hosting a workshop "Freedom from Anxiety" on Sunday May 1st. For more information contact Amy at (773) 929-6262 x11 or awakeningcenter@aol.com

Handling Transitions

Transitional periods in time are about as much fun as a trip to the dentist. You don't always know exactly where you are going to wind up on the other side of the transition, you don't always know exactly how to make it to the other side, and just like the dentist there may be some slight discomfort. Learning how to manage the discomfort during these periods of transition can be quite helpful and the transition more smooth.

One way to deal with the discomforts or awkward periods of transitions is learning to sit with the emotions that you may feel during these times. Just as all transitional periods in life come to an eventual end, so do emotions. Knowing this simple fact can make sitting with less desirable emotions more endurable. Like strengthening a muscle though, being able to sit with these emotions takes time. At first you may only be able to sit with an emotion for thirty seconds before choosing your normal way of coping with the emotion. Focusing on gradually lengthening this time, you will eventually build this skill to the point where you will be able to sit with the emotion until its end.

While sitting with your emotion you may find it beneficial to introspect on how you are feeling during this time. Where in your body do you feel this emotion? How does this emotion physically feel? Recognizing things like this can help you manage the emotion from the immediate onset.

Following the decline of this emotion, I find it important to look back on the situations leading up to this feeling. What brought me to feel this way? By pinpointing specific patterns, I can prepare myself in similar situations to handle the emotions that may occur as a result. Having a plan in place can also help me reduce the intensity of these feelings making the discomfort more manageable.

A high school English teacher of mine once said that in life you must experience discomfort in order to grow and progress as a human being. Transition can be filled with discomfort, but knowing that it leads to something better can help you reframe the entire experience. Sitting with your emotions during this time, understanding your emotions and being prepared all can make this period of transition much smoother.

Katie Infusino

Katie is an undergraduate intern from DePaul University. She co-leads the Tuesday night Drop-In Support Group. Katie will also be leading the event "Breaking the Cycle of Silence" April 15th which will focus on the silence surrounding sexual assault and abuse in our society. For more information on the event she can be reached at kainfusino@sbcglobal.net

Challenge Body Hatred!

In honor of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Amy Grabowski is sharing an excerpt from her upcoming book, "Imagine Being at Peace with Food, your Body, your Self." This is from the last chapter and is one of the ten tools to Make Peace with Food and your Body. Amy will be leading a workshop, "Make Peace With Your Body" on Sunday March 6. Please see info at the end of the article.

Challenge Body Hatred!

...Think way back, why did you start your very first diet? For most of you, ‘Feeling Fat’ and being uncomfortable in your own skin was something you’ve felt since you were a kid. In the majority of cases, feeling bad about our Body was the first symptom of our Eating Disorder. And sorry to say, it is usually the last symptom to go. You know this – because even when you have managed to lose weight, you still ‘Felt Fat’.

Or maybe as a child you felt fine about your Body; but sadly someone, your father, mother, doctor or coach put you on a diet. Like I pointed out already, once the dieting started, then the rest of the Eating Disordered symptoms, including feeling bad about your Body, followed.

Part of recovery is going to be learning to not trust the negative feelings you have about your Body and relearning to feed your Body as if you did not have these negative feelings, which you also need to learn to be untrue – even though you will still have these negative feelings for a while. Huh?! Clear as mud – right? Don’t worry I’ll try to make this as understandable as I can.

In today’s society, with our size negative-0 actresses/actors with their perfectly chiseled abs and thighs that never touch, plus the availability of cosmetic surgery to chop off or suck out parts of your Body to achieve the perfectly chiseled abs and thighs that never touch, it is very hard not to have a negative Body Image. Only 3% of the population of the US naturally looks like a supermodel. Does that mean that 97% of us should spend each day hating our Body? I choose to disagree! And I encourage you to disagree as well!

Interestingly, in a research study about the effect of a mother’s Body Image on her daughter, anyone in the control group who had a positive Body Image was eliminated from the study because liking your Body was considered abnormal. In another study, subjects who preferred larger Bodies were also eliminated. So in our culture, having some degree of dissatisfaction with one’s appearance is considered normal and liking large Bodies is considered abnormal! How absurd!

If hating our Body actually worked, if it actually motivated us to stop overeating, then everyone would have an ideal Body. We have to admit to ourselves, "Hating my Body doesn't work!" It just makes all the other symptoms worse, much, much worse!...

If you would like to participate in Amy's Workshop, "Make Peace with your Body" and learn the tools to stop Body Hatred, please call her at (773) 929-6262 x11 or email awakeningcenter@aol.com

Loving Your Body and Yourself

What does body image mean to you? What are your thoughts on your body? Do you like it? Hate it? Feel too uncomfortable in your own skin? Body image isn’t about how you look it's about how you think you look combined with all your criticisms, judgment, and emotions connected to yourself and how you think you look. It is these criticisms, judgments and emotions that drive the body hating. It’s time to reframe your thoughts on your body.

Your body is the vehicle you have been given in order to do what you do. While its necessary to address the inner critics associated with body image, it’s also important to reframe your approach to thinking about your body. Try starting with your hands they may not be the shape or size you want but think of what they do for you. There are so many things you do each day that would be much more difficult without your hands! Other parts of your body and your body as a whole function the exact say way. So next time you’re thinking I hate my legs, arms, nose, body try to remind yourself all of the things you couldn’t do without it. It’s time to begin the journey to loving your body and loving yourself.

Peacefully,

Kira Redig

Kira is the art therapy intern at the Awakening Center, and there are currently openings in her Body Image group. She can be contacted at (773) 929-6262 x13