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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 2016)
FEATURES 6A Tomorrow’s horoscope Eating disorders affect many Dear Annie: People think they know how eating disorders start, but I want to share my story, which might surprise people. I never set out to have an eating disorder. In fact, I didn’t even set out to lose weight. However, after I took up running to relieve stress and ended up losing a few pounds, I was pleasantly surprised by how people reacted to me and how I felt about myself. Pretty soon, running became more of an obligation than some- thing I did to relieve stress. Then, I became obsessed with everything I ate. I had to eat certain things at certain times of the day and it all had to be super healthy. My world was getting smaller and smaller, as I eliminated various foods and drinks. Being with friends who questioned my habits became too much effort, so I withdrew socially. Without friends around to keep me in check, the weight dropped off drastically and I became emaciated. ,WKRXJKW,ZDV¿QH Finally, my parents stepped in and threatened me with involun- tary hospitalization, so I submitted to treatment. It wasn’t easy, and I mourned the loss of my hypercon- trolled life. But it was worth it. Not only did it save my life, but also it anonymous screenings available at MyBodyScreening.org, where you will be provided with local UHVRXUFHVDQGFDQWDNHWKH¿UVWVWHS Creators toward healing. We hope our read- Syndicate Inc. ers and their loved ones will check it out. Kathy Dear Annie: Like “Bah, Hum- Mitchell and bug,” my family also includes peo- Marcy Sugar ple who are better off than others. At Christmas, we give to char- HQDEOHGPHWRKDYHDOLIH¿OOHGZLWK LW\ :H WU\ WR ¿QG D ZRUWK\ FDXVH normal, fun activities that would not that the relative would appreci- have been possible when I was sick. ate. My father likes to build things, , UHPHPEHU WKH ¿UVW WLPH , ZHQW so I might choose a bag of nails out for Mexican food with friends for Habitat for Humanity. For my after my recovery. I ate enchiladas brother, I once chose a portion of a and drank a margarita and realized donkey from the Heifer Project. He that I was rediscovering a life that I had great fun with that when people thought I had lost forever. would ask him what he got. I want people to know that treat- You could do this any time ment is effective. There is a great during the year and then send a card life out there waiting for them. at Christmas telling the person of — Rachel your gift in their honor. It leaves Dear Rachel: Thank you. Eat- everyone with a good feeling, and ing disorders and body dissatisfac- they know they have helped others. tion affect men and women of all — No Stress races and all walks of life. They Dear No Stress: This type of have the highest rate of mortality of gift is a wonderful idea and can be any mental illness. Unfortunately, WDLORUHG WR DQ\RQH¶V VSHFL¿F LQWHU- of the 30 million men and women ests. As always, please check out who suffer from a clinically signif- the charity with one of the watch- icant eating disorder during their dog organizations such as chari- lifetime, only a small percentage tynavigator.org, charitywatch.org seeks treatment. There are free and or give.org. Annie’s Mailbox THE DAILY ASTORIAN MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29, 2016 By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). You may en- gage in bargaining without even realizing it, as there are deals to be struck that don’t re- quire any exchanging of words. Decisions will count; actions will speak. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Be careful not to get caught in the middle of warring parties. There won’t be a winning side, for starters. And when the two reconcile they will surely turn on anyone who was in- volved in the conflict. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). The laundry list of qualities to make up the perfect part- ner may go out the window as it becomes clearer to you what really matters now: namely, chemistry and compatible life- styles. Have faith in your intuition. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Privacy is always your prerogative. Those who ask probably don’t deserve to know, and you have no obligation to tell, either. Besides, loved ones respect you more when you re- veal less. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). It’s not hard to be part of the good stuff now. You’re aware; you look around, see what needs doing and act immediately. The simplicity of your choice will keep you in an exciting flow of life. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). There are certain issues you feel strongly enough to stand firm on, and therefore you’ve a few unbendable rules — the chief one of the day being to remain flexible in all matters at all times. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). If you don’t yet have what it takes, don’t worry; you will. Your ability will swell when the challenge at hand invites it to. This is especially true on an intellectual level. You’ll grow smarter in a FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE demanding learning environment. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Sometimes the deadline, bustle and hurry bring out the best in you, but not now. So go ahead and take off the pressure. Stroll through life in- stead of running around. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Your teachers have been stellar, but that’s not to say you couldn’t use a few fresh influences. Reach out and you’ll learn what you need to know to take your career to the next level. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’re a natural-born cheerleader, inspiring and motivating all who come near, though most won’t show it. In fact, you would never guess how energizing your support really is. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Your in- tensity level may be too much for today’s situation, so hold back. The restraint you show will be admired. Then, when the dra- ma boils over, you’ll still have plenty of en- ergy left in you to carry on productively. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Of course you want to succeed! The question now is, at what cost? Doing your best is one thing. Then there’s the above-and-beyond efforts you could make. Would they be worth it? TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (March 1). You know that you deserve goodness and you gladly accept the bounty that drops into your life over the next six weeks. April brings a different kind of love. May features a reversal, and it likely has financial impli- cations. Lifestyle moves don’t have to be expensive. Find a more economic way and you’ll be glad five years from now. Cancer and Virgo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 1, 28, 33, 2 and 50.
