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.
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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
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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-
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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.