My dh is like this too.. I will tell him things repeatedly, even just basic day to day stuff, and he will either say he forgot, or that I never told him. Even to things I said multiple times. He doesn't have any mental issues, just an ass that never really listens to me. And sometimes after the 2nd or 3rd time of telling him, he will say "I know, I heard you the first time". Well, how about a reply or acknowledgment that you heard me then, so I don't have to keep repeating myself? Ugh, it's just one of the many reasons I'm considering divorce.

I have been in therapy for decades, including an in-patient program. I have tried medication. Some worked but all are either not safe for long-term use or lose their effectiveness after a while. I've even tried hypnosis. Actually, therapy for food-based mental illnesses does not have a history of long-term success. Largely in part because the medical community thinks there is a physiological component. My childhood was great, BTW. But I'm glad you know more than the probably 100 medical experts I've seen who whole-heartedly disagree with you. Do you ask people suffering from depression what happened to them? Do you tell them to just cheer up? I't hard, but seriously, why can't they just be happy?

Therapy for food-based mental illnesses is more helpful than following a fad diet. Yes, even Paleo is a fad. It's no different than Adkins, the cabbage soup diet, or the South Beach diet. Unless you have a medical issue, eliminating entire food groups doesn't tend to work in the long run. Get to the root of the issues or you're going to fall back into old patterns. Weight loss is just as mentally challenging as it is physically challenging, and if you're looking for motivation in a book written by someone who's profiting off the diet industry, chances are, you're setting yourself up for failure. What happened in your childhood that triggered your issues with food? Deal with that before deciding to never eat beans again.

Technically though, you could lose weight just by eating less portions. If you can't stop at a few cookies, that seems more like a mental thing. Physically you don't have to eat those cookies. Just because you "can't stop" doesn't mean calories in/out won't work for you, it just means you need some willpower. I overcame years of extreme binging so I know that it can very difficult, but it is possible.

A couple of years ago, I was really, really sick. Doctors were worried and scrambling to find out what was wrong with me. One of the very real possibilities was adrenal cancer, which BTW, is one of the deadlier cancers if not caught early. My doctors spent 4 MONTHS arguing with my insurance company to get them to cover an MRI. They kept insisting that it wasn't medically necessary and suggesting other things instead, including a mental health evaluation (eye roll). They eventually caved and luckily it wasn't cancer (or I'd be dead). But tell me again how people in countries with socialized medicine have to wait for treatment?

I tried to explain to my mom about what I feel is the depression/anxiety I've been having throughout my teenaged and most of my adult life. I haven't been clinically diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure if I sat down and talked to someone they'd slap some sort of mental illness on me. But I digress. It didn't go well. It never does. She asked me, 'Well what are you depressed about???', exasperated. I tried to tell her-- it's not just one thing. It's long bouts of hopelessness, emptiness, sadness, low self-esteem, that are cyclic and irrational and just won't go away. Yet again she dismissed my feelings, viciously recounting why it was my fault about why I feel the way that I do. All I've ever wanted is her support. But each time I always get reminded of why I'm defective and can't get it together. I give up.

I'm on Medicare. $136.00 per month is deducted from my social security check to pay my Medicare premium. Understand that Medicare is not free, I am charged that premium. In addition, because Medicare pays only about 80% of actual medical costs, I pay about $400 extra per month for supplemental medical, vision, prescription, and dental insurance. Add it up - I'm a retired senior citizen and it costs me around $536 a month for Medicare plus the supplement. Also I have co-pays for certain services. For those who favor Medicare for all, do you really think everyone can afford this? NO.

You could keep a couple as sentimental mementos and sell the rest. I’m sure they brought her joy and she enjoyed the collecting, but they’re not “yours”. They’re not your thing. I collect Star Wars LEGO sets and squirrels and I really enjoy collecting and displaying them. They make me happy. I love rearranging them. When I die my ds or dh can throw it all away or give them away, whatever.

WOw, I could've written that post about cheating on your boyfriend myself! Flash back 24 years ago. I was dating someone that I had very mixed feelings about. Against better judgement, I moved in with him. I proceeded to cheat right and left. Even getting caught didn't stop me, although I did feel terrible. We finally broke up in a hugely dramatic, ugly and unpleasant way. Looking back I wonder why did I put myself and him through all that? Why not just leave an unhappy relationship? Instead of lying, why not just be honest and straightforward? I did the same mental checklist you did and realized my role models acted much the same way. Self-centered, evasive, secretive, lacking in boundaries, poor impulse control, self-destructive. I've changed a lot and that's all you can do. I'm definitely more self aware and straightforward and in a good healthy relationship today.

I got to see my mom on Thanksgiving. She had to be transferred to a max security mental hospital geriatric unit because she attacked a CNA. The facility reminded me of jail, but my mom is going to get her meds sorted out and maybe they can move her to a new home where she has more supervision. I think that this may be my last year where she's still with us. It's very, very hard to accept this but I'm trying to enjoy every minute I get with her.