Stress Management

Everyone handles stress in different ways - some work out, some get angry, some shut down, and some eat.  I've never really considered myself a stress eater.  When I'm sitting in my office with twenty million things going on, food is not the first thing I think about.  I don't go looking for chocolate.

However...excessive stress takes a toll on my emotions, and I am most definitely an emotional eater.  Great day? Let's celebrate by going out to eat or enjoying a piece of cake!  Bad day?  Treat yourself by enjoying something tasty.  Sad? Chocolate might make you feel a little better.

This week has taken a major toll on my emotions - I have run the gamut of them.  I've been worried, sad, angry, excited, elated, and just about everything in between.  April is always a tough month for work - trying to get everything done by the end of the academic year and getting the halls closed.  But, this week has been especially tough with work stuff that I can't really mention at this point in time.  It has caused the bulk of my stress, though.  Not knowing what the future holds, saying goodbye to some of my students, and dealing with upcoming changes...all on top of an already stressful month.  But there were also some definite highs this week.  Remember how I mentioned early-on in the journey that I was starting my own in"cent"ive program?  Well, I've decided what I'm using the money for...I've added to some other savings and I'm going to London!!  An old friend of mine and I secured plane tickets and a hotel this week so it's really happening!

Thankfully, I haven't completely succumbed to the emotional eating that normally would have happened.  Now, I didn't always make the best food choices this week, but at least it wasn't as bad as it used to be.  Regardless of what the scale says, I know I need to get back on track again this week.  The weeks stresses kind of took me by surprise, but I know what I'm in for this week and it will still be a tough one, so I need to prepare myself for that.  So, let's see what the scale says...

Initial weight: 257.2
Week 15: -2.0
Total weight loss: -29.4 lbs
Current weight: 227.8

In the spirit of complete honesty, I am quite baffled.  I walked into the center assuming that I had gained weight and really just hoping for minimal damage.  The receptionist asked me how my week was and I said "not good" - I had decided against using the word "bad" because "bad" would have resorting back to my original behavior, and while I certainly didn't make the greatest choices this week I didn't quite go all the way back to my pre-January behavior.  So she asked why it wasn't good and I said my week was busy, stressful, and emotional and she said "all in one week? wow that's rough".  As I got up on the scale I said that my week wasn't as bad as it could have been, but it certainly wasn't good.  She said, "well you're down so it couldn't have been that bad."  I said, "really??" and she said..."yeah, you're down by two pounds."  Talk about a jaw-dropping moment!!  I was completely floored.  Now, as I said before the weigh-in, I know that I can't keep that behavior up, and that I really need to get my butt back in gear.  April is arguably our busiest month, and it's certainly proving that true again this year, but I can't put my whole life on hold until this month is over and I need to make sure that I'm taking some time for me.