I’m a stress case!  Well – at least I have been for the past month and a half.  It’s been difficult to feel like I don’t have control of my life, and that I’m failing at everything.  On top of those awesome feelings – I no longer have food to soothe my frayed nerves. So what’s a recovering stress eater to do?!

First off – I want to say that I have not even thought about food as a way to cope.  I’m actually surprised that I haven’t reverted back to my old habits… after all – I’ve only been on the Med-Fit program for five months, but I’ve been a stress eater all my life.   I thought there’d be at least a little slip, but no! Although it has felt a bit like trial-by-fire, it’s good to know I’ve actually made real, lasting changes with my relationship to food.

What I’m really struggling with right now, and what is likely compounding my stress, is finding the time and energy to prioritize my needs.  I used to have a blissful hour each day between when I got off work and when I picked up my son from school that I would use exclusively for me.  I would walk, read a book, listen to a podcast… whatever I felt like doing to take my mind off of the day’s worries and decompress. I didn’t realize how essential that hour was to my wellbeing and stress management until I didn’t have it anymore.

I feel overwhelmed right now, and I’m having a hard time trying to figure out how to create balance in a busy life that leaves little time for me.  When you give so much of yourself to other people it can feel selfish to focus on your own needs. But Emily just reminded me this weekend that “you can’t pour from an empty cup”.  So – while my cup is bone dry at the moment – I’m working on finding ways that I can make myself a priority on a daily basis – so that I can cope with the stressors of life in a healthy, positive way.

❤ ~C