I’ve Got a Case of the Mondays

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I haven’t had stress in my life for a long time.  I mean, not to the level that I feel it now. Today, I joke that I have a case of the Mondays, but it’s really bigger than that.

I also feel like since I changed jobs… I worry a lot more.  Worry about getting to work on time, getting home in time for yoga, fitting in all the things I want to do.  When I went for my annual checkup a few weeks back, my blood pressure was up.  For the first time in FOREVER.

Bottom line: Changing jobs is hard, and it shakes things up a bit.  Eventually, it will stabilize.  Right now, it just feels incredibly uneasy.

Just because I’ve lost 79 lbs, that doesn’t mean that I’ve figured all my food issues out.  I certainly eat healthier than I did a year and a half ago.  I also work out a whole heck of a lot more.  Just the same, when it’s me and a mini loaf of banana bread that accidently broke on its way out of the oven… the banana bread tends to win (and it did yesterday.)

When things get hectic or I feel pressure, I crave “comfort” foods… and at times, I overeat.  Other times, I choose a hot bath over a workout… and making a nice dinner instead of going to yoga.  I’ll take the easy route at a 5K when it’s freezing and raining.  I eat out for lunch with co-workers, and sometimes I even order rice when I go to chinese restaurants (gasp!)

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That last one made me smile a little… I really rarely order rice when I go to chinese, but I feel like it’s a HUGE indulgence when I get it since I haven’t ordered it in over a year.  Lastly, and most impactfully, I’m not always nice to myself when I have these slip-ups.

The good news is that I recognize the behaviors.  The bad news is that I’m not curbing them very well this week.

So… rather than continuing to whine about my stress levels and associated stress eating that’s been going on.  I want to ask you this:  What great articles/books have you read out there about productively dealing with stress and not letting food become a solution?  

I need some solid practices and techniques to incorporate STAT.  I refuse to let food come back in and play a starring role in my life… Right now (truth be told), I’m up about 3 lbs again.  We cannot continue down this path.

Looking forward to your tips today.  I need them, folks.  xoxo