My Opponent, the Stress Monster

Wow. Today, the Stress Monster blindsided me and ran me over like a Mack truck. I simply could not get ahead of it, no matter how hard I tried. The funny thing is, I spent most of yesterday working my butt off to get laundry done, the house straightened, meals pre-cooked and veggies washed and prepped... just so that I would feel prepared going into today. And somehow, it completely backfired. I was overwhelmed from the minute I woke up, and only now -- at eleven o'clock at night -- do I finally feel it has relatively eased up.

I'm not sure what exactly caused it... Did I burn myself out yesterday, trying to get ahead? Is it hormonal (yes, turns out it's "that time of the month")? Was it dehydration, because I didn't drink nearly as much water yesterday as I had gotten into the habit of drinking? Or maybe it was a manifestation of anxiety over a play date I had planned for this afternoon, with several women I've never met before? It could be a combination of all of these things.

Whatever the cause, I decided to take control over the things that I have the power to control: drink that water, and ease into the next phase of the program by adding whole grains and fruits back into my diet. Maybe the stress was a sign from my body that it is ready to move on. My cravings are well under control (I got through today's play date without so much as salivating over the buffet of sweet treats at my fingertips...heck, I even brought the Munchkins and I didn't eat one); now I want to be sure that I am not depriving my body of too much, for too long.

The other thing I need to do: get exercise. I need to get moving. I need to find a way to work it into my already crazy schedule, or I may go insane. If there are two things the Stress Monster hates, it's healthy eating and exercise. I've focused a great deal of time and energy on one, and have not been working the other equally. No wonder I was blindsided. If I don't keep both gloves up, I get smacked in the head.