Stress Management

Today is March 1st and I weighed in this morning and I posted my lowest weight to date.  So, that officially means that February comes to a close with a 0.5 lb weight loss overall for the month - but what impresses me the most is that since February 17th I've lost 1.5 pounds!  Trust me, that's quite an accomplishment for this girl.

In addition to my fancy new low weight, I am also in the middle of a potential new job opportunity.  I had my first interview on Tuesday and now I'm just waiting for the phone call that will mean the next step.  I bring this up because man, is this ever stressful.  The job has so much potential so I'm very on edge about this.  And like so many people out there, I sometimes soothe stress with eating.  But, I'd like to brag a little about how I'm trying to be more aware of this obstacle and I'm using a lot of self-talk to help overcome it (yes, this is one of the tools I wrote down in my long writing session that I talked about in my last post).

How do I do this?  Well, for example, I like to call my best friend and exclaim to her excitedly how I have received the job offer and how they've offered me a 50% raise.  Ok, so it's not exactly that but I did do that just for laughs and it's incredibly close to what I actually do.  Take for instance this morning, I woke up early to get in an extra walk this week and while I was outside I chose to repeat some of my goals:

I have the job offer I want.
I have the salary offer I want.
I have the body I want.
I have control over my eating.
I am happy.

Those are just a few.  I always say them in the present tense because I read somewhere that your subconscious actually only understands present tense.  Now, whether or not this is true I don't know, but I figure why not?  I also make them short, precise statements because it also said that it's more effective to make the statements direct and to the point.

Now, whether or not my statements spring my subconscious into action, I don't know, but they have been helping me maneuver this stressful moment in my life.  The statements about the job help to remind me of what I really want.  I mean, I LOVE the job I have.  I get paid well, I've been there a long time, I have great perks and I have GREAT job security.  BUT, I'm over qualified.  I've outgrown my position and I've become complacent about that next step because staying is easier.  I know in the future that I want more advancement and in order to get that I need to go somewhere else.  And you know what, change is scary.  Especially a job change in this wonderful economy.  So these little statements help remind me of what I ultimately want.  I do want a bigger job with bigger money and bigger responsibility and the only way to get that is with action.  So basically I'm reminding myself to be proactive.  The same is true for the statements about my weight.  I'm not going to wake up tomorrow morning and discover I've lost 40 pounds overnight.  In order for that to happen, I have to constantly be mindful of my goals and remember that I'll only reach my goals if I put forth the effort.

And for whatever reason, this little thing I do helps keep things in perspective and makes me feel a little better.  Does it get rid of the stress completely?  Goodness no, but honestly, it does help.  And I need all the help I can get.

Today's Menu:

B:  2 eggs, 1 egg white scrambled with 2 pieces of pumpernickel bread, coffee
L:  tuna salad
D:

For dinner I think I might have some gnocchi with tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella.  If you've never had this wonderful dish, go get some right now.