Though I’ve been facing some difficult times lately, I have a TON of support from my family, my friends, and ALL OF YOU!
Just yesterday, I was reminded of how easy it is to have the wind sucked out of your sails…get stuck in your head…and wallow in a kiddie pool full of self-pity. But instead of flapping my arms in a panic and allowing myself to drown, I reached out to a friend, I reread some of the comments from last Monday’s post, and through a few tears, found a renewed sense of purpose.
Sometimes we just need to be reminded of things we already know.
Sometimes we need to feel a bit of empathy.
And sometimes we just need a pep talk.
So today, I thought I’d share a few quotes that helped change my perspective…that made me pause…that filled my cereal bowl with something a little different…some
food for THOUGHT!
Something I said to a friend that I should be saying to myself on a daily basis.
And seriously, Dawn just totally wow-ed me with this one!
I seriously cannot thank you guys enough for all the support and love…I will continue to come back to these and so many other heartfelt comments whenever I find myself without my arm floaties! 😉
What quote or mantra do you turn to when times get rough?
Wait, can I call you punkins in the middle of June…sugar pies?? Does adding a term of endearment make up for the fact that I totally disappeared on you last week?
To be perfectly honest, I had no intention of posting until Thursday, but then wouldn’t you know, things got all sorts of crazy busy and there just wasn’t any time. After that, my “weekend” started and well, I needed to just check out. After having some time to relax AND reading through the amazing and heartfelt comments on Monday’s post, I’m feeling a bit renewed, grateful, and humbled.
But enough of the sappiness, how about a little review?
What better way to catch you guys up on the past seven days than by joining in with Meghan’s Week in Review? Woo hoo! I’m excited! Are you excited? You should be! 😉
Monday was a day for nurturing.
The morning afternoon started with a nice long walk to clear my head…and when I say clear my head, I mean sweat every last thought out of my brain! Yeah, it was a bit…hot! The rest of the day was spent working (blah), texting with good friend who helped give me a bit of perspective, and getting a much-needed refresher by rereading some of the key points in Intuitive Eating (review coming soon!).
Tuesday was a day for enlightenment.
I had my bi-weekly phone call with Jamie while I walked around the park. I had my Garmin on me, but it died after about 15 minutes…not that I need it for the numbers or anything, but there were points during our conversation that I KNOW I must’ve been truckin’, because I had to stop and catch my breath a few times! Ha! We went over a LOT of things and I had several “ah ha” moments that I’ve felt I’ve been needing for so long.
Then I had an “ahhhhh” moment with this little guy…
A creamy, slushy, mouth-watering Blueberry Watermelon Mint Smoothie!
Recipe coming soon!
Wednesday was a day for a change.
I woke up to temperatures in the high 90’s so instead of going for my usual park walks, I decided to head to the air conditioner gym…once I got there, I actually felt like playing around with some weights…so I did…and I took an awkward picture! 😉
Then I came home and made the best freakin salad EVER!
My beloved red carrots, squash, blue cheese, strawberries, cucumber, and hard-boiled egg on a bed of romaine and Russian kale. Drizzled with a bit of balsamic dressing, I was in absolute HEAVEN!
Seriously, gorgonzola and strawberries were meant to be!!
Thursday was a day for recharging.
I drove out to Paris, TN and had a little over 24 hours with my mama all to myself. We talked, we relaxed, we soaked (a little too much) in the sun, and shared PLENTY of delicious eats. It was definitely the getaway that I needed.
Friday was a day for reconnecting.
After lounging around the camper a bit more with my mom, I headed home, showered, and made dinner while I waited for the man-friend to arrive.
I call it, Throw a Week’s Worth of Farmers Market Veggies in a Pan and Add Cheese…you can call it Vegetarian Mexican Lasagna…either way, it’s still delicious and I have to say, it felt sooooo good to cook again!
Recipe coming soon!
The rest of the night was spent playing with our new popcorn maker, drinking too much wine (ok, maybe that was just me), chatting, and cuddling on the couch while watching this movie…everything was great, except for the movie and the slight hangover I had the next day! 😉
Oh and I also guest posted over on Lucie’s blog…did you see it??
Saturday was a day for therapy.
Farmers market therapy…
Retail therapy (I’m not even telling you how long we spent in Sams!)…
Chocolate (and caramel and peanut butter) therapy 😉 …
And finally, some good ol’ fashioned afternoon nap therapy!
Although I’m willing to bet it was my magical cup of fro-yo, I’m guessing all that therapy combined (or mayyyyyybe just the nap) was just what the doctor ordered, because…
Sunday was a day for getting shit done!
Before the man-(who at this point, we ALL know is more than just a)friend 😉 headed back to his place, I helped watched him hang my IKEA DVD racks that we purchased back in JANUARY (oops?) and then I not only mowed the lawn, but I dropped off the recycling, cleaned the garage, and got nice and sweaty before I whipped up one of these…
Blueberry Protein Ice Cream…
Yep you guessed it, recipe coming SOON! 😉
So tell me, what’s been going on with YOU?! How are you relaxing? What’s the last thing you bought? How’s the weather? Anyone else knocking back frozen treats with a vengeance?
I’m not really sure how this post is going to turn out, but I really just feel like I need to get some stuff off my chest so…bear with me hold my hand?
One of the reasons I took a break from blogging was that I was just feeling so overwhelmed and really just out of control. I hate to admit it, but I got sucked into the comparison trap a bit. After Blend, everyone was getting “back on track”…there were plenty of green smoothies, hearty bowls of oats, and crisp clean salads popping up all over blogworld.
And there I was…
Sitting in the floor of my pantry polishing off a box of chocolate Cheerios.
No milk. No bowl. Just shame.
For an entire week, it felt like a struggle just to make it to the end of each day. I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t exercising, I wasn’t smiling, and I most certainly wasn’t eating anything green…so I sure as HELL wasn’t going to blog, but after an entire week of binge eating, a couple of (or several) breakdowns, and one very, VERY difficult conversation with Jamie, things finally started to click.
Since then, I’ve actually gotten to the point where I can see the WHY behind a lot of my thoughts and actions. Here are a few “moments of enlightenment” I’ve experienced over the last week and a half:
1. My mood/self-esteem, how my knee feels, my digestive system, and pretty much my entire outlook on life is absolutely 100% dependent on…the amount of sleep I get!
When I am sleep-deprived (which, since going back to work last month, has been more often than not), I almost always end up with a wonky tummy which almost always ensures that by the end of the day I’m going to be so pissed off at my tummy AND MYSELF that I’m going to drown my sorrows in a couple of tall ones. And when I say tall ones I mean beer. And when I say beer I mean cereal.
I know that eating a Poptart every now and then isn’t going to kill me but when I have one, I feel the need to eat twenty! I KNOW I feel my best when eating clean, minimally processed foods (that has basically been my diet about 80% of the time in the last few years), but since those “forbidden” foods are still on that pedestal I built, I feel almost deprived by telling myself not to have them.
3. I’ve been pulling away from the people a lot and have left myself feeling sad and lonely.
I haven’t felt “put together” in a long time now, but I only recently realized that I’ve been using things in my life as excuses to isolate myself so that no one sees the “abnormal” parts of me. I joke to keep people at a distance because if they get too close, they might see that the cracks beneath my surface need a bit more than a couple of strips of duct tape.
I also joke because it makes things feel less serious even though they tend to cause me so much anxiety that I lose sleep at nightday night WHATEVER!
So that’shere’s there’s?? where I stand right now…further proof that this whole Intuitive Eating thing is a lot harder than I thought it would be, but also a milestone in my journey because, even though part of me feels like I haven’t made much progress in the last month, the fact that I’m finally starting to see and feelthings shows growth.
I know that the progress in this journey can’t be linear…but sometimes it’s so hard to see the bigger picture.
No questions today…
But I could use a few words of encouragement.
My name is Heather! I'm a southern gal with a passion for food, fitness, and photography...and alliteration if you didn't notice! Here you'll find a mix of random musings, delicious recipes, and hopefully a chuckle or two! Check out my "About' tab to learn more!
And seriously, Dawn just totally wow-ed me with this one!
