Fresh paint, fresh start

When a weight-loss blogger drops off the face of the blog world for several weeks, it usually is not a good sign. I do not make an exception there. This morning´s WI: 85 kgs. 187 pounds. Or, in other words, 6 kilograms in total regained from my lowest weight over a year ago. 13 pounds that have joined the 25 I would have had left until goal. I certainly did not intend to find them again, ever. But it is what happened. 

What that regain really was was my body crying foul over the workload and stress I forced it to bear those last months. Nights with about four hours of sleep, days in the office where I wished for a pair of extra arms to handle the demands coming on, or where I was barely able to work because my eyes were strained so badly I almost could not decipher what I had on my screen before me. And continuous hunger. If the body runs out of energy it demands to be fed. Which I did, because collapsing at my desk would have been infinitely worse than regaining a few pounds. 

When I realized I was headed for a burnout, I have taken two weeks off my job. 

After cleaning out my office, of course. But that was half as bad because I knew that I would be allowed to sleep it off on the next day, and the assurance of knowing I did complete all of my projects was well worth sacrificing the better part of a night for. 

So, I´ve been home for several days already, sleeping, reading and relaxing. 

I also went to the optician´s to have my prescription checked. As I had already guessed, I do need new glasses because the old ones aren´t strong enough any more. Another expense that wasn´t budgeted for, but if I am able to see better that is definitely worth spending money on. 

As we will not be going away for the vacations, I am using the free time to catch up on postponed projects at home, too. Today, that meant getting some non-drip wall paint and rollers and paint one part of the corridors in our apartment that was in dire need of some whitewashing. Which I did this morning. For a desk jockey like myself, any project that yields instantly visible results is a good project. 

So, I am sitting here satisfied with what I did this morning. 

The weight, of that I am certain, will come off again in its own time once the stress wears off. 

Taking care of my body. Noticing when I demand too much from it. One day I will learn to do that early. But at least this time, I pulled the brakes before the point of collapse. 

And now, I´ll go on enjoying my staycation. 

Julia