I am sorry. I have been AWOL from my own blog for weeks. This is a very busy time of the year in my house: school, sports, recitals, high pressure time at work, and oh yes, trying to take care of myself. Something had to go so that I could keep at least some time to myself, and blogging seemed to be the easiest thing.
I track my stress levels. I've learned that if I don't intercede on my own behalf when the demands start to ramp up, no one else will. Sometimes the house just stays a mess, sometimes the laundry just doesn't get done. Sometimes we eat many meals of whatever I can find in the cupboards because I couldn't get to the grocery store (but my cupboards still have mostly feel great food in them).
This morning I chose between exercise and practicing piano, so that I would finally sit down and write to you, and still have the time I needed to make breakfasts and lunches, get my kids off to school and be on time to work. I sat down and practiced piano because THAT'S WHAT I REALLY WANTED TO DO! It was a bigger stress reliever to practice than to go exercise when I would just be unhappy that I hadn't practiced. And now here I am, doing the other thing that I really wanted to do.
My message is that it is very important to set your priorities and figure out what is highest on your list that will make you feel good. Even though the public health message is that everyone should be active every day, on this one day I chose to be creative instead. If there are days that you have to choose, then choose with your heart. Figure out what you really want. Because if you don't, you'll go for the chocolate cupcake, right? Because despite having done what the "experts" tell you to do, you still didn't do what you wanted to do.
So listen to this expert. I live a real life, with many of the same realities that you live with. I do love to be active, and I miss it mentally and physically when I don't get to exercise. Today I'll stop my work at my desk periodically and do some jumping jacks, maybe some push ups, even some running in place so that I feel better. I'll do some ab crunches on my ball that I sit on (rather than a chair at my desk). I don't care how stupid someone else thinks I look, I know that in the end I'll look alot better, and feel alot better, than they will.
Thank you for allowing me to manage my stress. I may still have a few weeks where I'm not as consistent as usual with my blogging, but I'll try to be more present than absent.
Yours in a Good Mood,
Dr. Susan Kleiner