Day 1

Slept the day away due to working night shift last night. Felt...amazing! My wake up call was from work saying someone called out and i would have to come in from 7p-11p. No problem...it was time for me to get up anyway and it means more money on the pay check. Well, was in the middle of my bike ride when worked called again and asked if i could come in at 5pm instead. It was fine with me...more money! I had to cut the bike ride short so i could go weigh and get ready. I also had no time to get a meal in since it was already like 4:40 when she called. I planned to make today my free day and just have whatever i could get later at work, but that was no way to start my first day...that was letting a unplanned situation control me and my decisions. Not going to happen. No sir-re! I grabbed a fruit cup to have as soon as i got to work and got Lewis to pick me up Okelly's once he got off work. I had a chicken salad sandwich, Doritos, cinnamon roll, and a Mr.Pibb. Not the best food, but it is home made, no grease, and i believe the better choice then a fast food joint. I'm also supporting small business. :D Later i have a V8 fusion drink i can have to complete my day. If work goes steady i will get off at 11pm. I plan to get another bike ride in once home and then hit the hay for a good nights sleep. Got to be nice and rested for momma time.

I did wake up today with the usual just woke up cravings and the need to stuff my face, so, I'm kinda glad i was called into work. There i am not tempted with a kitchen full of items to chow down on. That's the one thing i kinda don't like about my house. It's nice for entertaining to have the living room and kitchen has one big room, but when cravings hit...seeing the kitchen and having such full access to it does not help. I'll make it though. I have to! I have an adorable pink poker chip to achieve in 31 days. :D

14 days till me and the hubs are FL bound to meet my sissy and sis-n-law. 15 days till we are ocean bound on our fancy cruise ship. SO FREAKIN' EXCITED! I did not get the weight i wanted off before this vacation, but it is what it is. Today it is water under the bridge and I'm moving forward. I will enjoy my cruise and the time with my awesome family, but i will also love myself and not let a week vacation blind me from my goals. I may eat things a little high in calories, but i will not binge or stuff my face just because I'm on vacation. There is swimming pools, a gym, a huge cruise deck to discover. There is no reason i can't stay active. The scale, my workout calendar, and my smiley stickers will be coming with me. I have done so good this year not skipping weigh ins no matter how bad my week was and i need to continue to be accountable...even miles out on the open ocean. HeeHee

Day one is almost complete and I'm proud of it. A friend posted a wonderful article on our FB group page and it's exactly what i needed to read today. It was about loving yourself and being your own best friend. When a friend does something bad, would you call them bad names and criticize them negatively? No! You would be there to encourage them. Why do we not to that to ourselves? Why do we speak negatively to ourselves and put ourselves down? Here are the steps they advised to try.

1:  Let Yourself Feel Bad
Self-compassion means recognizing that negative emotions, as much as they suck, are a normal part of being human. That means letting yourself feel them. “You want to make yourself safe enough to have whatever your natural reaction is,” says Neff. If that means making your ugliest cry face and punching your pillow for an hour, go ahead. Self-compassion doesn’t mean wallowing in self-pity, however. It means always keeping your best interest at heart, and it’s in no one’s best interest for you to don your PJ’s and not leave your house for an entire week.
2: Tell Your Inner Critic To Move Along
Chances are, you wouldn’t say the same things to a friend that you say to yourself when you’re feeling down. (Examples: “stop being a baby,” “you always screw up,” or “why are you such a failure?”) Neff says it’s time to question why you continue to say those things to yourself. The next time a judgmental thought pops into your head, understand that your inner critic is just trying to help you. Unfortunately, it’s not helpful. Take the high road and thank that inner voice for trying to help. Then dismiss it and move on.
3: Write Yourself A Love Letter
A study at York University showed that writing yourself a comforting letter every day for a week can make you feel happier for up to six months. Pen yourself a pick-me-up, but write it from the perspective of a loving friend or relative. “What would you say to yourself in this situation using a very kind, compassionate, and understanding voice?” asks Neff. She recommends coming back and reading your letter from time to time to reinforce the effect.
-I love this idea! Going to try it this first week and see how well it works for myself.

4: Treat Yourself
Failure is not the time to punish yourself, says Neff. Try the opposite approach and give yourself a small treat, like a bubble bath or a cup of frozen yogurt, instead. Giving yourself a boost can actually make failure less frightening, which means you’ll be more likely to take risks in the future. “If you know that it’s safe to fail, you will be less afraid of failure,” says Neff. That means you’ll be quicker to dust yourself off and try again.

5: Invent A Self-Soothing GestureAs mammals, we’ve actually evolved to respond to a gentle, warm touch with a lowering of cortisol and a release of soothing oxytocin, says Neff. This happens even when the touch is our own. “Use some sort of physical gesture to express care, compassion, and soothing,” says Neff. It could be anything from placing your hand over your heart to patting yourself on the leg. Once you’ve invented your gesture, you can whip it out in the middle of a stressful situation. “Once you calm your body down, it’s actually easier for your mind to follow suit,” says Neff.
6: Be Your Own Cheerleader
Try speaking to yourself out loud the way you would to a close friend. When you verbally comfort yourself in the midst of a painful feeling, “it’s simultaneously acknowledging and validating that you are feeling it,” says Neff. Acknowledging your feeling keeps you safe from denial, and validating it reminds you that it’s totally normal to feel this way. If it feels awkward to mumble to yourself out loud, just say the comforting words in your head.

Such a great article! Everything is right on with what i am trying to do with my brain rehab and i plan to try and work on every step. One day i will 100% love myself and learn to treat myself with respect. :D