Self Help Guru!

What am I looking for? ....

I've always been into self help - books, audio, classes, you name it.  I am big on learning and big on improving myself.  Especially when I always secretly thought that learning to become anyone else had to better than the person I am now...

I know I am not the only one out there that reads up on this sort of stuff.  C'mon, you can tell me.... 

The thing is, I didn't really have a plan about what I wanted to learn about and how I was going to implement these changes.   Then no sooner had I read one book, had I moved on to another with differing styles and ideas about self improvement. So I have all this info in my head and absolutely no motivation to use it at all....  


I am suffering from Self-help overload.  There is too much info, too many conflicting strategies and too much to change (IMHO) to even bother.... 

BUT, I have had an epiphany.  Wish I'd had it sooner, I may have saved myself a lot of heart ache!  Oh well, water under the bridge.....

So epiphany - right!  I need to KEEP IS SIMPLE STUPID!  Most people know the KISS method or have at least heard a manager say it at some point in their working life.  Well there is no reason it can't be applied to my real life.

I am always so busy doing a million little things for the kids, hubby, school, work, the business, other people, that life has become complicated.  Complication = stress.  Stress = overeating, lack of motivation, exercise, weight gain which sends me into a spiral in to the depths of darkness.
So, now with a renewed vigour and clarity I haven't had for a while, I have decided to focus my efforts on the main areas I need to work on; and keeping it simple with how I make changes:

• my stress levels and ability to cope with stress
• my diet
• exercise levels

I could include my sanity in general in the above short list, but there is more than one action to achieve relief from depression and everything on this list plus writing and regular visits to my doctors, will be the source of my hopeful success!

So.......

1.  Stress Levels

We all have to deal with stress.  I used to thrive on stressful situations and I used to cope very well in such situations.  I became the queen of last minute because I thought that the stress of meeting that deadline helped me to produce better work.  WRONG!

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I now know that ongoing stress only sends me into a downward spiral to depression that lasts longer and longer each time I pay that place a visit.  Oh and let's not forget the emotional eating to ease the pain and forget about exercise, I am too damn tired honey!  Oh hello spare tyre, where did you come from?  NB this sentence should be read with extreme sarcasm!

So, how to ease my stresses? I have decided to give more time to deeper, more focused meditation.  I have played around with it a bit here and there, but I have trouble concentrating or sitting still for long periods unless I am reading a fantastic book but I have found a few websites and audios that I want to try out.  I will keep you posted about my success (or failure!) in this area. 

2.  My Diet.

We already eat a very low additive diet in our house and I am gluten intolerant.  So major changes had already been made in the last two years, but this does not guarantee weight loss.  Portion control is my nemesis.  I have 20kg to lose and I am a total yo-yo dieter.  I have lost weight before but it always creeps back on and I hit the heaviest I have ever been at the beginning of this year.  I set some pretty unrealistic goals which put pressure and stress on myself - see above about stress!

I recently read David Gillespie's "Sweet Poison - How Sugar is making you fat."  This book was such an eye opener for this yo-yo dieter - OMG!! 

So, I have cut out all processed sugars and any fruits/foods with excess fructose in it.  Now, it is my daughter's birthday on Saturday, followed by Mother's Day on Sunday, so I may allow myself some cake this weekend - the trick is to stop after one piece! 
To say this revelation is exciting is hardly adequate.  Since embarking on this, I am losing weight slowly and I feel like I have done nothing!  What amazes me most is that I am not craving food all the time like I used to.  I would constantly want to eat the house down.  It seemed like I was hungry or needed to eat ALL THE TIME.  Well I crave no more.  Will keep you posted on this one too.

3.  Exercise Levels

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I am not new to exercise.  I have danced, I have done the gym thing, I have walked a shit load and I love Zumba and I love Yoga. 

I want to get back into Yoga a lot more because I love how I feel after a class, so I have downloaded audio classes onto my MP3 from Yoga Download and aim to get in 3 classes a week. 

Then I just gotta keep moving more than I am, as in 10,000 steps a day style moving.  I don't think my current busy life can add too much more at this stage without inducing more stress so I will see how this goes for mow. 

So these are my goals for the rest of this year.  I will keep you posted on my progress and any other interesting bits of info I might find on the meditation and sugar thing in particular. 

I just want to stress that this blog isn't about my weight loss journey, but loosing weight and eating a healthy balanced diet, with the right fats, good lean protein and complex carbs should be part of anyone's therapy for depression.  You can't expect to feel good about yourself when you are stuffing your face full of greasy deep fried foods and cakes all the time.  This takes work, but from experience, it will be worth it in the end.  I just have to work on staying 20kg lighter forever, which by the way is the weight where I always had just another 5kgs to lose!!  I will never be the stick I used to be in high school!!!

Yours in blissful mindfulness,

Mummy in Disguise

                                     oxoxoxo

ps If you want to look at ways you can change your life and diet combined, I highly recommend reading Changing Habits by Cyndi O'Meara. We implemented alot of these common sense habits way back when we started to go low additive.  You may already be doing some of them now!