Sorting Stuff Out
Not much going on here today--trying to keep cool and take care of things at home. I really am hoping to have the whole apartment cleaned up and organized by the end of July. The desk is looking good, but I had to sort the papers (after tossing about 1/3 of the pile yesterday) on the living room floor, so now I have to figure out where all that goes.
Piece of advice: Don't change jobs and medical insurance every year. Actually, for me it will be twice on the medical insurance change this year, so I have to keep a little bit around for reference (effective dates, card numbers, stuff like that). I bought folders yesterday so I can corral things. It was satisfying to be able to toss the old job search stuff, I must say.
I think I have to go back to IKEA for a couple more media storage boxes. The ones I got a few months ago worked out pretty well. They are green ones to match my sofa.
Other than that, I'm just kind of dragging myself around until Pilates class. There was a meeting for my side job last night that ran a bit late (lots of chatting--and quite a bit of girl talk that as the only never-married was a bit TMI). When I got home, I was a little too wired to go straight to bed. Does that ever happen to anyone else? I also used to get that when I did closing at the bookstore. So I watched a little TV (the plight of these girls is at times heartbreaking and infuriating) and then tossed some thoughts into my journal about a compliment from a grandmotherly choir member and news of a high school classmate that to my surprise made me genuinely happy for her and didn't get me all down on myself by comparison. I hope that's a permanent, positive change.
I also sorted out my feelings about seeking the advice of a nutritionist. I'm at the point where I'm concerned that my weight seems to be creeping up (and it's not like I'm hitting the drive-through or binge-drinking at bars every weekend), and also wondering how to deal with the stress of a new job and sustaining the progress I've made treating my anemia. The fact of the matter is, it's been a while since I initially took off a lot of weight, and between getting older and dealing with a lot of environmental changes, what I'm doing right now isn't working for me and I'm not sure how to take care of the 30-something, teacher-librarian me. The me that doesn't seem to have a lot of energy, even though she wants to work out and get things done, but winds up napping or reading too much. I just want to be healthy and have the capacity to enjoy life.
It feels really selfish to want to do this, though, so I've been debating it for the past few days. I was raised in a family that looks down on things like this--even going to counseling--because it's vain and you're not handling your problems by yourself (like it's implied you should be). Well, I've tried handling this on my own and it's not working out. The advice from books/magazines/websites is overwhelming and often not personalized enough--not that I'm special, but while I am sure there are some general things that are helpful to everyone, between the food allergies and my body/metabolic type, I just find I'm constantly the exception to the "this really works!" advice, and it's frustrating.
The other thing is that, living alone, I often don't want to be bothered feeding myself properly. Why spend an hour cooking dinner when it's eaten in 15 minutes and now I have a ton of dishes to wash? Coffee and microwave popcorn for dinner sounds great! There's the implication that I'm not worth it, and I have to get out of that habit of thinking, too.
So it turns out that my chiropractor's cousin is a nutritionist. I wasn't aware of it (and couldn't tell from the different last names) when I picked up a brochure while I was waiting my turn a few weeks ago, and decided to give her a call. We talked last Wednesday, and I think she could offer me some real structure and guidance. I think she also can help me cut down my grocery bills, because that's something I need to learn now that I'll be getting a smaller paycheck.
When I get home from Pilates, I'm going to call her to set things up. I think this will be the start of something good for me.
I promise I"ll share recipes!
Piece of advice: Don't change jobs and medical insurance every year. Actually, for me it will be twice on the medical insurance change this year, so I have to keep a little bit around for reference (effective dates, card numbers, stuff like that). I bought folders yesterday so I can corral things. It was satisfying to be able to toss the old job search stuff, I must say.
I think I have to go back to IKEA for a couple more media storage boxes. The ones I got a few months ago worked out pretty well. They are green ones to match my sofa.
Other than that, I'm just kind of dragging myself around until Pilates class. There was a meeting for my side job last night that ran a bit late (lots of chatting--and quite a bit of girl talk that as the only never-married was a bit TMI). When I got home, I was a little too wired to go straight to bed. Does that ever happen to anyone else? I also used to get that when I did closing at the bookstore. So I watched a little TV (the plight of these girls is at times heartbreaking and infuriating) and then tossed some thoughts into my journal about a compliment from a grandmotherly choir member and news of a high school classmate that to my surprise made me genuinely happy for her and didn't get me all down on myself by comparison. I hope that's a permanent, positive change.
I also sorted out my feelings about seeking the advice of a nutritionist. I'm at the point where I'm concerned that my weight seems to be creeping up (and it's not like I'm hitting the drive-through or binge-drinking at bars every weekend), and also wondering how to deal with the stress of a new job and sustaining the progress I've made treating my anemia. The fact of the matter is, it's been a while since I initially took off a lot of weight, and between getting older and dealing with a lot of environmental changes, what I'm doing right now isn't working for me and I'm not sure how to take care of the 30-something, teacher-librarian me. The me that doesn't seem to have a lot of energy, even though she wants to work out and get things done, but winds up napping or reading too much. I just want to be healthy and have the capacity to enjoy life.
It feels really selfish to want to do this, though, so I've been debating it for the past few days. I was raised in a family that looks down on things like this--even going to counseling--because it's vain and you're not handling your problems by yourself (like it's implied you should be). Well, I've tried handling this on my own and it's not working out. The advice from books/magazines/websites is overwhelming and often not personalized enough--not that I'm special, but while I am sure there are some general things that are helpful to everyone, between the food allergies and my body/metabolic type, I just find I'm constantly the exception to the "this really works!" advice, and it's frustrating.
The other thing is that, living alone, I often don't want to be bothered feeding myself properly. Why spend an hour cooking dinner when it's eaten in 15 minutes and now I have a ton of dishes to wash? Coffee and microwave popcorn for dinner sounds great! There's the implication that I'm not worth it, and I have to get out of that habit of thinking, too.
So it turns out that my chiropractor's cousin is a nutritionist. I wasn't aware of it (and couldn't tell from the different last names) when I picked up a brochure while I was waiting my turn a few weeks ago, and decided to give her a call. We talked last Wednesday, and I think she could offer me some real structure and guidance. I think she also can help me cut down my grocery bills, because that's something I need to learn now that I'll be getting a smaller paycheck.
When I get home from Pilates, I'm going to call her to set things up. I think this will be the start of something good for me.
I promise I"ll share recipes!
Comments
Ohh, yeahhhh.
I say go for the nutritionist, by the way. I want to hear the recipes! You can say you're doing it for me, if that helps. :)
CLEAN *ALL* THE THINGS!
Angela--Thanks! I guess the first step was admitting I needed help.
'Fly--hahahaha. ALL the things!?!? Aw, man!
sigh.