I faced my anxiety’s head on and I won!
I’ve completed my first week at my new job! Yay me! In last weeks post I talked about how anxious I was to be starting a new job. After not working for a year I was doubting my abilities, I was scared that I wouldn’t fit in and nobody would like me. I had all the normal worries that we probably all get when starting a new job but I was letting my anxiety get the better of me and I was spiralling. On top off all that I was also concerned with how I would navigate intuitive eating not being at home and how I would cope with any diet or body image triggers that may potentially arise. So I would like to fill you all in on how it went. I’m really proud of my achievements this week and I’m so excited to share them with you!
Anxiety was not taking control this time!!
All of Sunday I was really anxious but I had promised myself I wasn’t going to let my anxiety define the mindset I was starting this job with. I was determined to be confident and ready to go by Monday morning. So I tried to relax and enjoy my Sunday which actually was easier than I thought it would be. If I started overthinking things I used distraction to take my mind off of it, for example I watched a film with the kids, had some me time and done a bit of housework. I also got everything like my lunch, bag and outfit ready for the next day. I find it definitely helps to be prepared and it is one less thing to worry about. I dyed my hair which always helps me feel better about myself. I’m always more confident when my greys aren’t showing! When I went up to bed I put my diffuser on. I made a relaxing essential oil mixture from my book which is supposed to aid with sleep and I read a bit of my book. Just before I went to sleep I listened to a confidence podcast. I have listened to this episode before and it is amazing! If you need a confidence boost click on the following link. Trust me you will feel like you can take on the world when you have finished listening to this episode! https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-confidence-club-podcast/id1512131664?i=1000475328592
I feel asleep with the diffuser still going, feeling like ready to smash it and I actually slept!
When I woke up Monday morning of course I had nerves but I was ready to get going and start this new chapter! Everything I had done the day before had made a massive difference! I walked into that job feeling, I would say 80% confident. I was more than happy to take that because I had never felt like this when starting a new job and for that reason I was very proud of myself! For the first time I faced change head on and I was more confident than I was afraid. I actually felt like I was enough, I deserved to be there! I had worked for this and nobody was going to make me feel unworthy or any less! And not once all week have I worried what someone is thinking about me, which has never happened! I have had such a good first week and I’m sure it’s because I started with this mentality. It has given me such a boost!
Intuitive Eating away from home.
With regards to my worries about navigating intuitive eating away from home I really didn’t need to worry. It was so much easier than I thought it would be. I took snacks so when I got a morning break I always had a little something. Even if I wasn’t particularly hungry at the time, it meant I knew I wouldn’t be starving by the time I got to lunch. For lunch I took foods I would typically have at that time of the day and everyday I had something different so I didn’t get bored. I was always hungry by lunchtime and I quickly figured out how much food I need to eat for my lunch to sustain me until I got home, so I have not been overly hungry at any point during the week, which means I’ve managed to avoid overeating. I’ve also been really good at getting up and having a sustainable breakfast. I’m exhausted by the time it comes to dinner, knowing this would be the case I had roughly planned out our dinners for the week. If I didn’t fancy what I had planned for that night, I just swapped it round.
If your working and struggling with how to navigate intuitive eating or you are returning to work and are worried like I was, I really recommend using these tips. They really took away the worry for me and adapting to intuitive eating away from home has been such an easy thing to master.
What triggers!!
Lastly I was worried about triggers cropping up and how I would cope with them if they did. I have not been around anyone other than my family for months, let alone anyone who is dieting or very focused on their weight. I had no idea if being around that would trigger me and so I was quite nervous about this. I have noticed there is a few people at work who discuss dieting and weight as there always will be wherever I go. I can happily say hearing them has not triggered me in any way. This really surprised me. It made me realise I do not give myself enough credit with how far I have come in my journey. I’m not sure why but I fully expected to be triggered by this kind of talk when in fact I felt sad for them, because I can see that they are stuck in the hell that is diet culture! They have no idea how damaging it is for them and I never want to go back to being stuck there. Knowing what I do now about diet culture and what it’s done to me over the last 20 years I literally feel nothing but hate towards it and I wish I had the ability to get everyone else to see how evil it really is! Maybe one day when I know them all a lot better I will be able to introduce them to the idea of intuitive eating.
For now I’m just happy I’m able to go to work, be confident in my job and carry on eating intuitively.
Thank you for reading! Stay safe and happy eating!