Monday 23 February 2009

Distracted By Irrelevance The Stress And The Tension

Big things are happening right now. Big, stressful things that I can't really talk about right now.

Oh, and before anyone asks, no I am not pregnant. Just because I am a newlywed doesn't mean that I'm gagging to procreate. (Except that, um, last week I thought I might be pregnant. And that was contributing to the Big! Stressful! things. But it's okay, Saturday morning I peed on a stick and three horrible minutes later, Shawn and I high-fived enthusiastically and repeatedly when only one line showed up instead of two.)

So, right. Big stressful (non-pregnancy related) things are happening.

I knew that I was stressed (the headaches and stomachaches and the completely bizarre cryings jags tipped me off. What constitutes a completely bizarre crying jag? Crying because your puppy has toenails. The toenails didn't scratch me, or Stella, or anything else. It wasn't because I had to cut the toenails (though that does suck.) The crying was due to the fact that Wolfgang is a skinny puppy. No matter what we do, he stays skinny. We increased his food intake. We put him on a high-protein food. We feed him treats like nobody's business. And yet, he is rail-thin. But his toenails! They don't stop growing! His toenails grow freakishly fast. And this is what the crying was about - I feel like all the effort we put into making Wolfgang gain weight is directly related to how fast his toenails grow. Like the extra protein in the high-protein puppy food is making him grow monster claws instead of a round puppy belly. And so, the crying.)

Anyway.

I didn't realize how stressed I was until just now. I went out to grab lunch and ended up in the drugstore. I was on my cell with Shawn so I wasn't really paying attention to what I was buying - I just went up the food aisle and threw a few things in my basket, paid, and left. I just got back to the office and opened my bag to see what I bought. I give you, my lunch:

1 bag pretzels
1 package of licorice
1 package of those yummy cream cookies with the red jelly centre
1 bag roasted, salted almonds
1 Skor bar
1 Coke

Yes, I'll take my stress with a side of diabetes and high blood pressure, please.

I have a Big! Stressful! potentially life-changing meeting in one hour and if I eat this lunch, I will die. I'm thinking I should eat the almonds for the protein and drink the Coke for its sweet, glorious caffeine and leave the rest. There's a pot of yogurt in the fridge that I can steal (and replace tomorrow - I know my office etiquette) and I think that will tide me over until I grab some real food. The problem is that when I'm stressed, I crave sugary foods (clearly.) The candy is calling my name. I can't resist!

18 comments:

  1. Good luck! I'm totally with you on craving sweets when I stress. And then I bake to soothe those cravings. And then my clothes stop fitting. And then I stress more. And the cycle continues.

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  2. Oy. Hope the meeting goes OK, and that your stomach is fine.

    xoxoxo

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  3. I'd go for the pretzels, but that's just my personal preference. Good luck!

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  4. I always crave junk when I'm stressed. I hope things turn out okay.

    Just FYI - my best friend had 3 false negatives before she got a positive.

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  5. Has anyone ever told you that you sound a little stressed? :-)

    I hope your meeting goes well.

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  6. July Bug: Yes! It is a vicious cycle.

    Angella: Thank you :) I need to stop being such a wiener.

    Lindsay: Oh don't you worry - the pretzels will be devoured after the meeting.

    Tia: WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

    J: Who, me?

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  7. Good luck with the meeting. If all else hide the Skor bar in your desk for a future emergency situation. Like breakfast tomorrow.

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  8. Dear Hillary,

    Please gchat with me this evening (or afternoon if you want to go by your crazy ass time zone) so I can fix you. Thanks.

    XO,
    Amanda

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  9. Thinking good thoughts for you and hoping your meeting goes well! Take a deep breath.

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  10. Hope all goes well at the meeting! Just remember to breath.

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  11. Little bit of full fat plain yogurt with the puppy's food every day will help him keep some weight on. If he is sickly thin, make it cottage cheese for a while, then switch to yogurt to maintain.

    I don't think I have ever actually commented your blog before, Hillary, but I've been lurking for a while. Figures I'd show myself to be the dog nerd that I am when the time came.

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  12. the psychologist in me must say something.

    Research indicates individuals who self-regulatory resources are depleted tend to also have depleted levels of glucose (sugar). When those same individuals who are ego-depleted then have a candy bar (sugar) the self-regulatory resources and the faculties effected by those systems are restored to near baseline levels.


    Nerd aside...I'm eating icecream at least once a night now...not to mention 5 cups of coffee, and only two meals. I think I'm on my way to the grave muchhh faster.

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  13. Oh, the stress was shooting out of my monitor as I read this! It made me all clenchy!

    One, I am glad glad glad you are not preg. Relief. Two, I think the toenails are a positive sign. I mean, I completely understand the crying, I do, and it's good to get it out, no matter what the trigger. But here's my rationale. They're protein, and you feed and treat him really well, so I would think that the fast-growing toenail issue means he's healthy. And I'm going to stop numbering here because I'm about to annoy myself. BUT. I hope things get a whole lot less stressful after the meeting. I hope the crying and the crazy conglomeration of deliciously high salt high sugar treats helped.

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  14. Oh my gosh! I hope the meeting goes well - and I hope that the Big Stressful Things end up being positive!

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  15. Ack, good luck friend! Please update us ASAP!

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  16. Hope the meeting went well!

    And wow, interesting choices for lunch. Though I love those cookies as well!

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  17. Hey, at least you only crave sweets when you're stressed. Me, I crave sweets all the time. It's an awful way to live.

    On a more serious note, I'm thinking big, grand, very good thoughts for you ... and hope they translate into your real life!

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  18. I love Skor bars and I am glad you're not preggo. I had a scare like that about a month ago and was TERRIFIED.

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