Scalyfreak regroups and changes her strategy

[Scaly Freak]

It never ends. The blows keep coming, and coming, in a steady assault that never lets up. Each attack bounces off the shield Scalyfreak is barely managing to hold on to with both hands, but though they dent the steel, nothing penetrates far enough to actually do damage. (Every grueling and boring side-quest done just to be able to get every last upgrade for the shield suddenly seem completely worth it.)

 

Scalyfreak shifts her feet, regaining her balance between blows, and braces the shield for impact again. And again.

 

This can’t continue. While no attacks actually are hitting Scalyfreak, she’s not able to do anything other than hiding behind her shield, stuck in the worst kind of stalemate possible.

 

Something needs to change. Soon.

 

 

So Stress Hydra is gradually losing power, but shows no signs of going anywhere. The good news is that I’m leveling up while fighting this stressful situation, and should be able to get back to something resembling normalcy at some point during this challenge.

 

The bad news is that there is another business trip looming in the near future (it will likely take place during this challenge), and Husband’s Stress Monster continues to attack us both.

 

With the above, and my current energy levels, firmly in mind, I have decided to go for small and easy-to-met goals this challenge. All of it will be geared towards getting my stress levels, and the effects of my stress, under control to the point I stop taking damage from them.

 

Physical Stress Management: Informal Intermittent Fasting, or IIF for short. I will skip breakfast (because breakfast makes nausea) and not eat until noon. I’ll have coffee, my own and black, so it’s as acid free as I can make it. I will also have mint tea, ginger beverages, or kombucha, while waiting for noon and food to happen. While there is no firm cut-off on calories in the evening, the noon eating time is nonnegotiable.

 

Mental Stress Management: Continue to meditate every morning. Also meditate for a few minutes at a time during the day when I need a break. Also make sure I see the sky or daylight if the sky is hidden by clouds, preferably by going outside, at least once every day.

 

Increase Happiness Factor: My definition of happiness remains. Being happy means to be mentally healthy and durable enough that when a Stress Hydra appears and attacks, no lasting damage is done. What damage there is, heals faster. In our bodies, it’s called “fitness level”. In the mind, it’s “happiness”. And like physical fitness, I need to keep working at it, to maintain it at a healthy level.

 

Happy Halloween, everyone! Here are some zombie tap dancers for you.  

 

 

[Scaly Freak]

Okay, the placeholder has been replaced with the next challenge, and here is the first update:

 

Physical Stress Management: The mini-fridge next to my desk has kombucha and lactose free yogurt. The peppermint tea consumption continues. I've been eating larger amounts for dinner because I'm more hungry, and I think that is a good thing.

 

Mental Stress Management: I paid Insight Timer for a year of full membership, because I have benefited so much from that app that it seemed churlish and unappreciative not to give them money. I'm working my way through the month of mindfulness series of courses they created for Mental Health Awareness Month. Money well spent!

 

Increase Happiness Factor: We had Halloween at work. This means department decorations, lot of Halloween costumes today (I dressed as a witch), and everything shutting down at mid-afternoon so employees can bring their kids in for trick-or-treating through the building. I got to spend fun and relaxed time with coworkers I genuinely like, and we made a whole bunch of kids happy by giving them candy and admiring their costumes.  

[Harriet]

On 10/29/2019 at 8:22 PM, scalyfreak said:

(Every grueling and boring side-quest done just to be able to get every last upgrade for the shield suddenly seem completely worth it.)

 

This is an excellent thing to have proved to yourself. Very motivating.

 

On 10/29/2019 at 8:22 PM, scalyfreak said:

So Stress Hydra is gradually losing power, but shows no signs of going anywhere. The good news is that I’m leveling up while fighting this stressful situation, and should be able to get back to something resembling normalcy at some point during this challenge.

 

Ah yes, lower level enemies bite one's shins while one levels block and heavy armour (I assume heavy because warriors). May your skills increase beautifully. 

[Scaly Freak]

6 hours ago, Harriet said:

Ah yes, lower level enemies bite one's shins while one levels block and heavy armour (I assume heavy because warriors). May your skills increase beautifully. 

 

Of course. Full plate or nothing! (Not literally. Puny armor is better than no armor.)

 

Meditation is turning into some kind of stress-fighting super power. It's almost scary how effective it is.

[Stronkey Kong]

Following.

 

Stupid hydra.

[Scaly Freak]

Weekend update!

 

Physical Stress Management: Apparently eating a small mountain of Halloween candy for dinner, instead of eating an actual dinner, is very bad for a barely healed stomach. Massive candy hangover all of Friday, which led to lunch taking place about an hour past noon, because too much nausea. Yes, I am apparently sometimes six years old and not smart. Lesson learned, hopefully permanently this time. 

 

Mental Stress Management: I'm continuing to meditate, though I forgot this morning. I will do it as soon as I have posted this update though. Also really looking forward to Monday, when I get to see my therapist again and can unload some of the massive life upheaval that has led to stress lately. That will help with this goal.

 

Increase Happiness Factor:  NaNoWriMo is on! The plan is to write as much as possible this weekend, to make up for a complete lack of writing yesterday due to candy hangover. I have also sold several of my items on ThredUp, which makes me happy and also make me want to pick out and snd them more things from my closet. I have too many things in there I never use and barely remember. That is not how things should be.

[Jean]

I'm here for the fighting narrative and to watch you switching position and kicking ass.

 

Also because Halloween candy is the worse. Hope you're getting better and that the Hydra gets the beating that's coming for it.

[Stronkey Kong]

Yas! Another WriMo!

[Scaly Freak]

Further progress towards both increase of happiness factor and mental health boosting:

 

 

[Scaly Freak]

On 10/29/2019 at 1:22 PM, scalyfreak said:

Physical Stress Management: Informal Intermittent Fasting, or IIF for short. I will skip breakfast (because breakfast makes nausea) and not eat until noon. I’ll have coffee, my own and black, so it’s as acid free as I can make it. I will also have mint tea, ginger beverages, or kombucha, while waiting for noon and food to happen. While there is no firm cut-off on calories in the evening, the noon eating time is nonnegotiable.

 

Unless my favorite leftover Halloween candy magically appears at my desk while I'm away in a meeting. Gummi bears are catnip.

 

I have put the rest of them away out of sight and will eat them later this afternoon. Baby steps!

[h3r0]

My weakness is twix, so I went ahead and picked all of them out of my kids bucket and ate them this weekend. Probably not the best strategy but I don't have to worry about temptation this week. 

[Mike Wazowski]

Cursed Halloween candy - it's a sneaky devil! But glad you're still finding meditation effective - your commentary on it prompted me to try restarting the habit, hopefully it sticks this time!

[JuiceeTarget]

Turns out the candy is the Trick, not the Treat.

[Scaly Freak]

8 hours ago, h3r0 said:

My weakness is twix, so I went ahead and picked all of them out of my kids bucket and ate them this weekend. Probably not the best strategy but I don't have to worry about temptation this week. 

 

That what I tried to do on Thursday. And what led to the candy hangover on Friday.  

 

7 hours ago, Mike Wazowski said:

Cursed Halloween candy - it's a sneaky devil! But glad you're still finding meditation effective - your commentary on it prompted me to try restarting the habit, hopefully it sticks this time!

 

I do. I enjoy sitting down and having complete peace and quiet for my mind to roam and focus and relax. It's like a very thorough and lengthy stretching, but for the brain. And I think that's a very important reason I have managed to keep this habit, despite everything else falling victim to Stress Monsters area attacks - I genuinely enjoy meditating. That matters. 

 

3 hours ago, GoodDoug said:

Turns out the candy is the Trick, not the Treat.

 

False advertising! Tricksy....

[Mike Wazowski]

Oooh love that metaphor! I love me a good stretch sesh, just gotta remember to carve out time for that same kinda care for my brain.

[JustCallMeAmber]

Sorry if you've already said so, but what kind of kombucha do you drink? I love tea, but I haven't found a kombucha that I like enough to buy again.

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, JustCallMeAmber said:

Sorry if you've already said so, but what kind of kombucha do you drink? I love tea, but I haven't found a kombucha that I like enough to buy again.

 

I am still not sure I have a favorite. The ones I have repurchased the largest number of bottles of, is either Kevita Pineapple Peach, or GT's Watermelon Wonder. They're both pretty sweet, which I've discovered I like in kombucha, with a lot of fruit flavor.

[Scaly Freak]

Physical Stress Management: Using kombucha or a non-dairy yogurt as my afternoon snack is having slow but steady positive long-term effects on the stomach lining. Obvious improvement when compared to previous challenge, most notably, my lack of appetite is going away. I'm eating larger amounts for dinner with no negative consequences, and enjoying food again. The quest for non-dairy probiotics that don't cost a fortune, continues, and is slowly taking me in the direction of DIY, despite my lack of time for such projects.

 

Mental Stress Management: Therapy is a great thing. That is all.

 

Increase Happiness Factor:  I'm continuing to write on my NaNoWriMo project, which is going well but slow. Also,food is delicious and has been missed. Spent the weekend cooking a very large batch of bolognese-style pasta sauce, and was in the process reminded of how much I enjoy using the santoku knife from my knife set. More cooking needs to happen!

[Harriet]

1 hour ago, scalyfreak said:

Physical Stress Management: Using kombucha or a non-dairy yogurt as my afternoon snack is having slow but steady positive long-term effects on the stomach lining. Obvious improvement when compared to previous challenge, most notably, my lack of appetite is going away. I'm eating larger amounts for dinner with no negative consequences, and enjoying food again. 

 

Excellent. 
 

1 hour ago, scalyfreak said:

  I'm continuing to write on my NaNoWriMo project, which is going well but slow. 

 

After spending some time away from my current story, I've started thinking it's stupid and not worth finishing... do you get self defeating thoughts like that in nanwrimo? Have you finished actual books before? 

[Scaly Freak]

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

After spending some time away from my current story, I've started thinking it's stupid and not worth finishing... do you get self defeating thoughts like that in nanwrimo? Have you finished actual books before? 

 

I used to get those thoughts, it's one of the main reasons I stopped writing outside of school and work for far too long. I asked myself what the point of writing even was, so many times, that I convinced myself there wasn't one, and I stopped writing. Before those thoughts started, I completed multiple short stories and poems. Some of them are good, some of them are pretty horrid. Most of them are somewhere in between.

 

This NaNoWRiMo is my first attempt to write a "real" book, and I'm excited. It's a challenge, but I'm enjoying it. I unintentionally introduce two recurring supporting characters last night, that I think will be a fun addition.

[Jean]

5 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

More cooking needs to happen!

This! Let the santoku knife's spirit be your sidekick. Hydra sushi for everyone!

 

3 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

I asked myself what the point of writing even was

I find that living is kind of writing a story too so I'd say the point of writing is that adventures and/or enlightenment happen.

 

[Scaly Freak]

12 minutes ago, Jean said:

This! Let the santoku knife's spirit be your sidekick. Hydra sushi for everyone!

 

... that mental image is going to linger.

 

14 minutes ago, Jean said:

I find that living is kind of writing a story too so I'd say the point of writing is that adventures and/or enlightenment happen.

 

The point of writing is to create something that is pleasant to escape into when I need a break from reality.

 

 And a person at work just asked me whether Germany is a part of the UK.

 

I cannot wait to get home so I can escape!

[JuiceeTarget]

6 hours ago, scalyfreak said:

The quest for non-dairy probiotics that don't cost a fortune, continues, and is slowly taking me in the direction of DIY, despite my lack of time for such projects.

Kvass is very simple to make and beet kvass is even better for you than the traditional rye kvass. As they say, if you can make coffee, you can make kvass.

https://www.furtherfood.com/recipe/diy-easy-beet-kvass-probiotic-drink/

 

In our area we have a couple of really good sauerkraut makers, and one makes a probiotic drink called "Gut Shot" that I take for a few days when I feel like I need it:

https://www.farmhouseculture.com/gut-shots

 

Whether you make it yourself or buy it, these simple one-shot doses are really easy to make a part of your routine on top of the kombucha or non-dairy yogurt.

[Scaly Freak]

I don't have time to explore those links now, but I definitely will later. I can certainly make coffee. Thank you!

[h3r0]

1 hour ago, scalyfreak said:

 

The point of writing is to create something that is pleasant to escape into when I need a break from reality.

 

That's why I like to read.