Guess Who Is Back?

I have been gone a long time from this blog. When I first began, blog post used google plus and that platform was eventually done away with. I changed jobs and I have not been writing for years. There have been so many changes in my life since I last wrote a post. 

First, I changed jobs. An awesome job opportunity presented itself and I jumped on it. There is good retirement and 401K plan so I couldn't resist. The job is within the Department of Social Services as the paralegal in the legal unit. So I get to use my degree and help children that are abused, neglected or dependent. Well, my job is really a spoke on the wheel but it is important. 

The second biggest change in my life is that I quit smoking. Finally! I took a look around at my life and I didn't like what I saw in myself. I was huffing and puffing anytime I walked a lengthy distance and my feet and legs were burning. I did not realize before I quit smoking how much smoking had infiltrated my life. My clothes smelled like smoke, my home smelled like smoke and my car smelled like smoke. I had a huge fear of quitting because smoking was a crutch that I used that turned into a bad habit. I could taste the nicotine on my lips and my fingers were yellow. So I took Chantix and I was able to use that medication to quit. After I quit, I gained 12 pounds or so. 

The third change in my life was I took control of my health. I had gained a lot of weight and had been talking about changing for years but took no action to actually change. The change in jobs helped me to get an understanding of my health. The new job that I took has incentives for its employees to be healthy. In May of 2021 one of the ladies that I work with wanted all of the staff in that particular unit to take a photo. I was in the photo and when I saw it, I felt so ashamed. My face looked like I had three chins and I cried when I saw it. I realized that day that I had put my life on the back burner to take care of everyone around me and if I wanted to live to be an old woman I needed to take care of my health. I have lost a total of 60 pounds since that time and have kept it off. 

Something that I have noticed within myself in the last two and half years is that for each bad habit that I gave up I am struggling a bit with my mental health. What I mean when I say that is for a long time I pushed down my feelings and did not deal with them. I used food or cigarettes to numb myself. Now I am having to face the emotions that I have been suppressing because I am not binge eating to numb those feelings. I know that in the past that blogging has helped because it represents to me a way of releasing the past hurt, anger or grief that I have felt. 

I will end this post today saying that I am back for good and will be writing at least once a week and I will be discussing a variety of topics so buckle up because I am back!