I guess I knew it would happen, and that it would be the real test.

I started this process of getting healthier in a ‘good’ cycle, and it’s been going for almost a year now. And now there’s a ‘bad’ cycle.

How do I know? The office door is shut every day and I’m very tempted to eat lollies (a temptation I don’t always manage to resist) and to drink alcohol (small amounts only) every day rather than couple of times a week.

It’s not clinical depression, it’s just busyness and stress. I’ve been in the office all week, worked hard all day every day, and the task I planned to start on Monday is still not done. Plenty of other stuff done, plenty of demands met, plans made and so on. I’ll be in the office one or both days this weekend.

This was always going to be the test: I gained all the weight, and gained it back after earlier losses, in cycles like this.

So far, so good: walked 100 km last week and am on track to do the same this week, and haven’t gained any weight. Still generally pretty happy as well, though also pretty stressed. But it’s normal, healthy stress, caused by overwork and overcommitment.

And the strategies that work for life in general, work for these cycles too.