So this is Wednesday

"The only things that can stop you doing what you want to do in this life, are your own perceptions of what you can and can not do. " Ed Hades

I was at a real loss for an explanation for the way I overate on Sunday until I read the comment on Monday morning's entry from Denise. She is 100% correct!

I had so much anxiety about going back to work that I overate without even realising that was the reason I was doing it. When I read her comment it was so obvious.

I have to keep reminding myself that I am only human and that I shouldn't beat myself up over every little slip up.

The second day back to work wasn't so bad. I woke up with a lot of soreness in my neck and chest, but I took some pain medicine and the anti-inflammatory drugs for the pain in the clavicle joint of my chest and it seemed to do the trick. I only needed one dosage, which is good.

I think I just have to remember that my body will take a while to be back to normal and any activity I add will cause some discomfort.

I walked yesterday even though I had pain in my chest and it wasn't bad. I didn't find that walking irritated it much at all. I told myself that just because I am working again (albeit part-time) I cannot make excuses for not exercising.

I still need to get in at least one 30 minutes session, whether it is walking or using the dodgy exercise bike that I think is circa 1950 and has an unadjustable seat-height. But hey, it was free and even though it is so loud it probably annoys the neighbors it still works and gives my legs a good workout when I make the tension hard. It can be really boring to just sit on a bike in our place so I listen to cd's and every 2 minutes change the tension from easy to hard and back again. Plus if all I ever do is walk I know my body will stop burning kilojoules because of not mixing it up.

I made a new necklace for my mom last night and am pleased with the way it came out. I'm thinking about advertising at work to sell them once I get a few different styles under my belt and feel more confident in the work I do. I brought the green one and the new one in to work with me and everyone that saw them drooled over them, and even had a few people tell me I should sell them. That was a confidence booster, and I really enjoy being creative.

The next one I make will have to be one for myself, and I need to learn how to make earrings too so that if I ever sell them I can have sets for people to buy.

I wish I had learned how to do this sooner because it really would have been a great way to spend time during all that time I've had off work.

I can't believe how incredibly close Christmas is. I put together a rather fabulous gift (if I say so myself) for a girl on my team at work that I hardly know because we drew names.

I turned a cheap basket from the salvos into a wonderful relax-i-basket, contents: one body loofah, one homemade jar strawberry bath salts, one book about the benefits of green tea (I already had it but it is brand new), 2 different kinds of green tea, 3 candles in colorful glass pots, 2 different small packs of chocolates, and some star ornaments. I wrapped it in cellophane and put lots of pretty ribbons that I had saved up from all my wedding gifts. It is a present everyone will envy!

I hardly know most of the people on my team. I really miss my friend that left and I don't really feel welcomed much by most of my team. I realise that I could be more outgoing but a lot of them just don't seem interested in being friendly towards me.

But I will not leave this post on a negative note because I must say I am truly lucky and grateful to have met the beautiful friends I have made here. I know that I am blessed.

I don't know. Sometimes it is so frustrating being here, away from my family and everything that I know. Culture plays a huge role in the way people interact and I've noticed it a lot since living here.