My Barometer

I find that I have a personal barometer that I measure and alter my emotions by. My weight. I realized it this morning as I shied away from the scale. I haven’t stepped on the scale in the past two weeks due to vacations and poor eating, I didn’t know what to expect.

Now, I’m well aware that the number on the scale should not affect me. It doesn’t own me, I am (or think I am) at all times in power of my body. Yet why the fear this morning? Well, I haven’t worked out as much, I ate more decadent meals, and I lost too much sleep. So what was I to do? I knew I needed a base on where my weight was after two weeks of gluttony, so I sucked it up (and in) and got on that scale.

What did it tell me? Well, somehow I’ve managed to maintain/drop a teensy bit of weight. I don’t know how it happened, but I found myself immediately cheerful. Something about that darn scale gets to me. Every. Damn. Time. I don’t have a pair of skinny jeans, I don’t keep body measurements of my progress, I just base my body on that single number. Somehow seeing that I haven’t deviated off my downward path was able to improve my mood immediately.

I’ve learned to become less upset about small fluctuations upward, but that lower number? Heaven. Maybe I’m learning to eat and live at a balance. Perhaps my body is plateauing again (it sure likes to do that). Whatever it is, I’m glad that I’m managing to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Hopefully my barometer will never exceed that previous tens digit (not sure I’m ready to admit it). And if it ever dare, hopefully I have the strength and determination to weasel my way back down.

What about you? Do you have a personal barometer? Does any physical factor make or break your mood?