WW (Weight Watchers) Chat #278: Anchors – How To Stop Stressing When You’re Already Stressed

News and Reviews June 2022

The White Half Runner green beans are in!!! We got a crate of these beauties yesterday so guess what we will be talking about next week? Hint…it involves that pressure canner sitting behind me 🙂
We were sent another batch of Cut Da Carb low carb flatbreads so stay tuned for more yummy lower carb recipes coming up soon!
Unless you’ve been backwoods camping in the Yucatan you know we are in the middle of unprecedented gas and food prices. Starting in July I’m going to be sharing my ideas and asking for your recommendations on how we can save money by lowering food waste, trips to the store, and even on your energy bill!

The month’s theme is “Drop an Anchor” and we will spend the entire month discussing tried and true strategies that really do work!

Last week during Chat #277: How To Build a Morning Routine, I had you raise your little virtual hand if you are like me and had a perfectly good morning routine (or any time routine for that matter) and then stupid Covid messed it up?

Ok even if you didn’t raise your hand, successfully starting your day can make a huge difference on how you handle the rest of those hours awake. Check it out!

Getting up on the wrong (or right!) side of the bed

Have you ever heard anyone say that? Have you considered what it means? If you didn’t get your day started on a good note, chances are you will be grumpy, late, behind, stressed, or a myriad of other things. The wrong side of the bed may be as simple as not getting a good night’s sleep for something out of your control. But it might also mean hitting the snooze one too many times, forgetting to put your clothes in the dryer the night before, being in such a rush that you skip breakfast. That’s a recipe for a steady decline in attitude and your wellness efforts for the rest of the day

Pen to paper time!

Get out your favorite way to record some notes: white board, post it notes, index cards, whatever it is
Jot down everything you did this morning (or start tomorrow morning if you’re like me and can’t remember anything past drank coffee and ran out the door) and estimate the time it took. Example: Brushed Teeth = 2 minutes. Hunted for keys = 10 minutes
On a larger note (or at the top of the board / paper) write down how many minutes you should have between getting out of bed and getting out the door (or whatever you do) each morning. Example: 45 minutes

Post It / Plan It

Now take those notes and calculate how much total time they took. Be honest. If scrolling through cute cat videos took 11 minutes you better write down 11 minutes LOL
Now start weeding out some things that took you over your allotted amount of time and just set them to the side for now (and that folks is why I like post it notes)
Put a check mark on the ones you know you need to have a successful start to an even more successful day (like showering or eating breakfast) and an X on the ones that really don’t contribute to your good morning game plan (sorry cute kittens!)

Your homework for last week was #AnchorYourMorning. This one’s in the top 10 easiest homework assignments EVER. Do the steps I listed but then tell us ONE thing you will make sure you include in your morning success plan (and the minutes) and ONE thing you are going to skip from now on….and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Let’s see how you did!

Deanna went all out with another super cute journal entry proudly showing off her anchor of giving up an hour of sleep to get out and workout before it’s too hot!
Julie drops a strong anchor by drinking 24oz of water and getting on the stationary bike or doing a workout video 1st thing in the morning!
Yours truly…I gave up the 11 minutes of cute kitten video watching to take Dusty on a longer morning walk. He was happy and I got my day started with a little activity!

Bravo, you did it!

This Week’s Topic: Anchors – How To Stop Stressing When You are Already Stressing

Ok WW, you got my attention…I’m listening.

I don’t know about you, but as a small business owner every day starts at 100 mph. Was that ding on my phone someone texting out sick? Did I remember to put money on the gas card so the installers can be on time for once? Is the internet, phone, power, copier, you name it going to be on the fritz so that my 2 hour to the office early plan is blown before I even get there? So what can you do to stop stress in its tracks (or at least slow it down a little when it’s racing toward you like a runaway train)

Drop Your Other Anchors

Simple things that you CAN do when you’re not already under pressure can keep that runaway train from completely derailing. Things like:

Eating something – anything. Even if it’s just string cheese and an apple it’s better to have some fuel before it gets so crazy that you don’t eat at all.
Drink some water before you start on the caffeine. I know you need your Diet Dew to give you some energy when stress hits, but being hydrated first will help keep you going too.
Get a good night’s rest or if that fails hide in the bathroom. I’m not kidding…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve just gone in the bathroom, closed the door, tried to catch a breath and compose myself, and let everyone sit for a minute. If the stressor isn’t the building being on fire you can probably afford to hide for a few minutes before they come knocking on the door.

Say no if you can, delegate when you can’t

Sometimes the added stress is because I just didn’t say no. For the times I can’t say no, I’m working really hard on learning to better delegate. I watch some of you running around fixing everyone else and never helping yourself. Pot calling the kettle black right? You know what they say on those irritating pre-flight safety briefings “in case of a loss of cabin pressure put on your own oxygen mask first before you help someone else.” If the stranger in the seat next to me panicked or was unable to put on their own I’d like to think I would say “no, I can’t put yours on first…but as soon as I put on mine I will help you or make sure the person on the other side of you does.” Trust me, I’m a work in progress on this one too.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1

I like the WW Graphic on this one…look at your Weekly or click that little Discover icon on your app to find it and check it out for yourself! When stress comes flying at you try this:

5 – Take a deep breath and find 5 things you can SEE
4 – Keep breathing and find 4 things you can FEEL
3 – Close your eyes and find 3 things you can HEAR
2 – Another deep breath and find 2 things you can SMELL
1 – Last one…find 1 thing you can TASTE and then one more deep breath before you tackle that oncoming train

This Week’s Homework: #AnchorYourTrain

Your homework for this week is #AnchorYourTrain. This week’s homework is only for those of you willing to try it. I’m hoping some of you will see this as “challenge accepted!” rather than “sounds like too much trouble.” This week BEFORE you are in a stressful situation I want you to try the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method and practice anchoring your runaway train before it runs away ….and then type it, snap it, share it however you like, and then tag me for your next cool badge!

Don’t forget to do your homework #AnchorYourTrain and tag me when you share on social media!

Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on Instagram
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on our Facebook Page
Tag @Kelly Green Milligan in our Facebook Group
Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on WW Connect

Extra Credit: Bumper Crop “Hot Pockets”

What’s something that everyone, first time gardeners and seasoned pros alike, end up with a ton of at the end of the season? It might be zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, or some other high-producing favorites but you’re likely to have a surplus of these veggies on your hands!

Tonight we’re making a fun recipe with some flatbreads sent over by our friends at Cut Da Carb and some of those overflowing veggies you might find yourself with!

A couple of notes on the Cut Da Carb flatbreads:

Vegan, kosher, soy-free, dairy-free, nut-free
1 flatbread is 2 points (0.5g fat, 9g net carbs)
If you aren’t going to use them right away, pop them in the refrigerator and freezer
Be sure to keep them sealed at all times so that they don’t dry out

These flatbreads can become the base for a variety of dishes, but for this recipe we’re going to use them as the outer “shell” of our Bumper Crop “Hot Pockets.”