Fat Nerd Fit

I guess you could say I’m in a mildly manic phase right now.   I’m not really sure what else to call the “up” periods of Seasonal Affective Disorder. I’ve got loads of perk and energy and it’s noticeable.   I had a coworker say to me “I’m not sure if your positivity is infectious or pathological.” And I suppose it’s a fair reaction when your manager is singing a little tune narrating how she’s going to set you up to count down your registers. One of the symptoms of SAD that has always affected me is lethargy and sleeping all the time. My mom always talks about when I was a kid, I was a 12-hour baby. You could set your clock by me, put me to bed at 7 pm I wouldn’t wake up until 7 am. As I grew and became a teen I still slept like crazy and no matter when I went to bed, I was sleeping in on weekends or sleeping until the last possible moment. I can get out the door in ten minutes- I’ve perfected it. Except in the spring and summer in which I’d stay up all night doing noth...

image credit Favorite Run Facebook Group I have officially worked out more in February than I have in all of November – January. Twice. That’s barely anything in the grand scheme of things, but it’s huge compared to what I’ve been able to convince myself to do recently. In working with depression, I’ve decided to go with small steps.   For the month of February, I’ve decided to go to the gym at least once every week.   And, in the spirit of encouragement, if I make my goal, I’m going to get myself a piece of swag from the gym’s pro-shop. I’m going for encouragement and reward for realistic goals to hopefully avoid a shame spiral.   One of the things that kept me from getting back to the gym sooner was the anxiety of what it would be like when I got back.   I go to a small-ish kickboxing gym where the trainers are really good about remembering people and making them feel like they’re excited to see you.   Accountability is a big thing with...

I have been extremely blessed with first-world problems in the last few weeks. I am not about to try to say that things are “hard” or that I’m having any sort of actual problems, but I will admit that I am overwhelmed. After years of struggling at jobs I hated, struggling to pay the bills, having no clear path forward, and no real idea how to get to where I wanted to go…. In the course of two weeks, all that has cleared up and I am overwhelmed with gratitude and bewilderment. I love the job I have. I work at a bookstore, running the graphic novels/manga/RPG sections. I call myself a professional nerd and booklover. I love the people at my store. I enjoy the customers. Recently the company gave raises across the board which really helps with getting all the bills paid. Almost right after I was given two bumps in responsibility giving me a clear path of possible promotion in the company and the support to feel like I can get there. I’m at a loss for what to do with a job I love...