13 Week Update:
Baby: Size of a peach, weighing in at .81 ounces, and 2.9 inches long. Baby's vocal cords and teeth are forming. Even though baby's still teeny, he/she already has fingerprints. Finished up the last week of the 1st trimester, which means we've completed one whole third of the pregnancy!
We had a doctor's appointment this week and baby's heart rate was 168.
Mama: There is definitely NO hiding this belly anymore! Still fitting into my pre-pregnancy clothes. I've gained nearly 4 pounds already (thanks to some Girl Scout cookies... I won't name any names haha). Craving cold, juicy fruit especially strawberries... and cookies ;)
I've been getting sharp shooting pains around my belly button and my OB said my abdominal muscles are being overworked. I've been unconsciously holding my belly in which is causing them to be over used and spasms. Round ligament pains have also made an appearance, OUCH!
Physical Health: I got one workout in this week... which was more than last week, so I'll take that. I did a Hammer and Chisel workout at home where I lifted weights. I also walked 3 miles pulling Charlotte in the wagon one day this week.
My goal for this coming week is to workout Mon, Wed, and Friday.
Mental/Emotional Health: As I stated earlier I had a doctor's appointment this week. We talked a lot about my anxiety with labor, delivery, and recovery. I LOVE my doctor, she really let me lead the conversation, asked all the right questions, and what I came away with was that I'm letting my emotions control me WAY too much... in a negative way.
So today I wanted to discuss my 6 Steps To Controlling Emotions. Emotions are the most present, pressing and sometimes painful force in our lives. We are driven day by day by our emotions. In my case, it's the negative emotions that must be handled with extreme care. It's the negative emotions that tend to spiral out of control for me, especially when triggered.
Here are some tips that I use, often daily, to control my negative emotions:
1. Don't react right away. Take a deep breath and stabilize the overwhelming impulse to react, you'll most likely regret something later if you do. Continue to breathe deeply for five minutes, feeling as your muscles relax and your heart rate returns to normal. As you become calmer, affirm to yourself that this is only temporary.
2. Ask for divine guidance. When burdened with emotion, close your eyes, envision a positive solution to your problem, and ask the universe to illuminate the best path forward.
3. Find a healthy outlet. Now that you've managed your emotion, you'll need to release it in a healthy way. Emotions should never be bottled up. Call or go see someone you trust and talk to them about what happened. Exercise, meditation, or taking a relaxing bath are other ways to release.
4. See the bigger picture. Wisdom means being able to see past the moment and figure out the greater meaning of any given situation. You may not understand it at the moment, but as time goes by, you'll begin to see the bigger picture falling into place.
5. Replace your thoughts. Negative emotions bind us to recurring negative thoughts, creating cycles of downright negative patterns. Replace those with a different thought. Imagine the ideal resolution to your problem playing out, think about someone who makes you happy or remember an event that makes you smile. Concentrating on what I can control is my biggest sense of relief.
6. Forgive your emotional triggers. Your emotional triggers may be your best friend, your family members, yourself or all of the above. When you forgive, you detach from the resentment, the jealousy or the fury lingering within you.
I hope these steps can help you, as they've helped me, to take more control of your emotional well being and live more in the present, happy, and healthy.
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