Dry January Day 21

Alcohol-free for three weeks: check!During intense and exciting football playoff game: check (even though there was a lot of buffalo chicken dip consumed)!And through another weekend with relative ease: check!I’ve got this.And here’s what else I’ve got:

• More energy
• More patience
• More space in my brain
• A clearer brain
• A more creative brain
• Increased productivity
• Clearer, brighter, more glowing, less congested skin (and I have always had problem skin)
• Less belly bloat (inching - or at least millimetering - my way to #bikinigoals)
• Deeper sleep

And a huge one for me that I am just now starting to believe:

• Less anxiety.

This is not a comprehensive list. This is just off the top of my head on a tired (but happy!) Sunday night.The anxiety piece is something I want to read more about. I have dealt with varying degrees of anxiety since I was a kid. I never thought about the impact alcohol had on my anxiety. Never thought to connect the two. But it occurred to me at some point this weekend that I have not felt anxious in, well, about three weeks. I am cautiously embracing the liberation I feel. Trying to stay present. And eager to explore this further in the coming days.I weighed myself this morning (the day before tomorrow’s weigh-in) and I had gained a half-pound. Which was discouraging, considering how clean I ate this week and how great my exercise routine has been. In my discouragement, I ate too much junk today. I’ve stayed within my weekly points, but I’m expecting a perplexing gain tomorrow. Disappointing, BUT at least I have been sticking with Dry January like a boss. Tomorrow is a new day and a new week and I’m so proud for making it this far.