My New Recipe For Stress Relief

I had a hard morning. The toddlers were... toddlers. The daycare baby screamed anytime I put her down. I put them all down for a nap and I still feel that busy, stressed feeling even though the house is finally quiet.
My recipe for stress relief today will be a quick lunch and then I'll go out into the garden to do some thinning, harvest some green beans, and finally pull up that tomato plant. Then I'll come in and watch Top Chef before the kids wake up.
This is very different then my recipe for stress relief used to be. Almost 2 years ago, I was 40 pounds heavier. I'm an emotional eater and was turning to food if I were bored, happy, sad, depressed... you name the emotion, I ate because of it. I ate until I felt uncomfortable. I could sit down with a plate of cookies and finish them off.
That's changed now thanks to a wonderful counselor I went to that taught me to "fill myself up" not on food but on other things that make me happy... knitting, gardening, time with my husband, blogging, etc. I stopped feeling guilty for the foods I ate. I started enjoying foods without stuffing myself.

I met my goal weight a year and 2 months ago. I've been maintaining my goal weight ever since.

I know I'm rambling but when I came up with a plan to reduce my stress this afternoon, and realized that the plan didn't involve cookies or ice cream, I was very proud of how far I had come. My new plan works so much better since it doesn't involve guilt or a sore tummy.

Thanks for letting me share.