Progress - Food - Behavior

One of my major goals was to start looking at when and why I want to eat.

I've been using food as something to provide comfort and "support". These foods, some are comfort food, others were just a sugary mess of processed chemicals we called candy.

Two major things contributed to it:
1.) Stress
2.) Lack of energy.

I've been focused on two things as of late:
1.) calm the fuck down.
2.) get 8 hours a night.

Relaxation:
It's been a difficult thing. However, the cancer came at a perfect time. It forced me to slow down, take stock, really look at everything, fully rest, and come back with a clear sense of priorities.
Now, don't go get cancer, or even get sick for that matter in order to find the time or focus to do this. Chip at it in small segments.
I found lavender tea, camomile tea (bedtime only), and changing the type of music I was listening to at work helped. Realizing that everything in my work life is temporary, changes, and I have very little control also helped. Removing myself from the need to have control over everything, and how small it was in the vast scale of everything, allowed me to step back and see it for what it was: simply something to do.

Sleep:
Chemicals in your body even out while in recovery during sleep. Keeping yourself from having this produces side effects that can allow you to crave different types of foods, which, oddly enough, for me made it worse - basically eating things that brought me down so I'd pass out.
Shutting down at the end of the day was always the hardest. I've combated that with manditory shut down times (10:30pm) a Half hour for tea and quiet, and then 11pm; in bed.
Now everybody's schedule is different, but you need to find the time that works - and you need to make it.