Running - The Safe, Convenient Prescription For Restoring Mental Health After a Bad Day
If I have a bad day, no, when I have a bad day, the feeling of being upset, hurt, discouraged, or even angry, dissipates after I run a few miles.
Even after just two miles, the stress starts to ebb.
Eventually, all the anguish is gone, and I am renewed.
Now, if the problem is something horrible, life-changing, running obviously cannot make that problem go away.
However, the stress that problem caused is reduced to a level that allows me to think clearly about what I must do.
I find myself wondering how many people could toss their anti-depressants -- and many other drugs for that matter -- if they just got outside and worked up a sweat.
I'm sure running isn't the only exercise that has this effect.
I imagine it is the best, though.
Assuming you are not running in a locale that requires you to navigate busy intersections, you can just meditate.
It is both mindless and convenient.
You don't need any special gear or preparation.
You walk out the door and begin to run and continue until you stop.
It is that simple.
And simple is optimal when you are trying to unwind and recover your mental peace.
What is it Thoreau said? "Simplify, simplify, simplify.
" If your problem involves another person, and it usually does, you can have mental conversations.
When I was teaching, my problem usually involved a student.
As I ran, I would say whatever I wanted to the student, in my head, and the student responded just the way I wanted him or her to respond.
Sometimes, I think that mental role-playing was the secret to having a win-win dialog with the student the next day.
A trail through the woods is the ideal place for a recovering from a bad day run or walk.
The fresh air cleanses your lungs as the smell of it intensifies your sense of camaraderie with Mother Nature.
And the feeling is enhanced by the sense of being alone with your thoughts with the knowledge that no one can interfere.
You hear only the music of birds chirping, wind blowing, and leaves rustling.
Whatever the problem, they will be on your side, empowering you to solve it.
Running is a powerful elixir.
It's free, it's available every day, and unlike a vacation, you'll have the satisfaction, the sheer appreciation that -- barring a debilitating injury -- it will be available to you for the rest of your life.
You will always have the option of running -- or walking -- out that door, and that is the healthiest, and therefore, the wisest, way to recover from a bad day.
Copyright - Debbie Voiles.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Even after just two miles, the stress starts to ebb.
Eventually, all the anguish is gone, and I am renewed.
Now, if the problem is something horrible, life-changing, running obviously cannot make that problem go away.
However, the stress that problem caused is reduced to a level that allows me to think clearly about what I must do.
I find myself wondering how many people could toss their anti-depressants -- and many other drugs for that matter -- if they just got outside and worked up a sweat.
I'm sure running isn't the only exercise that has this effect.
I imagine it is the best, though.
Assuming you are not running in a locale that requires you to navigate busy intersections, you can just meditate.
It is both mindless and convenient.
You don't need any special gear or preparation.
You walk out the door and begin to run and continue until you stop.
It is that simple.
And simple is optimal when you are trying to unwind and recover your mental peace.
What is it Thoreau said? "Simplify, simplify, simplify.
" If your problem involves another person, and it usually does, you can have mental conversations.
When I was teaching, my problem usually involved a student.
As I ran, I would say whatever I wanted to the student, in my head, and the student responded just the way I wanted him or her to respond.
Sometimes, I think that mental role-playing was the secret to having a win-win dialog with the student the next day.
A trail through the woods is the ideal place for a recovering from a bad day run or walk.
The fresh air cleanses your lungs as the smell of it intensifies your sense of camaraderie with Mother Nature.
And the feeling is enhanced by the sense of being alone with your thoughts with the knowledge that no one can interfere.
You hear only the music of birds chirping, wind blowing, and leaves rustling.
Whatever the problem, they will be on your side, empowering you to solve it.
Running is a powerful elixir.
It's free, it's available every day, and unlike a vacation, you'll have the satisfaction, the sheer appreciation that -- barring a debilitating injury -- it will be available to you for the rest of your life.
You will always have the option of running -- or walking -- out that door, and that is the healthiest, and therefore, the wisest, way to recover from a bad day.
Copyright - Debbie Voiles.
All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
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