Lately I've been feeling a bit more stressed out than usual. A number of changes are about to occur in my life, and I realize I need to get all of my ducks in a row for smooth transitioning. In times like these, procrastination is naturally my first reaction. Coming home from the office today, I bought a bag of 5 cent candies, walked into my apt., sat on the couch, and watched True Life with my roommate. Tonight's episode was particulary sobering.. it followed the life of a pregnant woman treating her addiction to heroine with the use of methadone during her entire pregnancy, as well as the withdrawal effects experienced by the newborn baby. When the show ended, I decided to go on a run.
Running is a great release for me. As I ran tonight, I began to sweat out pent-up emotions and my thoughts became much more clear than before. With the recent episode of True Life still fresh on my mind, and the unpleasant contemplation of what having a burdening mental or physical ailment or addiction might be like, I experienced a strong sense of appreciation in simply having legs I can use to run with (and a proper mindset to utilize them to my advantage). Everyone has their own methods of easing stress.. this is just my personal preference. I realize I'm lucky to have the ability to use my mind and body together for this purpose.
Alas, life happens.. and at some point (hopefully not sooner than later) I won't have this natural form of stress relief to fall back on.. For now, it's nice to be able to lace up my sneaks, go for a run, and know I can attain at least a bit of mental clarity from it.
