At War...With Yourself?

Mental health is something a lot of people take for granted. But it's also something we don't seem to address enough, we push it aside like it's something that will easily disappear if it is ignored.

I know that because I am guilty of doing it everyday.

Pushing down my problems so they won't surface actually has the opposite effect. But I do it anyway.

And I'm sure a lot of you do too.

How does this come into running you ask? Or even veganism?

Because every drastic lifestyle decision you make comes from an impulse, or maybe even a desire to change things for 'the better'. Whether you started running because it makes your mental health better, or because you wanted to change the way you look, or because you wanted to raise money for good causes to help yourself become a better person... it will always develop into something deeper than that.

I know it did for me.

Sometimes I question why it is I love running so much. Where my motivation comes from. What it is that got me into those running shoes in the first place?

I don't think there is a solid answer.

What I do know is that running has become a vehicle to empty of all those hauled up emotions I keep inside of me and have nowhere else for them to go. Instead of turning to food, or worse, starvation. Activity is said to be the best way of letting go.

I like to think that through every step conquered, every little thought of self-criticism and every strand of negative energy compressed within me has the opportunity to run free.

Why be at war with myself when all that it leads to is self-harm?

Plus, runner's high is probably the most fulfilling sensation you will ever experience. Even more than sex and chocolate. So grab a pair of running shoes and be prepared to stay smiling for days.