This One Healthy Habit Helped Me Get Through 2020

I'd like to preface this by saying that I don't consider myself a very athletic person. I never played many organized sports (except for a brief stint of softball in elementary school and one season of basketball during which I cried the night before every game). Growing up, I would pretend I had gotten hit in dodgeball, so I could hang out on the sidelines. In the chaos of the game, no one noticed. My main activity was dance for about 15 years, mostly because I loved it, but also because there was no sprinting involved.但毫无疑问，跑步是我今年拿起的最好的习惯。

When the pandemic struck, it was easy to spiral without the comfort of a normal routine. I was worried about the state of the world, concerned for vulnerable family members, and spending way too much time consuming the news, a recipe fora lot of anxiety。在过去的几年里，我转向了一个乐观的骑自行车课或一个平静的瑜伽课，以帮助我在我觉得我的焦虑时升级我的头脑。不幸的是，流行病和在线瑜伽中的旋转类不是一个选择并不像一个人的课程那样分散注意力。The one activity that was always available?Running。

I started slow, just trying to make it through one mile at a light jogging pace to get my muscles moving and walking the rest. After that felt more comfortable, I added another mile and another after that. My pace was pretty slow, but I wasn't in a rush, choosing to enjoy the scenery and my music.

一旦里程变得容易，我发现自己实际上有点享受它，就像一个移动的冥想一样。Any anxietythat was sitting on my chest was transformed into usable energy to help me get through the run. Any problems I was worried about seemed less scary and more manageable as I plodded along my route. I'm not saying this is a magic bullet for anxiety (I still have my fair share of bad days), but I've found that on the days where I get in a quick run and breathe some fresh air, I'm better equipped to handle anything that may come my way later in the day.

I think sometimes we're hesitantto start a new hobby或者担心的活动我们不会立即擅长它。我知道我已经阻止了自己在过去尝试新事物，因为这是这个原因。我跑去知道我可能永远不会成为马拉松者，我的个人最好的时光会是众多其他人最糟糕的时期，而且在一些跑步上，在一个浅潮流中的两英里是我能做的最好的。但在这种情况下，我的心理健康的好处远远超过了对失败的恐惧。Plus no one else is really judging you as much as you're judging yourself. How do I know? The marathoners that pass me give me the same smile and nod as they do for the serious runners. We're all just trying to get through it the best we can.