Anatomy of a Sad Run

Today I decided that instead of facing down sadness, I’d go for a run.  I’m still in 5K training mode. I have 9 more races to run by the end of the year so going out for a run is nothing unusual. It is unusual for me to leave the tv off and actively decide to start my day with meditation and running. I’m really glad I did.

I was laying in bed with tears running down my face, missing my little girl (1-1/2 weeks down, 3-1/2 weeks to go). I didn’t have to get up and the 5 hours of sleep I got was nowhere near enough, but my brain would not let me rest. I’ve done quite a bit of personal development work and I know that there are healthy coping mechanisms and self-destructive ones. Today I decided that being healthy was my priority.

It’s hot today, but probably not as hot as it’s going to be during some of my races so I got outside with my iPod. I usually listen to an energy meditation podcast before I begin my run. I love Stin Hansen’s work at http://www.mythoughtcoach.com. It’s a huge comfort when I am going through challenging times. Today I listened to Affirmations for Coping with a Crisis and particularly liked the following affirmations:

• It’s perfectly alright to feel sadness and hurt, these are normal human emotions.
• As I welcome comfort and peace, it will come. I am ready for comfort and peace now.
• I make sure my sources of help are constructive.
• The friends or  family members that I need most now rally around me. When they reach out, I let them in.
• I shun any destructive behaviors as a way of coping with this.
• My primary focus now is learning how to heal in the healthiest way possible.
• When it is time and when I am ready, I will transcend this. I will rise above the ashes.

While I jogged I remembered to focus on my breathing and used an exercise I learned long ago. It calls for you to visualize your pain or anxiety and give it a color. You then breathe out that color and breathe in a calming color. I breathed out the flame orange pain and breathed in an island ocean blue. As I was breathing out that pain I reminded myself to let it go. I didn’t need to hold onto it to make it real. I could let it go and do my best to replace it with happy thoughts and memories. As I was sweating, I thought of all the toxins, physical and emotional, that were leaving my body and I was grateful.

Now for the new runners, here is the breakdown of my physical run. It’s seems to be a story of 8′s:

• First 8 minutes (1-8) – Piece of cake. I don’t even know where the time went
• Next 8 minutes (9-16) – I’m now thinking about the fact that I’m running and it’s hot, but it’s not too hard.
• Third 8 minutes (17-24) – Whew, I went a little further today then yesterday and yay it’s time to turn around and head back!
• Fourth 8 minutes (25-32) – Holy crap! When did this get so hard??? I just want to stop but I slow down to a jogging crawl.
• Last 8 minutes (33-40) – At this point, you’ve already run 32 minutes! Just think of it like the first 8. You can’t stop NOW!

I will say that at 37:30 I heard myself moan and I didn’t know whether I was going to hurl or cry. I swallowed my bile, kept up my slow shuffle and let the tears fill my eyes. Something about letting go made them not want to spill over onto my face. I stopped trying to control my sadness. It’s a real human emotion and I am a real human being. Some days I try hard not to be, but  I am only cheating myself and those who find beauty and wisdom in my vulnerability.

Today I was sad. I meditated, I went for a run and I am now sharing what’s in my heart.  I now leave the rest up to the Universe.

Blasting Away the Blues!

I called one of my friends a while back, when I was having a case of  the blues, to ask him how you get out of a funk. His short and sweet response (thanks Stephen) was, “Get out of the funk.” Now, he wasn’t being a smart behind. He was actually sharing sage wisdom. He was reminding me what I already knew. I had to be the one to change my mood. I was the only one responsible for my happiness.

I am often prescribing myself an attitude adjustment. I work hard to stay positive and accept responsibility for my situation in life, but it’s a skill that takes daily practice. Last night and into this morning, my skills were being thoroughly tested. I could tell because I was short on patience, had no interest in completing any tasks and I had a general sense of unease. My blues don’t last long. I’ve gotten pretty adept at allowing myself to wallow for a short period of time, shaking myself and getting it moving again.

As an entrepreneur in media production, you need to have a high tolerance for risk. As a single parent, you need to be willing to put someone else’s needs first and have an endless supply of energy and enthusiasm. Most days I manage, but it does catch up with me from time to time. Especially when I feel like things are not manifesting as quickly as I would like. I feel restless, like a caged tiger.

This is when I do the stuff that does not help me reach my goals. Some people would call it acting out.  In my house it looks like mindless snacking, internet surfing or giving into a long and unproductive pity party. When I’m taking care of myself emotionally, I’ll call a friend and share what’s going on or listen to a mediation podcast (one of my favorite sites is http://www.mythoughtcoach.com). Normally, I find those coping tactics helpful in managing my blues.

This morning when I woke up with the blues that lingered on from last night, I knew it was time for another attitude adjustment. Once I got my daughter off to school, I sat down with a stack of notes and began writing my first solo script. I’d been caught up in the cycle of fear and excuses. I had a great story about why I needed to find a writer to tell the story that was in my head. I had been unwilling to put it down and risk it being bad.

Getting the characters, dialogue and situations onto paper seemed to act like a balm on my frayed psyche. Will it be an Oscar-winning screenplay? Who knows, and for these purposes, who cares? By taking action, I am one step closer to my achieving one of my goals. Once I’d written 16 pages I headed out for my first jog/walk since Sunday’s 5k race. My body had no desire to cooperate. I managed to jog almost 14 minutes before I stopped. My legs and knee hurt so I walked the rest of the way home.

Getting moving wasn’t about being perfect or looking great. I didn’t even realize that my actions would help alleviate the blues (I might have done them sooner if I’d known), it was a nice side effect of getting my butt moving. It’s so easy to say, I want this or that. The challenge is breaking through the fear and resistance that often paralyze us in a lifestyle, one that might not be the one we desire.

Today I took a step closer to the lifestyle I envision…and it blasted my blues away. Next time you get a bout of the blues,try doing something in support of your hopes and dreams.

It might just do the trick.