Last week before thanksgiving break, and continuing into this week, I have been far more stressed than usual. With all the approaching deadlines, work and social commitments, I have been feeling very anxious trying to balance it all. I even found that I was having a hard time focussing on any sort of yoga practice or meditation because my brain is so jittery. In high school, I used to run every day because of sports, so last Monday as I watched an incredible sunset begin to form form my bedroom window, I decided to quite literally chase the sunset down Foothill Boulevard and loop back around to my house. I didn’t realize that that would become my self intervention and newest best stress reliever but everyday since, I have either chased the sunset in a fast sprint or ran alongside it depending on what my body needs. I have always felt a unique connection to the sun and running is the only time I can truly silence my brain and just concentrate on my breath and the movement of my body. I think it’s important for everyone to find their silencing moment because with music, podcasts, friends, cars, it is so hard to turn our brains OFF. Once I decided to make this my self intervention, it became an assignment, something I had to do. This accountability was nice and much needed because I didn’t have to feel irresponsible for taking those 30 minutes to myself. After one week of my mandated runs, I haven’t skipped a sunset run since. In just one week, I saw the many benefits these runs had on my mood, my dietary cravings/choices and on my sleep patterns.
About The Author
