On waking this morning I felt tired, stressed, anxious and, in simple terms, flat. However, I made it my intention today to fight back and continue to be a major player in my own recovery. You see, most mental health patients do actually want to be better at least as much, if not more so, than an athlete with a broken leg who wants it to heal so that they can run again.
I ran myself today. I have been long convinced that physical fitness has a significant impact on mental health- now I am absolutely certain. I am pleased that my determination to improve my physical fitness has produced such positive results and today I managed to run just over 4.5 miles in 40 minutes. I am not saying it was easy, it wasn't! But knowing the 'feel good' rush that follows physical fitness, and the commensurate improvement in one's general feeling of mental well being, makes it worth pushing through the pain barrier. As self medication goes running is better than alcohol I would venture to suggest!
To those reading this blog who are, perhaps, not so far into their recovery as I am, I offer today's blog as an encouragement to try and 'push through'. There are days when we mental health patients can do it and when we do it's definitely worth a reflective 'pat on the back'.
A positive note to end on today and begin the weekend! Thanks for continuing the journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment