Helpful or Harmful?
The other day I went for my first run in a really long time. First, I stretched. Since my body has mostly been sitting at a desk, hiding inside all winter, it was uncomfortable even to stretch. Then, while I was running, I could tell my lungs weren't used to working so hard anymore. I could feel the burn in my chest as they expanded. I ran far enough and fast enough to push myself without hurting myself. When I was done running, my leg muscles burned. For a couple days, it hurt to move. The discomfort was good, though. It was making my body stronger and healthier.
Now imagine I pushed myself way too hard. What if I had run faster and farther than my body could realistically handle with my current level of fitness? I would have hurt myself. That is especially the case if I already had a past injury, causing a weakness in my body. There is a reason we start slow and build up to running farther distances. We want to strengthen our bodies, not hurt them.
This is the same with our mental health. When we are anxious or depressed, it doesn't always feel good to go out and socialize. Does that mean we should permanently isolate ourselves? No. Sometimes we have to push ourselves to do things that feel uncomfortable so that we can get better.
That being said, we also can't push ourselves too hard. If our mental fitness is low, knowingly exposing ourselves to a trigger is not a good idea. Doing too much too fast is not a good idea. That could cause us harm...injury.
We might need a day or two in bed. Eventually, we need to get up, shower, put on our running shoes (literal or hypothetical), and get out, even if it doesn't feel good. Take it easy, though, friend. It's okay if the first day out is just a short walk in the sun. Only you know what you can handle. Do what you can, then build on it the next day.
The real world is hard, and we can't always protect ourselves from difficulties and triggers getting thrown our way, nor should we try. We should push ourselves to a healthy level of discomfort, the kind that makes us grow stronger, while also knowing when to pull back to prevent injury. Get out there and run.
Meet the Author
Megan grew up in rural Wisconsin, where she was always known as the quiet girl with a book in her hands. Now Megan is working on her lifelong dream of becoming the author of her very own book. Out of her own struggle with trauma and mental health, she created the Jordan Crossings Blog to empower those who are healing from trauma and educate Christians on how to minister to those who are hurting.
