went on a long run yesterday. double the longest distance i’ve ever ran in my life. had a lot of thoughts come from it that i’m sure i’ll be writing on throughout this month and next.
i ran with one of my closest friends who also sells out here in the midwest with me. a super simple thought i had was how much harder the run would’ve been if we started talking about everything that felt hard during those last few miles.
this quote came to mind
“the long run teaches you how to handle suffering. this may be running’s greatest gift of all.” -michael d’aulerio
what i learned about myself is that when i’m in suffering, it’s easy to think talking about the hardship is the best way to get through it. but on that run, i realized it often doesn’t make it easier. if anything, it makes it harder.
the best thing to do in suffering or hardship is to focus on your purpose. the “why” behind what you’re doing.
“he who has a why can overcome any how” – friedrich nietzsche
on a spiritual note, if we take jesus as the example, look at what he focused on during the greatest suffering of all. he asked god to forgive those who didn’t know what they were doing, and he made sure his mother would be taken care of.
this isn’t to say you shouldn’t reach out when things are hard. there are times when asking for help is exactly what you should do.
but there’s also a psychological concept called co-rumination. it’s when we repeatedly talk through the same problems and negative feelings with others. instead of helping, it can actually increase anxiety and make things feel heavier than they already are.
so when i feel the urge to focus on how hard something is, instead of talking about it right away, my goal is to get through it first.
thanks for reading guys, love ya 🙂
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