The other day, I was feeling stuck. Stuck on trying to solve a CSS display issue. Stuck on trying to come up with a new business idea with a friend. Stuck on making a progress in my learning. Feeling stuck about what to do next today. Feeling stuck in life.
And I tried to take a deep breath. It didn't work. And I tried to get up and pace around a bit. It didn't work. And I brewed some coffee (Starbucks) for a caffeine injection. It didn't work. So, what do I do when all else fails? Run! Literally.
Running takes my body and my mind away from the problem at hand, and helps me get unstuck from the space and problem in which I'm immersed. Sure, I am tempted to stick it out. Sure, running can feel like running away. But, sitting in front of the computer screen for another hour wasn't going to produce anything useful. Instead, running for an hour had all sorts of benefits. [For a more authoritative list, I dug up this article from a running magazine: Why running is good for your body.]
As for me, here's what I got:
1. Pulverized calories and felt great from sweating them off.
2. As the muscles burned, I got a jolt of awesome hormones, like endorphin and dopamine.
3. More importantly, running freed my mind from what was bugging me. I felt grateful that I could run.
4. I am grateful to feel the breeze on my face. I am grateful to see birds and trees. I am grateful to breathe!
5. I thought about life beyond the computer screen. While I get stuck from time to time, life is more than staring at a screen. Life is more than making a buck. Life is more than getting ahead.
6. I felt grateful to be alive. Sometimes, I feel frustrated that I'm not this or that, that I don't make this or that, that I'm not more, more, more. But, hey! Life is still pretty damn sweet.
And when I came back home, I was happy. And I couldn't remember what was bugging me so much. Life goes on. Life is good.
If you are looking for other ideas on how to get out of a rut, checkout my post about going to hackathons here.
And I tried to take a deep breath. It didn't work. And I tried to get up and pace around a bit. It didn't work. And I brewed some coffee (Starbucks) for a caffeine injection. It didn't work. So, what do I do when all else fails? Run! Literally.
Picture of a friend running the Blue Ridge Relay |
As for me, here's what I got:
1. Pulverized calories and felt great from sweating them off.
2. As the muscles burned, I got a jolt of awesome hormones, like endorphin and dopamine.
3. More importantly, running freed my mind from what was bugging me. I felt grateful that I could run.
4. I am grateful to feel the breeze on my face. I am grateful to see birds and trees. I am grateful to breathe!
5. I thought about life beyond the computer screen. While I get stuck from time to time, life is more than staring at a screen. Life is more than making a buck. Life is more than getting ahead.
6. I felt grateful to be alive. Sometimes, I feel frustrated that I'm not this or that, that I don't make this or that, that I'm not more, more, more. But, hey! Life is still pretty damn sweet.
And when I came back home, I was happy. And I couldn't remember what was bugging me so much. Life goes on. Life is good.
If you are looking for other ideas on how to get out of a rut, checkout my post about going to hackathons here.
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