Keeping Those Wolves In Check

I have not worked out very much lately. Between the flares, the medications and sinus trouble, exercise has taken a back seat. I am getting back in gear today.

In the past, exercise has always been an all or nothing concept. Maybe more of a punishment, I guess. In the past, I would mentally beat myself up for not sticking to the plan. When I would get back into it, I would overcompensate, which makes things worse.

Over the past year, I have realized that I need exercise. I need it as a form of outlet for my anxiety, depression and frustration. For me, it's one of the few things that keeps the wolf at bay. In the past, I would use more self destructive things, like not eating, which at the time seemed rather normal. It was normal in the sense that I felt like I was in control, even if everything else in my life was in chaos.

Well, that didn't work too well, now did it?

I had a conversation with a good friend who has been going through a rough patch. You probably read about her on my blog. She said that she found a new activity that she hopes will help keep her wolf at bay. It's not physical exercise, but it is exercise in the sense that she is doing something that takes her mind off all of life's crap.

And that's a good thing.

So I guess we all need something that keeps us relatively sane. Something that keeps that wolf from nipping our heels, be it exercise or something else. So long as that activity fills us up will good thoughts and not destructive thoughts disguised as coping skills.

I think part of being an Active Academic is exercising the emotional and mental, along with the physical. So what do you do to keep your wolf from nipping at your heels?