Things Are Getting Back To Normal!

Yesterday was a big day for me! I may hate the fact that the weather is getting colder, I’m a spring and summer girl all the way and I’ll take the heat over the cold any day. However, it does make for great running weather. I knew I had to get a run in after work, it was just a matter of where.

I usually go to a park about 10 minutes from my house but ever since my accident all my runs have been around my neighborhood. Which works fine, but it’s pretty boring. I end up doing several loops around and unless I’m super motivated, the never changing scenery means that I’ll often cut my route short out of boredom. I usually only run in my neighborhood when I’m pressed for time, or I forget to pack my running clothes.

The reason for this? The day of my accident I was on my way to that very park to go for a run. I was about 2 miles from the park when I rear ended the person in front of me. I’ve been nervous about driving in general since then, but the idea of driving back to that park has brought me even more anxiety that I have decided to just avoid going there and figure out other ways to get in my runs.

I’ve managed to deal with a lot of the other stresses that accident caused me. I didn’t turn to unhealthy habits, I continued my running, I’m making sure I’m much more alert and less distracted when driving, and I’m giving myself more time to get to my destinations so I’m not in a rush. However, I still hadn’t attempted to go back to that park, and pass exactly where the accident happened.

Well yesterday I went to the park and ran! I know this is a small victory, and in the grand scheme of things isn’t a huge deal, but it felt so good to conquer that thing that was bringing me a lot of anxiety. When I passed where the accident occurred I was definitely aware and nervous but I made it safely and was able to relieve some of those nerves by having a great short run!

I’m taking this entire process one step at a time, but I’m excited every time some progress is made!

How do you deal with things that bring you anxiety?

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