It seems I've been a little depressed lately, which is pretty unusual for a positive, motivated guy like me. Mom passed away only two weeks ago and I thought I was handling the loss well enough...but apparently I'm the last to find out that I've been acting mopey and distant.
I struggled with the news. I felt lazy and apathetic and thick, in that large and lumbering way you get when you feel like a big brick of cheese. My wife told me, "Physician, heal thyself." I'm supposed to be the guy other people turn to when they need to be lifted up--how on earth do I break out of this funk?!?
The answer was typically strange and wonderful...I decided to run. Hard. Like those PT runs back when I was a first-year "doolie" at the Air Force Academy. Problem was, it was screaming hot outside. (I don't know if you've been following the summer heat wave news, but Sacramento has been broiling for a record 9 straight days with highs over 100. It's been so hot that Star Jones actually hugged Barbara Walters just to get the cold shoulder.)
The thermometer read 107. I was undaunted. I hit the road to sweat this swampy feeling out of my system. I focused on nothing but the sound of my breathing and after a mile, I ran back into the house, hit the showers and thought, "Now what...?"
It turns out that exercise is an excellent way to break depression. (Especially exercise performed by a deranged life coach.) That 10-minute run was just the thing I needed, a really intense workout in extreme conditions to shake out my sensibilities and put life back into perspective.
I don't recommend this remedy for everyone, especially if you're adverse to sweating buckets. But I do recommend shaking up your status quo if you're feeling depressed. See an outrageously funny movie, buy something you'd normally never dream of, maybe get out of bed an hour earlier and treat yourself to a fancy breakfast.
Life is hard enough. Don't vote yourself off the island. Zig when you usually zag and you might find a bright new day waiting for you.
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