From eight years old up until my senior year of high school, I was a Competitive Irish Dancer, which I not only loved, but it served as my main form of exercise and kept me in really good shape. This past year was my first year without having dance class multiple times a week, so in order to replace that consistent exercise, I decided to take up running.

I invested in some good running shoes, bought an arm strap to put my phone in and downloaded the Nike Run Club app. The first time I ran without music was an accident. I showed up to the gym without headphones and was forced to run in silence. This was the first time that I began to realize the benefits of working out with nothing but the quiet of my thoughts. What I was most amazed by was how fast the time and miles went by. Previously I always felt like I was moving so slowly and wondering how the song had ended and my mile hadn't. Not only did running become less time-restricted and pressured, but it became a mental cleanser and great time of thought and reflection.

I find that I really enjoy the hour I spend walk/running every day because I can think through and about everything in my life. If I find myself feeling stressed about something, solutions on how to conquer that issue come to me when I'm exercising. I've been able to think of examples to use in interviews, great conclusions to essays, as well as building confidence for challenging conversations. I have found that this time I get to spend all to myself has had huge benefits on my mental health. The movement of my body aligning with the movement of my thoughts has allowed me to clear my head and organize thoughts in a way I hadn't experienced before. When I started running I had no idea that in addition to improving my physical health, my mental health would experience the same growth.

Just yesterday on my run, I noticed this little message engraved in the sidewalk that stated: "you are here". I found it really fitting for me to come across this message because it is when I run without music or any distractions, that I am most present with myself and with my surroundings. I truly was there at that moment, enjoying that moment.