Breathe in, breathe out.
Stretch your hamstrings and quads. Roll your ankles and shake the bones of your feet out. Get on the track; don't forget to pump your arms. Turn music on so you aren't concerned with others gym-goers' opinions of you. Feel the music while you transition from your fast walk to jogging. Once you come across "your jam" in the playlist, go ahead and speed up your pace and start running. Don't forget your form and do not collapse your rib cage while running. Breathe.
Running really cleanses the soul. Whenever I'm angry or upset, I put headphones in, and I go running. Something about putting my body to its limits and making me forget the thing that happened to me earlier that day really calms me down. Some people resort to drinking, drugs or violence to stop being angry, but I just channel it into physical activity. Not only am I getting exercise, I'm venting in a proper way. I vent when I run, write or talk to a close friend; but most likely, I keep to myself so I don't involve other people.
I'm a Type A person: very short-tempered, competitive, impatient and an aggressive person, and college puts that to my breaking point. People are careless, don't think straight and sometimes miscommunicate if they don't clearly state they're being sarcastic. All these stressors require some sort of reaction. How do you handle it?
Type A's need an outlet to channel their feelings without blowing up, and running is mine. Running on a track may be boring, but it's a good way to measure what you've accomplished and by the end of your workout, you won't even remember the number of laps you did—all you'll know is that you feel better, healthier and more at ease. I highly recommend it.
Breathe in, breathe out.
