I never expected to destress from double-postponing my wedding by staring into space, yet there I was, spying on the heavens from my backyard in light-polluted Cleveland for the umpteenth night in a row.

鈥淭hat one鈥檚 Jupiter,鈥� I whispered to my dog, Harry, who鈥檇 come to expect this backyard astronomy ritual. We were months into the pandemic and my now-husband, Frank, and I had spent the evening finalizing an email to alert friends and family that, yet again, we鈥檇 delayed our wedding due to spiking COVID-19 transmissions. Pairing this stress with the questionable status of my career鈥攈ow can I be a travel writer without, well, traveling?鈥攑lus Frank鈥檚 front-line emergency physician job had my stomach in neverending knots. But the tension slackened each night as I sprawled beneath the stars, letting my mind recall those old Astronomy 101 lessons from college鈥攑articularly the vastness of the universe, and just how tiny my problems felt within it.

While life has returned to normal, I still turn to the cosmos for stress relief today鈥攁nd I鈥檓 not the only one. Mindful stargazing, an activity that harnesses the mental health benefits of watching the night sky, is an emerging wellness practice. For instance, the Office of Astronomy for Development (OAD), a facet of the International Astronomical Union that furthers the use of astronomy for sustainable development, mental health, and cultural preservation, funds numerous projects to bring astronomy鈥檚 therapeutic effects to vulnerable groups, such as refugees. In tourism, hotels from Iceland to the Maldives have adopted programming that harnesses these same benefits for wellness travelers.

鈥淲hen we feel stressed and anxious, physically our vision narrows; we get caught in our own problems, and they can feel very big,鈥� says Mark Westmoquette, an astrophysicist and Zen teacher who leads mindful stargazing retreats and in partnership with OAD.

Our pupils actually get wider when we look at the dark night sky. 鈥淲hen we look with wide eyes and connect with the stars, this gives you a broader perspective which helps us both physically and mentally relax,鈥� Westmoquette says.

As a self-identified 鈥渁strotourist,鈥� my idea of stargazing has long involved traveling to international dark sky places where a jewelry box of constellations, planets, and nebulae gives dramatic perspective on my small place in the universe. While these experiences, from scouting auroras from sheep farms in South Greenland to navigating grief听 beneath the Milky Way while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, will always be my favorite night-sky adventures, the pandemic opened my eyes to the healing power of mindful stargazing from my home city鈥攅ven if light pollution obscures all but a handful of stars and planets each night.

鈥淪eeing just one star and appreciating that听its light has traveled across the vastness of space for centuries just to meet your eye and be seen and known in this moment is magical,鈥� says Westmoquette. 鈥淏athing in the light of the moon and considering our relationship to it is something anyone can do.鈥�

How to Get into Backyard Astronomy

While some stargazers have created enviable at-home observatories, I keep my backyard astronomy simple. I grab a pair of binoculars, a towel, my iPhone, and (of course) my dog, then lie on the grass and stare at the sky鈥攕ometimes in search of curious space sights, other times to simply unwind beneath the stars. Here鈥檚 how to partake, too.

Find Bright Night-Sky Objects

If you live in or near a dark-sky place, consider yourself lucky. Light pollution plagues the majority of us; nearly of Northern Americans (like me) can鈥檛 see the Milky Way from their home. That said, we can see some objects, even in light-polluted skies. That鈥檚 where I focus my backyard astronomy sessions.

According to Matt Hjelle, marketing director for stargazing app Sky Safari, we can spot nearby planets and major stars, as well as deep-sky objects鈥攖hose outside the bounds of our solar system鈥攚ith the naked eye. This includes the Andromeda galaxy, Orion nebula, and Pleiades star cluster, depending on the season.

Download a Stargazing App

Locating these space marvels can take a bit of know-how, especially for beginners. I use Sky Safari, one of several sophisticated stargazing apps, with augmented reality to navigate what鈥檚 overhead. I also look to the future to bookmark exciting night-sky events鈥攍ike the conjunction of two planets, or a planetary parade (when multiple planets dot the sky on the same night).

Beyond navigating the night sky, I also use my stargazing app to learn more about the observable objects. For example, a deep dive into the visible Andromeda galaxy shares that this spiral wonder may collide with our home galaxy, the Milky Way, in several billion years. Clicking on Jupiter in my stargazing app tells me its diameter is 11 times larger than Earth鈥檚. Said differently: if we鈥檙e a nickel, this gas giant would be a basketball. It鈥檚 hard not to find grounding in this perspective.

Let Your Eyes Adjust to the Dark

The better your eyes are adjusted to the dark, which can take 20 to 30 minutes, the better you鈥檒l see the night sky. To stay tuned into the night, turn off your phone鈥攐r use 鈥攁nd shutter your outdoor lights. Many stargazing apps also offer a red-light mode, so you can learn about the sky wonders without compromising vision.

Unplug, Then Unwind

During some backyard astronomy nights, I use either the stargazing apps or NASA鈥檚 website (with red-light mode activated) to binge perspective-shifting intel鈥攍ike the fact our solar system is just one of the Milky Way galaxy鈥檚 nearly 4,000 known planetary systems. Other nights, particularly after stressful days, I ditch my phone and binoculars and let myself bathe in the magic overhead.

According to Westmoquette, this is the best way to enjoy stargazing鈥檚 mental health benefits. 鈥淲e need to put down the tech and put aside all the theories and concepts that wind us up and actually disconnect us from the present-moment experience,鈥� he says. 鈥淚mmersing ourselves in the moment helps us let go of the whir of thoughts and to-do lists and start appreciating the beauty and wonder of the night sky. That鈥檚 what supports good mental health.鈥�

Stephanie Vermillion听is an adventure and astrotourism writer and author of the upcoming National Geographic book听, out December 3.

The post How Backyard Astronomy Helped Me Deal With Stress鈥攁nd Can Help You, Too appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I鈥檝e always been a little leery of mindfulness. Not the general concept, but the broader industry that seems to have spawned innumerable charlatans hawking everything from meditation apps, to glitzy yoga retreats, to self-help literature that mostly reminds you of stuff you already know. It sometimes feels like mindfulness is just about repackaging the obvious. On the other hand, just because something is glaringly self-evident doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 always easy to remember. As George Orwell : 鈥淭o see what is in front of one鈥檚 nose requires a constant struggle.鈥�

Everyone knows that part of the quote, but the succeeding lines are less frequently cited: 鈥淥ne thing that helps toward it is to keep a diary, or, at any rate, to keep some kind of record of one鈥檚 opinions about important events. Otherwise, when some particularly absurd belief is exploded by events, one may simply forget that one ever held it. 鈥� Orwell was referring primarily to the political realm, as he believed that people were less likely to engage in self-delusion when it came to their private lives. I鈥檓 not sure that that is true. But, either way, the notion of holding yourself accountable by regularly giving your thoughts a tangible reality on the page seems like an eminently sensible idea.

That鈥檚 the basic premise behind the method, a minimalist approach to journaling that touts itself as 鈥渁 mindfulness practice designed as a productivity system.鈥� Founded by digital designer Ryder Carroll in 2013, Bullet Journaling鈥搊r 鈥淏uJo鈥� as it is known among acolytes鈥攊s essentially a glorified version of the to-do list, but with an additional nudge towards introspection. Practitioners鈥攐f which there are over one million, worldwide鈥攁re encouraged to record daily and monthly logs using a nifty notation system that distinguishes between tasks, events, and notes. The idea is not only to try and stay on top of your various obligations, but to continuously assess their relative urgency and importance. If you keep putting off a particular task, the thinking goes, you should probably ask yourself whether it鈥檚 really worth your time. In mindfulness lingo, this is called marrying your 鈥渨hat鈥� with your 鈥渨hy.鈥�

As a chronically distracted person, I have always wondered whether the key to a more productive and fulfilled existence was about finding a way to impose some kind of structure on my life. (Ideally, without becoming a Scientologist or joining the military.) One appealing aspect of BuJo-ing is that it doesn鈥檛 cost anything. Although the website sells everything from Bullet Journal courses to stationery to Carroll鈥檚 internationally best-selling book, anyone can try the method. All you need is a notebook and a pen.

Or, you can do what I did and purchase the 鈥渙fficial鈥� Bullet Journal鈥攁 customized model from the German stationery company Leuchtturm鈥攆or $30. (国产吃瓜黑料, in an instance of media-industry largesse, allowed me to expense this.) I also decided to log all my entries using a fancy fountain pen that someone gifted me years ago and had been languishing in my desk. Why not set myself up for success?

Following the instructional videos on the Bullet Journal website, I began by creating a 鈥淔uture Log鈥�: two notebook pages dedicated to mapping out the next six months of my life. I wrote down everything from the aspirationally optimistic (January: 鈥淎sk boss for a raise鈥�) to the mundane, but necessary (March: 鈥淏ook annual physical鈥�), to pre-scheduled trips (February 17 to 24: 鈥淪ki week in Maine鈥�). If any event triggered a specific emotional response in the moment that could be distilled into bite-sized notation, I recorded that, too. (鈥淗ope I鈥檓 still too young for a colonoscopy.鈥�) Next, I created a log for the current month.听Although Carroll stresses that there is no one right way to setting up your Bullet Journal, the basic format for the monthly log is to dedicate one page to a calendar-style overview, and one page to a bullet-point summary of things you hope to get done in the next 30 days.

The most substantial part of Bullet Journaling is the daily log, in which you take some time every morning to outline tasks and then proceed to check in throughout the day, either to cross items off your list or to 鈥渞apid log鈥� your thoughts. Any tasks left undone can be 鈥渕igrated鈥� (to use the BuJo term) to the following day, or crossed off because, on further reflection, it turns out they weren鈥檛 that important to begin with. Easy enough, in theory. Although I was able to be disciplined about taking five minutes to check in at the start and end of every day, I often struggled to use my journal consistently in the interim. More than anything, this was a matter of practicality; I spend half my workweek sitting in front of a laptop, where journaling can be a useful form of procrastination. But the rest of the time I work in arboriculture鈥斺�渋n the field鈥� as it were鈥攚here busting out a six-by-eight-inch leather-bound notebook and fountain pen felt weirdly cumbersome the few times I tried it.

Having said that, if the principal objective of becoming a BuJo disciple was to make myself听slightly more organized and intentional with my time, I think the experiment was a success. As an organizational system, the Bullet Journal method was a vast improvement on my previous approach, which was to just try and remember shit. This will sound painfully obvious to all the people who already do it, but taking a few minutes to force myself to compose a daily task list had a dramatic impact on my ability to get stuff done. The effect was less pronounced when it came to big, externally imposed tasks like work deadlines or signing up for health insurance鈥攊.e. the things that you鈥檙e going to do anyway鈥攁nd more noticeable when it came to getting the ball rolling on zany side projects, or maintaining personal relationships. In other words, the kind of thing that you are always thinking that you should do, but that no one is going to insist that you must do.

This, at least for me, is the real value of Bullet Journaling. It鈥檚 easy to be seduced by the bombastic promise of the enterprise鈥攖he notion that it鈥檚 possible to subject every aspect of your life to a kind of internal audit to see how it contributes, or doesn鈥檛, to your personal flourishing. (There鈥檚 a 鈥淲hat鈥� and 鈥淲hy鈥� Venn diagram on the inside cover of my official edition BuJo.) Rather than forcing a grand realignment of my personal priorities, I found that the practice mainly made me a little better at following through with the small stuff that can so easily fall through the cracks: Writing postcards to friends. Finding time to read. Doing push-ups before bed. Small things, to be sure, but also the substance of your life.

As for the mindfulness aspect, I confess that I am still working on becoming more diligent about transcribing some of the demons in my head to the page. (My default way of dealing with stress is still to have imaginary arguments with the people who have wronged me, a habit which doesn鈥檛 do much to enhance the quality of family dinners.) However, and as any journaling veteran will be able to tell you, the mere action of crossing items off a list can have a soothing effect. It might be a stretch to call it 鈥渢herapeutic,鈥� but there鈥檚 a reason why the Bullet Journal, which was conceived by a digital designer, is a resolutely analog system. (Though, naturally, there鈥檚 also a companion app.) Part of it is just about minimizing distraction鈥攖he eternal temptation of clicking away to the next stimuli鈥攂ut, more fundamentally, writing things out in longhand demands an additional level of focus.

Of course, there鈥檚 a point at which the fevered pursuit of self-optimization can start to look a little like self-indulgence. After a month of prolific logging, my Bullet Journal entries were conspicuously light on family commitments. When I proudly showed my journal to my wife one morning, she couldn鈥檛 help but observe that my day鈥檚 to-dos included the essential task of sewing a button back onto my Hawaiian shirt, but somehow didn鈥檛 mention that I was taking my kid in for a doctor visit that afternoon.

鈥淢aybe,鈥� she suggested, 鈥測ou should write a 鈥楤uJo鈥� entry about how you鈥檙e finally going to learn how to use our Google Calendar.鈥�

The post I Was a Bullet Journal Skeptic, but I Hate to Say It Works appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

The sexual wellness industry is booming. You can purchase an almost $100 vibrator from Gwenyth Paltrow鈥檚 Goop or to test out sex toys. on the sexual wellness market valued it at 6.47 billion dollars in 2022. It鈥檚 expected to grow to 10.05 billion dollars in 2028. With so many consumers interested in the topic, it would seem that everyone is having mind-blowing sex. But, as Maria Yagoda explores in her new book, Laid and Confused, that鈥檚 just not the case.

鈥淚 would love to see more openness and frank discussions around the fact that it鈥檚 OK for sex not to be amazing sometimes,鈥� Yagoda says. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have to put so much pressure on our sex lives to validate who we are as people and our identities.鈥�

But that also doesn鈥檛 mean we shouldn鈥檛 work toward creating better鈥攁nd more enjoyable鈥攕ex lives. For her book, Yagoda set out on this journey herself, chronicling her tries at different techniques and trends to improve her sex life. That included mindfulness.

Mindfulness and Your Sex Life (Because, Yes, They Coexist)

It starts with your individual relationship to your body. Mindful masturbation encourages you to adopt a more conscious attitude around what鈥檚 happening, Yagoda says. Experts recommend tapping into your senses鈥攈earing, touch, sight, and smell鈥攄uring this process, which can be helpful for those who struggle to have pleasurable sex. That鈥檚 not to say it鈥檚 easy.

Yagoda says she struggled to integrate mindful masturbation into her sex life. After years of being trained not to feel things in her body and to ignore cues and sensations, she says it was difficult to make the switch to actually tap into her body during masturbation. Those long-established trends can鈥檛 be undone with just a few experiences.

However, when she started seeing a sex coach, she learned a lot from the sessions that involved mindfulness, particularly when it came to the . Yagoda says her coach encouraged her to feel the full breath cycle, following it all the way through her body. 鈥淚 had done yoga for years and years,鈥� she says. 鈥淏ut I had never felt the wind or the air past my throat. Now it鈥檚 something I鈥檓 aware of a lot.鈥� This may seem incongruent to her attempts at bettering her sex life鈥攂ut it鈥檚 not.

Deepening your awareness to the internal and external sensations that run through your body can help you connect with similar feelings during sex. It鈥檚 a constant practice, Yagoda says. This type of tuning-in鈥攖o the softness of your sheets, the birds chirping outside your window, or the beach-scented candle鈥攁ren鈥檛 things we鈥檙e accustomed to. But once you start to feel these sensations throughout your entire body, it can help you experience more pleasure (i.e. sexual arousal and orgasm) during solo or partner sex.

Sex Is Self-Care

Your self-care routine may look like bubble baths, long walks, and reading sessions. Think of sex and self-pleasure in the same way. But reframing those activities as such can be tricky, especially for men.

Many of the men Yagoda interviewed for her book couldn鈥檛 relate to the concept of masturbation as a mindful self-care practice. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 speak to anyone who was like 鈥極h, it鈥檚 really important to me to draw out masturbation by lighting candles and romancing myself,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚 feel like that idea is really uncommon.鈥�

However, seeing masturbation as another exercise of self-care, much like exercising, journaling, or meditating, can help eliminate the burden of orgasm. It focuses on the experience, rather than the end result, Yagoda says. 鈥淪ometimes we get so anxious and in our heads about orgasm that I found it useful to sort of take that off the table,鈥� she says.

Like most things in your sex life, you have to tailor it to work for you. If you have PTSD or trauma and feel discomfort during a traditional meditation, you may also feel some uneasiness when closing your eyes during sex or masturbation. If this is the case, leave them open and instead focus on sounds or touch.

This is the ethos Yagoda encourages throughout her book: It has to work for you. And like all aspects of health and wellness, your sex life is about trial and error.

鈥淚 hope my book can be a jumping-off point for people to say, 鈥楢ctually, it doesn鈥檛 have to be this way,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 mean I鈥檓 a failure if I鈥檓 having bad sex. There are actually all of these little tools that exist that could be really helpful.鈥�

The post Why Mindfulness May Be the Secret to Better Sex appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Though Shi Yan Ming is a world-renowned kung fu master, he was lucky to survive a poverty-stricken childhood as a peasant in China.

He was born in 1964 in Henan Province, the heart-center of the country, where Chinese civilization is said to have originated, and food was scarce. Two siblings died of starvation prior to Shi Yan Ming’s birth, and he was a very sickly child.

Fearing the same fate might befall him, his parents brought Shi Yan Ming to the door of a 1,500-year-old Shaolin Temple. He was taken in by the monks there and began to live by the grueling schedule of a kung fu disciple鈥攖raining, practicing, meditating, and running. His health, along with his skill, improved rapidly.

鈥淚 was running a lot in China,鈥� recalled Shifu (an honorary title meaning 鈥渕aster鈥� or 鈥渢eacher鈥�). 鈥淭he temple was built in the woods, in a mountain range; I was running to build strength and endurance.鈥�

In some ways, he has been running ever since.

Kung Fu Meets Hollywood

In 1992, Shifu was part of a group of Shaolin monks invited to perform on a U.S. tour. The temple in which he was raised had been the original Shaolin Temple, dating back to 495 A.D., and the lineage of monks practicing kung fu and Chan Buddhism (also known as Zen) helped establish Shaolin as one of the most graceful and disciplined martial arts. Shifu, a 34th generation master, and his fellow monks gained renown for their craft and were invited to display their skills on international tours.

After a show in San Francisco, California, he escaped his hotel room in the middle of the night and made his way by bus to New York City. He started the first Shaolin Temple in America in Chinatown, waking up early to go on training runs across the Brooklyn Bridge. In the intervening 30-plus years, he has taught countless others, from of the Wu-Tang Clan to Bj枚rk to Wesley Snipes. He鈥檚 also and helped that has been his way of life.

Running is championed by many martial artists as a way to train both body and mind. Bruce Lee called running 鈥渢he king of exercises,鈥� and had a remarkably consistent routine to support his training. As an activity grounded in form, repetition, and discipline, it is no surprise that it is considered an essential part of training both physical and mental resilience. In recent years, Shaolin monks have even for their ability to 鈥渞un鈥� across water.

To Shifu, running is a form of 鈥渁ction meditation.鈥� In kung fu, everything is an opportunity to hone one鈥檚 skill and wisdom. 鈥淪peaking is meditation,鈥� noted Shifu. 鈥淲alking is meditation. Jogging is meditation. Everybody has different abilities. To help people individually, you can鈥檛 use one approach.鈥�

RELATED: Rethinking the Cross-Training Paradox

Such diversity of teachings is at the heart of the welcoming nature of the temple and Shifu鈥檚 ability to meet students where they are. In doing so, Shifu aims to spread the Shaolin teachings of self-actualization, dignity, and compassion to as many people as possible. It is this spirit of inclusivity and access to a life-changing practice that has drawn so many to the temple.

Running and Kung Fu: A Whole Body Pursuit

Kirby Koo, a disciple of Shifu鈥檚 and the manager of the , stumbled into Shifu鈥檚 orbit seven years ago with the vague idea of getting in touch with her roots (she was raised partly in Hong Kong). After moving to New York, a childhood friend had told her that if she ever wanted to do kung fu, the best master on the planet was right there in Chinatown. She checked it out and hasn鈥檛 looked back.

鈥淲hen you come from the depths of extreme poverty to training celebrities and being in Hollywood, you understand that everyone鈥檚 going through a journey and that we鈥檙e all the same,鈥� Koo said, referring to Shifu鈥檚 ability to connect with people from all walks of life. 鈥淚n the temple, everyone鈥檚 wearing the same uniform, everyone鈥檚 doing the same moves, and it doesn鈥檛 matter where you come from or what your bank account is.鈥�

Still, embracing running was not something Koo envisioned when starting kung fu. 鈥淚 used to be the type of person to be like, 鈥榃hen I run…I鈥檓 only running if it鈥檚 for my life,鈥欌�� she said. Yet now Koo sees running as a form of meditation, a way to further the spiritual, mental, and physical training of kung fu by practicing with the whole body.

鈥淏efore training kung fu, I always understood that exercises are for different parts of your body鈥攜ou do a bicep curl, you stretch your hamstring. But in order to maximize your power, speed, and endurance, in kung fu you use every part of your body for every move.鈥�

Running is championed by many martial artists as a way to train both body and mind. Bruce Lee called running 鈥渢he king of exercises.鈥�

鈥淪hifu says that the true gym is when you look into the jungle,鈥� continued Koo. 鈥淎nimals don鈥檛 lift weights. If you watch a cheetah, they use all their muscles to leap into the air and then they continue running, they don鈥檛 just use singular body parts.鈥�

Look upon a trail or road and you might notice the same thing about a runner leaping and bounding with all of their muscles firing. This sense of a whole-body pursuit that is as much action as it is meditation鈥攕hould one choose to perceive it that way鈥攊s perhaps where kung fu and running intersect.

At 59, Shifu doesn鈥檛 seem to be slowing down. Whenever he talks about practice, it is with language that is both nurturing and fierce, indicating the support and discipline required to inspire growth and maintain form.

鈥淲e are getting younger every day. We can work on getting younger every year,鈥� said Shifu. 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 sharpen a blade, it becomes rusty. We need to discipline ourselves to exercise. Young body, noble mind. Keep challenging yourself. Exercise your precious life.鈥�

As Koo noted, her job at the USA Shaolin Temple would be a lot easier if Shifu wasn鈥檛 committed to teaching all day, every day. As the manager, Koo wouldn鈥檛 mind if the master slowed down once in a while and was more available for other aspects of temple administration. He has eschewed the potentially lucrative route that some masters of his renown might opt for, teaching only privately and emerging once in a while for a public showcase. But that is not Shifu; his aim is to make the temple and teachings available to all.

鈥淚f you鈥檝e ever met anyone who knows what their life purpose is, rain or shine, that鈥檚 him,鈥� said Koo. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why he鈥檚 on Earth.鈥�

Shifu wouldn鈥檛 disagree. 鈥淲e have to take every opportunity we have to help out as many people as possible,鈥� said Shifu, invoking the Buddhist roots at the heart of kung fu practice. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here. You spread the word and help more people. That鈥檚 meditation.鈥�

To Shifu, every moment, whether one is engaged in stillness or action, can be part of a way of life that is useful, powerful, and compassionate. And that is why, after all these years, Shifu is still running.

The post Celebrity Kung Fu Monk Shifu Shi Yan Ming Can鈥檛 Stop Running appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Trust me: Being injured keeps you busy. There are countless doctors鈥� appointments, physical therapy exercises, and cross training programs. Add meditation and visualization sessions to that list. When I recently hurt my hip and couldn鈥檛 run for three months, physicians repeatedly urged me to integrate these mindful practices into my recovery, suggesting it would help the healing process. With everything else to do, it felt silly to spend time sitting quietly and imagining my way back to health. Was it just wishful thinking? Or was there something to it?

You likely know that your natural response to injury鈥攁nger, depression, hopelessness鈥攊s not helpful. Rather, it鈥檚 the opposite of what you need to be doing. 鈥淭he Buddhist term for this sentiment is the second arrow: it makes unpleasant experiences even worse because now we鈥檙e worrying about it and we鈥檙e imagining it happening forever,鈥� says Simon Goldberg, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 鈥淚t adds all this fuel to the fire.鈥� Enter meditation, a practice that reduces stress, depression, and anxiety, while supporting your mental health when you鈥檙e sidelined. But whether it actually helps to heal the actual injury remains unclear.

Does Meditation Benefit the Physical Body?

It鈥檚 tempting to leap to the conclusion that meditation鈥檚 ability to lower stress levels can also lead to physical healing. And yes, have found that the practice can reduce inflammation and boost the immune system. But large, definitive studies on injured athletes examining the effect of meditation on the injured physical body haven鈥檛 been done. Britton Brewer, a psychology professor at Springfield College in Massachusetts, says that, while the evidence for meditation and visualization鈥檚 psychological effects (feeling more confident, having less anxiety about returning to the playing field) is robust, the claims for their physical effects (hormonal changes, better healing, a stronger immune system) are less well-documented.

However, a few smaller studies do underscore the potential of meditative practices, such as mindfulness, to benefit athletes. In a Brewer collaborated on, runners with knee injuries went through an eight-week mindfulness training program that included breathing exercises, body scans, gentle yoga, and meditations. After learning the techniques over two sessions, participants were asked to practice at home for up to 45 minutes each day. Those in the mindfulness group had less pain when they returned to running, compared to the control group.

Mindfulness training may also help prevent injury. In a published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, soccer players participated in seven weekly group sessions that focused on mindfulness exercises and acceptance techniques. They also listened to recordings of the exercises throughout the week. Over the course of the season, the players who participated in the mindfulness sessions had fewer injuries compared to their teammates, a finding Brewer contributes to reduced stress.

When it comes to visualization exercises, such as imagining a bone rebuilding, the evidence in athletic rehabilitation is mixed or lacking. But studies from other fields provide some hope. When used in conjunction with standard cancer treatments, guided imagery and in breast cancer patients. Research also reveals that imagined strength workouts lead to real muscle gains, and visualization in immobilized muscles.

Even if these practices don鈥檛 help ease physical symptoms, the mental health support can be crucial. 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want to downplay the importance of the psychological aspects of an injury experience,鈥� Goldberg says. Meditation and visualization can give you a sense of control: There is still something you can do to work toward your goals, even before you鈥檝e been cleared to do much else. But Carrie Jackson, a sports psychologist and author of , says it鈥檚 vital to believe in it. 鈥淚f you think that it won鈥檛 help, then it won鈥檛,鈥� she says.

So, Should You Try a Mindfulness Practice for Your Physical Health?

There鈥檚 no harm in testing it out. Goldberg recommends trying mindfulness practices for a week before making a judgment. The , created by his colleagues at Healthy Minds Innovations, is free for download and has different practices, such as loving-kindness meditations and purpose-based mindfulness exercises. It will likely be uncomfortable and difficult at first, but that doesn鈥檛 mean you鈥檙e failing. 鈥淚t takes time to get our minds in shape just like it would our bodies,鈥� Goldberg says.

While working on your mind may seem easier than your physical training, that鈥檚 not necessarily the case. These mental practices are hard, and you need to take breaks, just as you would take a recovery day when training. 鈥淚t鈥檚 work,鈥� Jackson says. 鈥淚t takes time, as well as emotional and mental energy to do these things, and that is real energy.鈥� (She also stresses prioritizing one of the best recovery tools: sleep.)

How Much Time Should You Spend on Mindfulness Practices?

These mindfulness practices don鈥檛 have to take much time: on the psychological effects of meditation found positive results in as little as five minutes a day. And if you have a few moments to spare鈥攎aybe you鈥檙e stuck sitting in an ice bath or waiting for a doctor鈥攖here might be benefits beyond injury recovery. 鈥淚f you can manage your stress, you can not only feel better and be less likely to get injured, but you might perform better as well,鈥� says Brewer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of a bonus.鈥�

I鈥檒l never know if my attempts at mindfulness practices helped my hip heal faster. Despite this being my worst injury to date, daily meditation certainly helped lessen the onset of depression and hopelessness. I never did get comfortable visualizing the bone healing and eventually gave up trying.

Now that I鈥檓 back on the roads, I prefer the meditative rhythm of my footsteps and have fallen out of the meditation habit. But the evidence that a mindfulness practice could prevent me from being sidelined again is sending me back to the mat. A few minutes each day to keep me doing the sport I love? I鈥檒l take it.

The post Can Mindfulness Help with Injury Recovery? We Asked the Experts. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I鈥檒l be honest: When I鈥檓 facing a difficult work task that requires real focus and deep concentration, you鈥檒l find me scrolling through Instagram, reading a random article, checking my emails, and making a(nother) cup of coffee. By the time I鈥檝e completed these time-sucking rituals, there鈥檚 no time left to do my actual work. A panicked feeling ensues, and yet, the whole cycle repeats over again. Welcome to procrastination.

Typically, procrastination is viewed negatively. It鈥檚 understandable: shows procrastination can be associated with mental health problems, physical pain, and reduced movement. Sure, all of us do it sometimes, but an extreme version of this delay can lead to feelings of guilt, stress, and overwhelm鈥攁nd hold us back from reaching our goals.

But could procrastination actually have a silver lining? In a world focused on productivity and getting things done, could it offer space for rest or inspiration? Some experts say yes.

The Benefits of Procrastination

1. It grants you the space to take inventory of your life.

Procrastination can give us opportunities to be curious and learn, says . 鈥淲hen you notice you are putting something off, it could be a sign you don鈥檛 prioritize it,鈥� she explains. Procrastinating over the same things can indicate you don鈥檛 value them, giving you an opportunity to explore why that is鈥攁nd if you really want or need to do them. 鈥淚t could be life-changing,鈥� says Lindsey.

All that said, procrastination is still coated in shame and guilt. It’s important not to see the act as an individual failing, but rather as a natural part of life, says .

Removing our own judgement around procrastination鈥攖hat inner voice saying 鈥榶ou鈥檙e lazy鈥� or 鈥榶ou haven鈥檛 done enough鈥欌�攎eans you can see more patterns and uncover hidden truths.

2. It makes you work more efficiently.

If you鈥檝e met a deadline, you鈥檙e likely familiar with managing to get your work done just in time. However, despite the stress it may cause, putting tasks off until the last minute might actually make your work better. 鈥淯rgency can lead to you getting into a state of hyperfocus鈥攐r flow鈥攚here many people do their best work,鈥� Catri says.

You also may feel a bit more energized in the process. 鈥淧rocrastination can lead to a last-minute panic to get a job done which can trigger an adrenaline surge,鈥� says . 鈥淭his surge can give you an energy boost to complete the task.鈥�

You also may feel a greater sense of satisfaction when you do finally finish the assignment. 鈥淒oing something under a sense of pressure can give you a bigger dopamine boost when you do complete it,鈥� Catri explains. And who isn鈥檛 searching for a hit of joy during the monotonous workday?

3. It gives you a chance to take a break.

How many times have you had brilliant ideas while in the shower or on vacation? No, you鈥檙e not imagining it: There鈥檚 a reason those periods of leisure lead to creative breakthroughs.

鈥淭oxic productivity is praised and valued, but all of us have a point where productivity actually becomes unproductive,鈥� Catri says. 鈥淭rying to push through and get something done is sometimes the least productive thing you can do. Good ideas rarely happen when you are three hours deep in monotonous work.鈥�

It goes beyond just stepping away from your computer for a short time. Delaying tasks gives your brain a break, which can be valuable for creativity and problem-solving. You鈥檙e not slacking off. In fact, you鈥檙e probably unconsciously doing the hard part of the work鈥攃oming up with ideas and figuring out how to approach it. Mozart famously wrote his opera Don Giovanni the night before its opening night, composing the music in his head.

By allowing space for procrastination, you can use this free time for other activities. For example, you could take your dog for a walk, spend some time gardening, or do some housework. Lindsey says she opts to clean her oven during her mulling-over time. I鈥檝e carried this wisdom into my own life, opting to take a real coffee break instead of berating myself for staring out the window.

How to Reframe Your Thinking Around Procrastination

Scheduling time for procrastination can stop those feelings of shame you associate with it, Catri says. She personally takes a break every two hours. You could try , where you work for 25 minutes and then take a pause for five minutes or experiment with blocking periods of free time on your calendar.

鈥淧lanned procrastination helps with cognitive function, burnout, creativity, and focus, and gives your brain a chance to wonder and have free time,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about seeing procrastination as part of the creative process rather than something to be avoided.鈥�

In a productivity-obsessed society, doing nothing might not seem like an option. 鈥淭here is so much guilt around doing nothing, but doing nothing a lot of the time is exactly what we need,鈥� Catri explains. 鈥淧rocrastination isn鈥檛 a dirty word and letting your mind wander isn鈥檛 being lazy.鈥�

These micro-moments of boredom are actually useful. found that participants who were asked to daydream before completing a task used more creative problem-solving, compared to those who didn鈥檛. So, the next time you find your inner critic having a field day at your procrastination, try reframing it as daydreaming. Because, at the core, that’s what it is. We鈥檙e not robots, and all of us deserve, and need, a break.

Pro-procrastination

It鈥檚 hard to shift away from the productivity-over-everything narrative. But, ultimately, it鈥檚 worth it. I see it in my own life. I often have my best ideas while walking my dog or figure out how to structure a piece of work while daydreaming in my garden. Not every moment needs to be spent either doing something productive or feeling terrible about not doing it.

Give yourself the space to think, dream, and plan because that time is valuable. So, go procrastinate away, it’ll work out OK.

The post Could Procrastination Actually Be Beneficial? Some Experts Say Yes. appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Over the years that I’ve been a runner I’ve put in a lot of solitary miles, but for the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of running with a pack nearly every day. A pack of dogs, that is: three pups with whom we’ve shared our rural home.听

They may be the luckiest dogs in the world, free to run leash-free with me over the trails and dirt roads of the high plains. When they’re not chasing rabbits or pheasants, they usually fall into a pattern: one out front scouting, one a bit behind herding, and one so close I can reach down and touch his head.

I believe, however, that I’m even luckier. To start, I have a group of training partners who are eager to head out anytime, any day. They literally spin in circles when they see that I’m changed up to run. They never fail to remind me that running is a privilege and a joy鈥攁nd without it, we all get a bit frazzled and crazy.

That’s just one of many lessons I鈥檝e learned from this pack. Another is that speed and distance are largely irrelevant 鈥� what is important is getting out, moving, exploring, seeing, breathing. They have no training plans or logs. Granted, they don鈥檛 prepare for races, they don鈥檛 set and achieve goals, nor do they have the satisfaction of progress and mastery. Those are uniquely human pleasures, which I appreciate as .

But, it’s been instructive to watch how my dogs’ lack of extrinsic motivation doesn鈥檛 in any way dilute their pure, unfettered joy from being able to run. Each run is appreciated for its own sake. It is not a means to achieving another end鈥攍ike weight loss, better health, or raising money for charity鈥攏or work towards becoming a better runner. They don’t know their PRs. They need no larger story for motivation; they simply want to and love to run.听

They also bring no ego or expectations to the task. They鈥檙e happy running at whatever pace I am going, be that 5K tempo or taking a , and seem equally thrilled whether we go 10 miles or two (although they do lobby to go farther every time I turn around to head home).听

With a bum knee keeping me from going very far or very fast these days, I鈥檓 learning from them how to value the smell of moisture in the morning breeze, the colors of the wildflowers along the trail, and the majesty of the clouds billowing up in the east as much as what the numbers on my watch tell me about my fitness. Truthfully, the dogs don鈥檛 care much about the flowers or the clouds, but they smell and see and feel plenty along our runs鈥攁s if for the first time every day. And, as I too start to pay attention to the world outside of my head, I am finding that runs can be measured by far more than length and pace.

One thing I never expected to learn from them is how to . They鈥檙e particularly sensitive when dealing with heat. Any of them can outrun me any time they choose, but as soon as the temperatures go up, they slow down. They don’t wait until they’re in trouble and have to slow, they don’t try to keep up until they fall off the back. They simply set a new pace and trot along happily behind me, catching up with tails wagging when we stop for a drink and (for them) a swim at a pond or water tank.

We humans seem to have lost this instinct. We fail to listen to the cues that tell us we’re working too hard to maintain our normal pace. Or we refuse to accept the messages and push on anyway, inevitably paying for it with a spectacular crash and burn. Fortunately, we have the ability to study the body even if we no longer listen to it, and scientists have learned Applying that research can help us pace appropriately and evaluate our runs more effectively.

Changing how we evaluate our runs on a larger scale might be the path toward learning to listen to our bodies and adapt our pace and distance. My training partners are free to adjust their pace because they never consider if they ran well or poorly, never ask if it was a good run or a bad run. They don鈥檛 worry what anyone else thinks of their pace, either, or how others might evaluate their run on Strava.听For them, every run is a great run.

The only question they ask is, “Can we go again? Soon?”

And I鈥攅ven if a bit old, a bit lame, and a lot slower than I used to be鈥攁m the lucky one who gets to grant that wish, and share that joy.

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This story was first published by .听

In eight weeks, you may be able to nail a challenging yoga pose, start marathon training, or become a regular at a new fitness studio. But changing your brain structure through听听(MBSR)? New research says that鈥檚 not likely.

In听听published on the program to date, researchers found no brain changes in participants who completed an eight-week MBSR program. These new findings are in contrast with听, which highlighted the ability of the eight-week MBSR program to lead to substantial brain changes.

In their analysis, the study鈥檚 authors point specifically to the participant pool as a potential cause for the disparities between studies. While previous studies relied on participants who sought out a MBSR program, this study examined a randomized group of participants. The study鈥檚 authors believe that this motivation (or lack thereof) among participants is important to consider. Those who elect to sign up for a MBSR program may do so due to a high amount of self-identified stress. In contrast, those who didn鈥檛 seek out the course may not share these elevated stress levels. As a result, the former may have more space for neurological changes, compared to the latter, the study authors say.

So, does MBSR still result in any brain changes? Potentially, but it may be less likely in people who aren鈥檛 already experiencing high stress levels.

What Does This Mean for MBSR Programs and Practices?

The eight-week MBSR program teaches听.听听And while not every MBSR program may lead to permanent structural changes in your brain, that doesn鈥檛 mean the practice isn鈥檛 impactful. A previous study published in 2020 found that听the program听.

Time may also be an important factor to consider.听听found that the brain regions controlling attention, sensory perception, and sensory processing were thicker in participants with a long-term meditation practice, signifying a lower risk for cognitive decline.

Additionally,听, researchers associated long-term meditators with increased emotional regulation when viewing negative imagery. In the same study, short-term meditators demonstrated this regulation only when presented with positive imagery. This is one sign that听the key to reaping the benefits of MBSR may not be in completing the program itself, but in integrating the tools into your life for the long haul.

Students in an MBSR class often have a realization that they operate in a never-ending state of pressure,听, a qualified teacher of MBSR, says. A MBSR program brings this type of low-level, constant stress to the surface, allowing students to develop effective coping strategies, she says. Gallagher says she views MBSR as a toolkit. In addition to focusing on the present moment, the course is about preparing for the longterm. In her experience, she says she sees students gain an understanding what may trigger their anxious thoughts, as well as how to counter and reframe such thinking.

Why Is a Consistent Practice Important?

While you may not be training for an endurance race or听, mindfulness meditation abides by the same principle: practice, practice, practice. 鈥淓xercises have the most exponential return if you do them daily, rather than once in a while,鈥澨�, a yoga teacher, author, and breathing teacher, says. Strom focuses on the formation of a toolkit when it comes to a daily breathwork or meditation practice. Instead of waiting for your breaking point, he says that integrating these practices into your life on a daily basis听will equip you for those more perilous moments. He equates the necessity of a regular practice to knowing (and practicing) CPR before the time comes when you need to administer it.

What If I鈥檓 Struggling to Maintain a Consistent Practice?

Unfortunately, there鈥檚 no secret formula to help you stick to a regular mindfulness meditation. (Sorry!) However, if you鈥檙e having trouble finding the time to commit to it, Strom says it鈥檚 critical to frame it as an intentional decision, rather than a chore. 鈥淟earning to make the commitment is part of the practice,鈥� he says. 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 not just with bodily habits, it鈥檚 our entire way of life.鈥� It has to be something you prioritize. That may mean rising out of bed a little earlier or skipping that second episode of your favorite show. But, hey, ultimately, you鈥檙e committing to your long-term well-being.

A MBSR program comes with a 40-minute daily time commitment, and Gallagher says she encounters participants who struggle to fit that into their routines. In response, she suggests setting a routine of sorts by practicing meditation in the same place (yes, even the same chair) at the same time every day. This type of consistency can help you stick to a regular regimen. It also may mean slowly increasing your practice time. When she first started meditating, Gallagher says she only sat for five minutes a day, before gradually extending it to 10听minutes, and eventually longer sessions.

While meditation is often seen as an individualized practice, it doesn鈥檛 have to be. Gallagher says she recommends connecting with others who are also committed to a regular mindfulness session. By checking in on a regular basis through group texts or in-person classes, you鈥檒l be held accountable (in a good way!) for your daily regimen. Because, ultimately, no one wants to face the wrath of the group text.

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I remember long runs most. My absolute favorite workout was a 14-miler with the middle ten fast. The kind of run where you hit听halfway and have no idea how you鈥檒l hold on, but somehow you do. It鈥檚 the best feeling in the world, like running is your superpower.

Those runs are fading Polaroids to me now. It鈥檚 been so long since I鈥檝e felt like myself on a long run, or any run鈥攊n control, the paces clicking, whittling split times down, grinding out the miles, chasing a goal, and surprising myself with my abilities. My running is wholly devoid of that today. I miss striving for something other than surviving.

In 2004, I set the U.S. high school record in the 5K, immediately signed a professional contract with Nike, and planned to be an Olympian a few times over by the time I was 30. That was my dream.

Instead I鈥檝e spent the past 18 years in a state of extreme fatigue that no medical professional can explain. Yet I keep running. I fell in love with this sport a long time ago, and while it鈥檚 broken my heart a thousand times over, I keep coming back.

I鈥檒l never forget the moment I fell into the abyss. It was early 2005 and I was straight out of high school. I was wearing an orange long-sleeved Nike shirt. It was still unfathomable to me that I was a Nike athlete, getting all of this free gear, and running on the giant Ronaldo grass field in the middle of my personal Eden鈥擭ike World Headquarters in Oregon.

It happened halfway through the third rep of a ten-by-one–kilometer workout on a loop outlined in cones. I was running neck and neck with my new elite training partner. We鈥檇 just rounded the side by the cafeteria, where employees often watched us, and it was like I tripped and fell into the dark.

My legs felt like lead. My breathing started to stick in my throat. I watched my training partner pull away in front of me. But she hadn鈥檛 surged; she was staying on pace. I was the one who was falling off.

In the years to come, I would watch my body’s ability disintegrate, along with my dreams. I felt like someone was sawing off my legs, like I was bleeding out and there was absolutely nothing I could do to stop it.

The actual sensation was like nothing I鈥檇 ever experienced before. From the first step of a training run, the effort was harder than race days used to be. I鈥檇 be going all out, look down at my watch, and see that I was running minutes per mile slower than it felt. My mind would scream at my legs to turn over, but they couldn鈥檛 respond. It was like running in quicksand, like those dreams where you try to run but are stuck in slo-mo.

At first I had glimmers of hope. Every once in a while I would pop off a great workout, a tempo run or mile repeats on par with the best women in the country. One day during this time, at altitude camp in Park City, Utah, I dashed through a five-mile tempo run followed by 800-meter repeats, hitting faster times than I ever had at sea level. Even wilder, this was only three days after I鈥檇 had an emergency appendectomy. These glimmers kept me hopeful enough to keep joining my team for workouts. I鈥檇 be encouraged, only to come back the next time and struggle to run 200鈥檚 slower than a JV high schooler in Converse sneakers.

Eventually, my body fully hurled itself into the dark chasm. I felt like Alice tumbling down the rabbit hole, but I refused to release my white-knuckled grip on my goals and dreams.

My coach and I sought out every doctor. I underwent a battery of tests, starting with standard blood draws and progressing to more involved procedures, like collecting听my urine for an entire day. All that these experts and specialists could tell me was that my results seemed normal.

Being told you鈥檙e normal when you know you鈥檙e not is unbearably frustrating. I came to dread the moment when yet another doctor would raise an eyebrow and ask, 鈥淗ave you looked into psychiatry?鈥�

I鈥檓 an open book. I鈥檓 fully aware that I have psychological issues: I鈥檝e been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. But this is different. I know this is not in my head.

The only answer I鈥檝e ever come up with, after years of research and talking with fellow endurance athletes who have suffered from similar symptoms, is that I have some kind of adrenal fatigue, a condition that and for which there are no treatment protocols.

Early on, I tried fully resting, taking weeks and then months off from running. The grip of fatigue still held me in its clutches like a vice. Mentally, though, I barely survived these breaks. At one point, I fell into such a dark place that I tried to take my own life. Running has always been the thread holding my sanity together. It鈥檚 the only time the chatter in my brain is blissfully silent. It keeps the full wave of depression from crashing down on me. Only after running can I relax, fully function, and be the kind of human I want to be in this world.

As my ability continued to mysteriously deteriorate,听I decided that even if running felt physically brutal, and even if I might never be fast again, the mental payoff was worth it. Running was my life raft, it kept me from drowning. I desperately clung to the act that had once given me so much joy and still provided peace.

But it was more than memories and my mental health that kept me lacing up my running shoes. The activity had been such a part of my identity, my career, and my dreams. It was my first love. I felt like letting it go would mean abandoning the last piece of myself. And even though the days where I felt in sync and my stride had bounce were gone, running still offered an element I loved and craved: the test of mental toughness.

I am addicted to proving to myself that I can do the difficult thing. I love pushing myself into and through the pain cave. It鈥檚 a rush that leaves me feeling invincible, floating, special. I can make myself do things most people can鈥檛, and that gives me confidence.

But the thing with toughness, as all runners know, is that you can never just prove it once. You can鈥檛 check the box, kick your feet up, and relax. The next day wipes the slate clean. That鈥檚 why I used to eagerly await race days, hard-workout days, and my Sunday long runs: that鈥檚 when I could once again prove to myself that I was still as tough鈥攏o, tougher鈥攖han last week. My biggest fear was the day I showed up and couldn鈥檛 pass the test.

Even when I could no longer do workouts or races, when running slow was so taxing that it took all I had, it was still my daily test. I鈥檓 not fast anymore, but I鈥檓 still tough, right? I had to know.

In 2010, I was hit by a car during a run. I almost lost a leg and was told by medical professionals I鈥檇 never walk or run again. But in my mind, there was never a question that I would. Call it forced ignorance, but I just couldn鈥檛 imagine not running again.

Looking back, I鈥檓 amazed that the accident now feels like a small detail in my running saga. Unlike the mysterious fatigue, I could map out a way to recover from this. At least I knew my enemy, and I knew how to fight it through the grueling year of recovery.

The journey back to running after the car accident did, in a way, help shift my perspective on losing the record-setting runner I had once been. I had stared down the reality of never being able to run, and I vowed I would be grateful for the act of running if I ever could again.

That gratitude is key. Running easily is like my phantom limb鈥攊ts ghost haunts me and itches in my brain. But I鈥檝e learned how to reframe that itch into one that is more positive. Every time my mind shifts back to burning anger and anguish that this is not fair, I remind myself that I can still run. I am still a runner.

I鈥檓 trying to be kinder to myself and allow myself a bit of grace鈥擨 was a cruel miser with such things back听when I was fast. After every workout or race, even if I鈥檇 PR鈥檇, I鈥檇 inevitably ask my coach, 鈥淐ould I have gone harder?鈥� I was tormented by the fear that I hadn鈥檛 leeched every ounce out of myself or that I wasn鈥檛 able to give enough. When I sink into these spiraling doubts today, I try to remember how hard I鈥檝e fought just to be able to run.

For years I carried a weight of shame that I was never the runner I was supposed to be. When people asked me about my PRs, I always looked down and added a disclaimer, 鈥淲ell, I mean, I could never run that now, so it doesn鈥檛 really count.鈥�

I鈥檝e slowly come to ignore those voices. The fact I never ran any faster doesn鈥檛 erase my 15:52.88 5K. I did that. I had the time of my life training for that. I was doing what made me happiest, and it鈥檚 an experience I wouldn鈥檛 give up for the world. I am proud of the runner I once was. She is still a part of me. Her ghost runs alongside me and keeps me going.

It鈥檚 taken even more time for me to get over the shame I harbored about my current pace鈥攎y 12-minute miles. Part of me still cringes as I type that. We鈥檙e all works in progress.

I hold out hope that one day I鈥檒l have a run that doesn鈥檛 feel terrible. I go to bed at night wishing that I鈥檒l wake up and this mysterious ailment will have disappeared as suddenly as it came. I devour any article about strange fatigue; I know I鈥檓 not the only endurance athlete who has fallen off the cliff into blackness.

I will never give up the dream that perhaps I will meet an expert鈥攁 doctor, a holistic-medicine specialist, a shaman, an underwater basket weaver, whoever鈥攚ho will know how to cure me. It鈥檚 a thin, fragile dream. New doctors have promised, 鈥淚 will fix you! I鈥檓 the best!鈥� countless times, only to tell me it must be in my head. That downward crash crushes, it grinds the spirit into tiny bits that the wind blows away. Still, I choose to remain cautiously optimistic. It鈥檚 much easier to survive if you carry a tiny kernel of hope.

I fully recognize, however, that I may never claw out of this moonless void. Whatever tomorrow may or may not bring, I鈥檓 trying to make peace with the reality that this is my body now.

Today I鈥檓 a shell of the runner I once was. In the morning, my fatigue casts a dark blanket over me. I can barely think, talk, or function. I hype myself up to run a slow seven miles, at whatever pace I can manage, the same way I used to for my sacred long run. As my GPS syncs, I push from my mind that other voice, This is brutal. Why are we doing this? and repeat my gratitude mantra: I鈥檓 thankful for my legs and my body for allowing me to do this thing I love. I鈥檓 grateful for the opportunity to run.

As soon as the watch starts and I enter the run, muscle memory takes over. My body still knows that this is what it鈥檚 supposed to do.听Slowly, the anxiety slips away.

As my legs become weak, my breathing grows labored, and the tortured anguish of fighting to continue moving begins to peak, I focus on familiar movements. I feel like I鈥檓 in the final mile of a marathon. We鈥檙e in the pain cave now. There are moments where it seems I鈥檓 falling and I just hope my legs keep me upright. I tell myself that these darker regions of hell don鈥檛 last forever, that if I keep moving forward it will feel a little better. I promise myself it gets better, even though I know that鈥檚 a lie. This fatigue never relents. But the lie allows me to keep going鈥攊t鈥檚 a lie of self-preservation.

The moment I鈥檓 done, the relief, endorphins, and gratitude wash over me like a storm. I did it. I survived another day. I passed the test. I鈥檓 still a runner.

The post I鈥檓 Never Going to Be Fast Again, but I鈥檓 Still in Love with Running听 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Earlier this month, Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the reigning men鈥檚 Olympic 1,500-meter champion, gave a at the in California. The 21-year-old Norwegian had just vanquished a quality field in the 5,000-meters despite still being, as he put it, in the 鈥渂asic training鈥� phase of his season. After answering a few questions about his upcoming schedule, Ingebrigtsen was asked about winning Olympic gold last year. Had the emotional payoff been what he expected? 鈥淚t鈥檚 really strange because I trained for that specific race for basically my whole life,鈥� he replied. 鈥淭he peak is really high, but also right after the peak there鈥檚 a big low. Because I鈥檝e done it. So what’s the meaning of going back and doing all the shit work that鈥檚 needed to get back into the same shape?鈥�

Heavy. One minute you think you鈥檙e in for another banal exchange about stacked fields and race prep and then you have the young idol of the international athletics world confessing his existential ennui. (Who would have thought that being the best in the world at running laps around an oval would cause you to wonder about the point of it all?) Fortunately, young Ingebrigtsen was able to get out of his post-Olympics funk. 鈥淚鈥檓 still competitive,鈥� he said in the interview. 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 throw in the towel and say I鈥檓 finished. I want to win the World Championship as well. And when I鈥檓 this fast, it would have been stupid not to go after some records.鈥�

Although most of us don鈥檛 have to fret about squandering our world class talent, the broader sentiment here might feel familiar. A few years ago, I wrote about post-marathon blues鈥攖he sense of letdown and anticlimax that amateur runners often feel after an event that they鈥檝e spent months preparing for. At the time, I didn鈥檛 know that there was a term for this: 鈥溾�� refers to the false belief that once you accomplish a particular goal, you鈥檒l attain a sense of lasting gratification. The term was coined by Harvard psychology lecturer , but I first heard it from Brad Stulberg, an 国产吃瓜黑料 contributing editor and the bestselling author of . 鈥淲e think that some external goal will fulfill us, but it鈥檚 this very thinking that gets in the way of our fulfillment,鈥� Stulberg noted last year in a column for 国产吃瓜黑料. As Stulberg writes, you are better off 鈥渆njoying the process and being where you are.鈥�

You鈥檝e probably heard something along those lines before. But what does that actually mean? More specifically, how can the notion of 鈥渆njoying the process鈥� be reconciled with the mentality of a perpetual striver like Ingebrigtsen? After all, if his personal cure for the malaise that overcame him after achieving his lifelong dream was to shift his focus to other elusive feats, wasn鈥檛 that just moving the goalposts?

When I put the question to Stulberg, he suggested that there was an advantage to embracing the contradiction of pursuing a goal that you know ultimately won鈥檛 fulfill you. 鈥淚 think that once you come to terms with the fact that you can never be content, it gets a lot easier,鈥� Stulberg says. 鈥淭he trap is the 鈥榠f, then鈥� syndrome. This idea that if I win a gold medal, then I鈥檒l be content.鈥�

Ingebrigtsen鈥檚 case is hardly unique. Stulberg gave the example of the former professional basketball player Ray Allen, who writes in his autobiography that one of the worst days of his life was the day after he won a NBA championship. Winning it all was not the supremely validating experience that he had hoped it would be. (In a 2016 , Allen writes about being plagued by insomniac restlessness after winning his second NBA title in 2013; the morning after his team won a decisive Game 7, he celebrated by going to the dentist at 7 a.m.) Stulberg suggested that it might ultimately be an asset for Ingebrigtsen to confront this early in his career: 鈥淵ou found this emptiness at 20 and you realized that no amount of winning is going to make you fulfilled. If you can drop that psychological weight, then good things can happen.鈥�

Many good things have happened to Eliud Kipchoge, the 37-year-old Kenyan who is peerless in the marathon. He also seems almost constitutionally immune to the seductions of arrival fallacy. In a profile last year for the Cathal Dennehy wrote that Kipchoge has an aversion to excessive celebration. This is an athlete whose social media accounts are filled 鈥淭he disciplined in life are free.鈥� He is not one for post-race bacchanals. For Kipchoge, celebrating is 鈥渁 self-indulgent act that might derail his mindset, make him think, somewhere in his subconscious, that he has arrived, the inference being he has nowhere left to go,鈥� Dennehy writes. Another of Kipchoge鈥檚 go-to maxims is: 鈥淚鈥檓 a believer that if you climb to one branch, then you reach for the next branch.鈥�

Sounds exhausting. Indeed, there鈥檚 something Sisyphean about a mentality that is centered on constant striving鈥攁lways focusing on the next branch. But there鈥檚 a difference between striving with the expectation that you鈥檒l reach a magical moment of permanent affirmation, and a kind of striving where you accept at the outset that no such point exists. It goes without saying that this doesn鈥檛 only apply to professional athletes. Whatever the pursuit,听 there鈥檚 always a temptation to believe that you鈥檙e just one fancy job title or recreational triumph away from becoming the person you always wanted to be. And yet . . .

The argument here isn鈥檛 against seeking those external markers of success, so much as trying to be clear-eyed about why certain pursuits are valuable. As Stulberg puts it: 鈥淣o achievement is going to fulfill you. What鈥檚 going to fulfill you is setting the right goals and going after them.鈥� Referring to Ingebrigtsen鈥檚 example, Stulberg adds, 鈥淓ven if you know you鈥檒l feel empty after you win the World Championships, if training for the World Championships and and striving fulfills you, then it鈥檚 just a price to pay.鈥�

I cannot presume to know what, precisely, Ingebrigtsen might find so fulfilling about the 鈥渟hit work鈥� of maintaining his status as the world鈥檚 premier 1,500-meter runner. Perhaps the knowledge that it鈥檚 a prerequisite to experience the electric thrill of racing. Or maybe the recurring sensation of post-workout euphoria, the afterglow of extreme exertion mingled with a feeling of relief that you have several days鈥� reprieve before you get to do it all again.

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