EXERCISE + MANTRA = HEART HEALING

Lacing up heart. Taken by PKSenagore February 12, 2017. All rights reserved.

REPEAT: "I AM AN ATHLETE" Allison Patillo writes on a theme that might be consoling to some after this Valentine’s Day. In an article for Competitor.com she discusses how running could treat a wounded heart.  “Research Shows Running Can Help Cure a Broken Heart” reminds us that heartbreak isn’t limited to romantic disappointments.  Sorrow can result from losses related to our jobs, health, and family. Someone dear to us can move away, a promised promotion doesn’t come through, an illness can prevent us from enjoying favorite activities.
 
The article discusses the science behind the effect of bodily exercise on emotional status. “Getting physical, as in running, is a healthier coping tool”, she writes, than food treats and alcohol. It stimulates “brain chemicals that fight physical pain”, which is important because she indictates, ”rejection activates the same areas of the brain as actual physical pain.”
 
If you’re a runner, walker, swimmer, or cyclist, or participate in another sport, you have an opportunity to burn off hurt while getting in a good workout.  I’ve found it is impossible to cry and run at the same time especially if I’m muttering defensive arguments.  Instead of mounting a defense, however, try an offense to counter your loss.

An empowering MANTRA can reinforce confidence-building positive thoughts and power each movement. “I AM strong”, and “I will WIN”, can replace self-doubts that creep into our psyche after a major letdown and refute recriminations (“weak, weak, weak” and “what a loser” for example, ouch!).
 
Outside of countering emotions stirred up by Valentine’s Day, resolve to create personal phrase to repeat regularly in exercise when fighting a crushing disappointment. Differentiate it from one that gets you to the finish line, like “pass one more” or “make it or break it”. As you come to ‘own’ that phrase, it can be used for self-rescue when negativity from any source threatens to diminish confidence.
 
If you cannot come up with one immediately try, “I AM AN ATHLETE!” One definition says an athlete “is a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina or strength”. Affirming these qualities in yourself should be uplifting!
 
RUN HAPPY!
 
http://running.competitor.com/2017/02/news/run-away-broken-heart_162097