Running away from your problems
JORDAN HASLBECK, SPORTS COLUMNIST
My girlfriend left me two weeks ago.
When she left, she replaced her things with emotions I haven’t had to deal with in years.
I know we have to work together or at least alongside one another, but it’s taking a toll on my mental health.
I knew I couldn’t find a hole to hide in. I have a job I like and don’t want to lose. Not to mention the fact that I’m only a couple months away from graduating, but now going to class has gone from a victory lap to a nightmare because I have to see her there.
The end of my relationship left me with more spare time than I knew what to do with, so I took up some of my old hobbies — reading and exercising.
Full disclosure, I hate gyms. I think they’re boring. But I have no problem playing three hockey games, an ultimate game and a dodgeball game all in a week.
Yes, I’m 23 and I still play dodgeball like a high school kid.
I exercise not because I’m ashamed of the way my body looks. No one should. Even if I do have a little relationship gut mixed with the freshman 15. I exercise because it’s good for me and it makes me feel better.
Mostly I’ve been running. Running gives me a chance to think in a positive way about myself.
I figured after all the time I’d taken off from running, there was no way I could run a 10-minute mile.
When I did, I felt happy for the first time since my breakup.
After two weeks, my heart has come a long way. The sadness is waning, my appetite is returning, and after a few completely sleepless nights I’m actually getting rest.
What hasn’t gone away is the anxiety that hits me whenever I see her or anything she does.
But after a breakup, it’s good to have goals. Mine is to run in the Manitoba Marathon, something I haven’t done in 10 years.
If you need emotional healing, why not give exercise a try? Maybe it won’t work for you like it has me, but what have you got to lose.
Maybe one day I’ll find the right girl for me, and I’ll be the right guy for her. Maybe she’ll like to run, or maybe she’ll like to watch movies instead. Either way, I need my heart to be fully healed when I find her so that I can be my best self and we can cross that finish line together.
Jordan Haslbeck is a reporter for Bison Sports and a mediocre beer-league hockey defenseman. He co-hosts Not Even the Press Box, a weekly radio show about the Winnipeg Jets at radio. rrc.ca.
