How to Put on A Happy Face

This morning I woke up a little depressed, I am a runner but due to spraining both my knees last month I have not been able to run in four weeks as of today. Most people I talk to don't understand how important running is to me, and think it's crazy that I get sad that I can't run. When I was sitting in bed feeling sorry for myself, it hit me, moping around does nothing! I can feel sorry for myself that I can't run but nothing productive can come of it. It's not like my knees are suddenly going to be pain free due to feeling down. So I decided I was going to think of the positive that has come out of being injured.

I started seriously getting into running last November and found myself running almost everyday. I was running 6 days a week with increasing mileage, with very little cross training, seldom taking a rest day, and adding a new weight training program to it. I felt really good about myself when I was doing this, however when I look back I can tell I was running myself into the ground! Of course I got injured, the whole time I was doing all this I wasn't truly listening to my body, because if I had I would have realized my body needed a break.

Now that I have been sidelined I have had a lot of positive things come about for me.
*I have recently obtained my first "real" job.
*I have taken the time to really work on planning my wedding.
*I graduated college with honors!!!

*I am finally catching up on reading books I had ordered forever ago.
*I was able to make an informed decision about a moral dilemma I was having. (I became a vegetarian)
*I was able to help a friend work through some serious issues in their life.
*I reconnected with some old friends.
*I started my blog. 

Also being injured made me realize that running doesn't define who I am. I am still Stephanie regardless if I run or not. I also realized that I was using running as a way of hiding from some personal issues, that I have now confronted.

By seeing the positive side of our problems we are able to become a lot happier and also we can be more effective. We can't always control the bad that happens but we can control how we view it. Having things happen to us that we see as negative can really be a learning experience that can help us later on in life.

You can't control what life throws your way, BUT you can control your happiness!!!

Life is Epic!
Steph