Green Mermaid Cottage

Exercise has always been a great help in managing my long term depression and anxiety issues.   I love my weekly pilates class, leisurely swimming in the sea in the summer, walking in nature and occasional horse riding lessons. I have also tried yoga, tai-chi and going to the gym over the years to vary my exercise routine and keep it interesting and challenging.  One activity that always remained a mystery to me was running.  I must admit that I never understood the appeal and that I looked upon all the lycra wearing runners in parks, on the seafront or on treadmills with a bit of puzzlement.  Where they really enjoying running around like hamsters in a wheel? Being all sweaty and often visibly out of breath on sunny days for everyone to see? none of that looked comfortable or enjoyable to me and I often found myself muttering ‘show off’ as they passed me by… To my surprise I made the decision in January this year to finally try that running thing.  I got...

Picture this. You are in a train travelling to an office which is 2.5 hour away. You have been worrying about the journey for days, it even affected your sleep. Your stomach starts to cramp.   You are getting agitated. You pray that no one will seat next to you because you know you will flinch every time they will come too close to your personal space. You mutter to yourself and you realise you are making jerky movements with your shoulders. You have chosen to travel outside the 'rush hour' but you are getting nervous because there is a noisy child nearby  and someone's music can be heard even with their headphones on. The noise is like fingernails digging inside your brain. The cramping is so bad that you know you will have to run to the nearest loo as soon as soon as you get out of the train. You worry there might be a queue. By the time you get to the office you are already exhausted. You try to mask how you really feel. If someone talks to you, you force your mouth in...