Let’s talk about the times it doesn’t. What then? A theory and some inspiration.
The positive effect of exercise on mental health has been well-established in the scientific literature, with statements like “exercise has a large and significant antidepressant effect” (Schuch et al., 2016). As a runner, I wholly agree that exercise is a good mood booster, but it’s always easier to remember the times running helped my mood than the times I came back, untied my shoes, and still felt “meh.”
This begs the question as to how much running really helps you chase the blues away, or better yet, leave them in the dust. Why does running off a bad mood sometimes…
We’ve all been there: you’re running and the urge to poop bubbles up until thinking about everything but not pooping or telling yourself you will make it before the poop makes its grand exit gets overshadowed by an undeniable, anxiety-producing realization that you will poop, whether you like it or not. Suddenly, with every step, your eyes are scanning for poop spots while you squeeze your cheeks and break into a cold sweat. Can I sneak into the Taco Bell? Where’s the nearest gas station? That house looks like nice people live there…I could knock? Maybe I need to bring…
Timely life advice from my past self, circa 2013
The Box of Curiosity, of deeper meaning
Sits with a red ribbon loosely tied;
The mind tugs
At the ribbon’s frayed end.
The ribbon slides open
With a purpose,
As if to suggest
The Power that sits inside.
My thoughts sink deeper
Like roots reaching, stretching
Deeper into the soil of Curiosity,
Searching for the deeper meaning to cling to.
Suddenly I am grounded
And held in place
As deep thoughts awaken,
Shaking off shadows.
It is lighter, crisper
As my eyes take on
A more appreciative lens;
The world is greater, smaller.
Life passes,
But here I sit
Enjoying…
A dedication to the face masks on the ground.
There is something sad about a fallen mask —
Pressed into the ground, trodden, forgotten,
Once a soldier with a valiant task,
Now crumbles as they receive their pardon.
What is a fallen mask to do, pressed to the street rather than a nose?
Collecting dirt and dust not breath,
Long gone from its companion who no longer shows,
Talking to ants and pebbles, afraid of its death.
Dear fallen mask, you are not alone —
Homemade cotton ones, the timeless surgicals,
Crushed N95s who lost their cone,
Fear not! You still got that twinkle.
You have fallen from heads…
A lost period may mask an unhealthy mindset for food/exercise. This is my story of running off my period and getting it — and myself — back.
When I lost my period for the first time, I was strangely fascinated. And concerned. Like when the person you see walking your block at the same time every day doesn’t show one day and you think, I wonder what happened to them? I hope everything is okay.
Not to compare my period to a person, but kind of. A monthly visitor who one month stops visiting, and then the next, and then the next, is cause enough to wonder, Did I do something wrong?
What started out as a genuine interest in why my period stopped became a status…
Tight budgets and Pilates classes don’t mix. Why not DIY?
There’s a Pilates studio that recently opened just down my street. After months of wondering what would go in that space that has windows for front walls, I was really excited when I saw the sign. Pilates, steps from my front door. Please and thank you! But when I looked up their class prices, I was thoroughly disheartened: $122 for 4x per month. Quick math: that’s $30+ per class. You’re kidding. I was so turned off, which was worsened by the pure Inatagramyness (how is that not a word in the dictionary yet?) of their website and studio décor. And…
Today marks two weeks since my poor left shoulder received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. It went smoothly, just like the first dose, but without the minor blood spurt this time. I suppose you can only be so special once.
The fact that it was a drive-thru clinic was weirdly awesome. It took all of five minutes from pulling up in the car to departing to the 15-minute wait zone where I had a nice chat with a clinic volunteer. She cheered when I told her it was my second dose. She had chunky beaded bracelets which slid…
May was Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Here’s what I have to say about that.
Sometime last year, in the 2020 blur, I realized I had a spot on my scalp, right on my part line, that was red and raised. I picked at it out of habit, which made it scab over, so I picked at it more, and so on. Sometimes I would hardly even notice when I was doing it, but my partner did. He encouraged me to get it checked out, but I put it off, thinking it was probably nothing, that if I just stopped picking…
An mRNA vaccine sounds very science-y. And it is. It relies on known science to produce immunity without ever needing to inoculate the body with dead virus. Pretty nifty.
Though mRNA vaccines are new, they have been studied for decades. Basically, once we know some key information about a virus, we can use that intel to produce an immune response. Here’s how it works.
Instead of putting a weakened or inactivated virus into the body like the more “traditional” vaccines do, mRNA vaccines, such as the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, send in a set of instructions (the mRNA) to…
Social isolation and confinement during the COVID-19 pandemic has, unsurprisingly, led to an uptick in boredom. As restrictions lift in some parts of the world and daily routines begin to be peppered with out-of-the-house activities again, we will likely see boredom levels decrease. I imagine they’ll decrease slowly, like when you get stuck on a slide at the playground you’ve outgrown, since restrictions are lifted as painstakingly slow (rightfully so!) as peeling an onion layer by layer.
But what about the effects of boredom? Will they piggyback on boredom as it takes the slow slide? Boredom is not an isolated…
Emily Brown
Freelance writer + editor at EVR Creative, where EVRy word matters. Specializes in health communication and public health. Website: evrbrown.com
