Running for me has also become the one time during the day where it is specifically time for “me”. Teaching by itself can become an exhausting activity even when you’re in a place you’ve grown up all your life or are familiar with. Add onto the fact that we are teaching in a place that is almost on the exact opposite side of the planet, we don’t speak the same language, we are on our own for the most part and the cultures are very different. Because of all this it can get incredibly stressful at times throughout all the year. One of the things that was stressed during our orientation was the importance of maintaining your mental health. Running has become such an important tool in me being able to do that. One of the ways that was recommended to us to help us stay healthy mentally was exercising. Just a simple workout can get rid of a lot stress or built up tension. Just simply putting on my headphones and giving myself time during the day to think of nothing and take a step back from everything that is going on during my day allows me to reduce a lot of stress and tension I have. Without running or some form of exercise staying mentally healthy would be very difficult to do.