We all have a happy place. A place that when we don't want to be in the place we're in, we can always rely on this one location to take us away from our troubles, at least for a little bit. For some it's the beach or a park or maybe just their bedroom. For me? It's the gym. The gym is where I go when I'm stressed, angry or just bored. It's where I focus my energy when I might over-react to something. Here are all the reasons the gym is my sanctuary.
1. Drama doesn't enter the gym.
When you walk into that building, everything else in life seems to fade away. Nobody here knows the extent of what's going on in your life and they don't have to. The only thing that matters here is getting a good workout in.
2. Everyone minds their own business, for the most part.
If people are at the gym, it typically means they're there to get things done. They don't care if you seem really happy or sad or whatever. Not many people, if any at all, will walk up to you to see why you seem a certain way. They may glance at you but that's pretty much it.
3. It's a great place to clear your mind.
Going through a tough time? Lift or run it out. Here you can think as much or as little as you want. Need to step back from a situation before making a decision? Think it over at the gym.
4. Negative energy can be focused on a challenging work out.
If you're seriously angry, like to the point where you want to destroy something or hit someone, take it out on your workout. Lift heavier, run faster, do more. At the gym you will tire yourself out to a point where you won't have anymore energy to even think about being violent.
5. You can disconnect from people.
If you're like me, you don't want to be bothered at the gym. Almost every time I'm there, I lock my phone up in a locker and just work out without the distractions provided through social media and technology. You'll feel a lot better after a workout where you weren't waiting for that person to like a photo or snap-chat you posted.
6. Everyone there is there for a common purpose.
Everyone at the gym is there for personal improvement. Whether it be to lose weight, gain muscle or whatever, we are all here to look, feel and just be better than we were yesterday and that's pretty amazing if you ask me.
7. People here are supportive.
Just like I said in the last point, everyone is trying to improve. With that being said, no one is going to knock you down for not being as strong or fast as some one else. They're happy to see you doing something good for youself and are willing to help if you need it.
8. Challenging yourself in the gym can distract you from other challenges in your life.
You won't really be thinking of that test you're stressing about or that person that might be lying to you when you are working so hard you can't move without feeling like you're about to fall apart. Also, worrying about that will cause you to get hurt when working out. You need to focus on this.
9. You can get lost in the music and ignore people around you.
If you don't want to talk to that guy that always tries to talk to you while running, just plug in your headphones, turn it all the way up and ignore them. Easy as that.
10. Nobody really cares what you look like.
We're all sweaty and gross looking so we don't care if your pony tail is slightly crooked or if your facial hair is a little unruly.
11. The gym is always there.
No matter what you have going on, the gym is there to take you in. Just take a breath, throw on your sneakers and head over.
