After almost 5 weeks off from running due to a left ankle injury, I’m finally back to it without any pain or issues so far. While 5 weeks doesn’t sound like very long, time slows down when you’re injured and trying not to hyperfocus on the things that you can’t do, even if only temporarily.

Dealing with an injury that halts you in your tracks and stops you from being able to do things that bring you joy is a lot like dealing with the loss of a relationship or loved one. It forces you into a grieving process, and in my case, the lows felt even lower initially, because the reality of the injury was combined with the natural lows experienced after completing a 100-mile endurance challenge.

Most fears in life are like that. We build things up to be far more difficult or scarier than they really are, and sometimes we let the fear cripple us and stop us from taking action. When we do this, we rob ourselves of experience and limit our lives in the process.