Notes From ND
Author: Mikayla Kraft, MT43 News Correspondent
Mikayla Kraft
MT43 News Correspondent
You know, sometimes I question myself. I tell myself that I don’t like how busy I am, but I also tend to find more and more things to be busy with. I already have 20 credits, host a Small Group, lead worship for Chi Alpha, work two jobs, try to maintain my other friendships, and even maintain a sourdough starter named Jerry, and take care of all of my plants. However, I have started to realize that there was a part of me that was lacking, even with all of the things I have on my plate. My social life in college was doing great, my mental health has been good, my spiritual life has been strong, but my physical health was lacking.
It isn’t that I eat unhealthy things all day; I do intermittent fasting, only keep healthy snacks and drinks in my dorm, and eat as healthy as I can in the dining centers. I would go on the occasional walk, and I don’t look like I have an unhealthy lifestyle. However, I also noticed that while everything else was going right, I didn’t feel right. God put it on my heart for the past few weeks to make a change for myself, face my fears, and go to the gym alone. I have been running for about a week now, and though I have been feeling sore, I have been so much more confident and have been feeling strong. For example, on the 5th, I went into the gym, expecting to make it a steady day and keep it at only two miles. However, the two-mile mark hit, and I still felt like I could easily keep going. Next thing you know, I ran 5 miles. At the end of that run, I was so proud of myself for pushing past my comfort zone and working hard for my body.
I plan to continue to do this, strengthening my physical self more, and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for me. To get to this point - prioritizing my physical health - it took a while. I started with my spiritual health, then my social health, my mental health, and am just now finally prioritizing physical health. College is a big transition. Don’t try to align everything all at once, or you will become burned out and push your health back instead of forward. It took me almost an entire year to get everything into gear, but now I am feeling comfortable in my place here and am excited for more. All health is important, no matter what stage of life you are in, so prioritize it!
