So, I’ve been mulling over these two words lately: exercise and exorcise. Sounds similar, right? One letter off. I kinda stumbled into figuring out how they’re more connected than I thought, at least for me. It wasn’t some grand plan, more like a clumsy experiment I started a while back when things felt… off.
My Starting Point: Feeling Weighed Down
You know those times when you just feel heavy? Not just physically, but like there’s a fog in your brain, or a grumpy little gremlin sitting on your shoulder whispering nonsense. That was me. I was dragging myself through days. I tried the usual stuff – telling myself to snap out of it, trying to distract myself. Let me tell you, those gremlins are stubborn little critters. They weren’t budging.
I wasn’t thinking about “exorcising” anything in the spooky sense, of course. But I definitely wanted to get rid of this… this blah feeling. It was like a cloud following me around. I remember thinking, “I gotta shake this off, somehow.”
The “Exercise” Part of the Experiment
Then, on a whim, really, I decided to start moving more. I’m not talking about becoming a gym rat overnight. Nope. My first “exercise” was literally just deciding to walk. Sounds simple, but getting out the door was the first hurdle.
Here’s how my “practice” went, roughly:
- Week 1: Forced myself to walk for 20 minutes every other day. Hated most of it. My internal monologue was pretty much “This is pointless. I’m tired. My couch misses me.” I actually jotted down in a notebook: “Day 1: Walked. Felt like a chore. Gremlin still chattering.” Real scientific, I know.
- Week 2-3: Stuck with it, mostly out of sheer stubbornness. I increased it to 30 minutes. Started to notice tiny things, like the air feeling good, or the fact that the gremlin was a bit quieter while I was actually moving. My notes became slightly less grumpy: “Day 10: Walked. Gremlin took a nap, maybe?”
- Week 4 onwards: This is where things got interesting. I started to look forward to it, just a little. I even tried a light jog for a few minutes during my walks. It wasn’t about fitness goals at this point; it was more about how I felt after.
The “Exorcise” Realization
One day, after a particularly brisk walk where I’d pushed myself a bit, I came back home, sweaty and tired, but my head was… clear. Like, really clear. The fog was gone. The gremlin wasn’t just quiet; it felt like he’d packed his bags and left. And it hit me – this physical exertion, this exercise, was actually doing the job of an exorcise. It was pushing out the negativity, the sluggishness, the mental clutter.
It wasn’t a one-time thing. I kept at it, and consistently, the more I moved, the more that heavy feeling lifted. It’s like the effort, the sweat, the slightly pounding heart – it all combined to just… flush out the bad stuff. It wasn’t about chanting or rituals; it was about lacing up my shoes and putting one foot in front of the other.
What I recorded, in my own way, was this:
- Physical tiredness from exercise felt different, cleaner, than mental exhaustion.
- Focusing on moving my body made it hard for my brain to dwell on the usual worries. It was a forced mindfulness, almost.
- The sense of accomplishment, even from a short walk, was a good counter-punch to feeling down.
So yeah, for me, “exercise” became my go-to “exorcise.” It’s not magic, and some days it’s still a struggle to get started. But I know now that if I’m feeling bogged down by those invisible weights, a good sweat session is probably the best way to show them the door. Who knew getting rid of your demons could be as simple as going for a run? Well, maybe not simple, but definitely effective. It’s been a game changer, truly.
