I joined a small, local, lunchtime running group.
I had booked the session earlier, but when the time came, I felt resistance. I was deep in a task, but it wasn’t flowing anymore, I’d been at it all morning and hit a wall.
Often the best thing we can do is pause, take a break to lighten the mind and let ideas rise, rather than force our way through tiredness or lack of clarity.
So I told myself: “Go. You’ve committed to this. It’s part of the identity you're stepping into, one that honours your wellbeing.”
I dropped everything and off I went to join the group.
Catching up with fellow runners in this small group of three, we warmed up with the usual chit-chat – the kind my neurodivergent mind doesn’t usually thrive on. I prefer to get to the deeper stuff.
The weather topic is one of the first things to appear. It was one of those unusually warm days in Manchester.
Ten minutes into the run, my mind opened up. Ideas started to pop up.
I shared something I’ve been reflecting on with a fellow runner. In the last few years I’ve been noticing how for decades the British have flocked to Spain seeking the sun, but with the climate shifting, I sense we’ll start seeing the opposite: people from Spain and other Mediterranean countries drawn to milder climates like the UK, especially during scorching summers.
And then I realised: We’re all seeking balance.
As we ran and chatted, I reflected that all my life I chased the sun myself. Sol, in Spanish. But in this season of my life, what I really long for is solace.
Back home I researched the meaning of solace. While originally tied to emotional comfort during pain or loss, modern use has broadened. People now use “solace” to describe:
· A moment of peace in a noisy world
· A respite from pressure or overstimulation
· Something that soothes, even without deep sorrow
I was not wrong in how I used it. It resonated intuitively because running did offer me a moment of peace. "Solace" means emotional comfort, often in sadness or solitude.
Loneliness and sadness are far more than fleeting emotions – they’re widely experienced human states linked to mental, emotional, and physical health.
Studies* show when we choose connection, pause, breath… that’s how we shift from surviving to truly living.
We all need space to breathe, to find equilibrium, wherever we are, no matter the country. Our nervous system, our human condition, can only truly thrive in balance. Of course we can survive in extreme conditions, but through self-awareness, we start to realise the goal isn’t just to survive - it’s to live.
To live in expansion, abundance, fulfilment, and joy.
This is how we can go from seeking light outside…To finding comfort within.
I hope this inspired something in you too.
Feel free to leave a comment or share this with someone who might need a moment of solace today.
* Sources: U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection (2023); Harvard Graduate School of Education – “Loneliness in America” (2024); NIH studies on breathwork and nervous system regulation (PubMed, 2017–2023).