My Dear Treadmill

My dear treadmill,

Thanks for being there with me, for me, on my bad, mad days and giving me a space to spit it all out, to work on myself in miraculous, healing ways, and to make me applaud myself with, “I am getting better and better every day in every way.”

You have seen me arrive with a head full of chaos and leave with a heart a little lighter. You have witnessed the days when I came running from my thoughts, and the days when I simply needed to outrun the version of myself that no longer felt like home.

Some days, I step onto you carrying frustrations I cannot articulate, disappointments I cannot quite digest, and feelings that have overstayed their welcome. And somewhere between the first few minutes and the last drop of sweat, the world begins to feel a little less overwhelming. My problems may not disappear, but they somehow stop looking so insurmountable.

Thank you for teaching me that progress does not always announce itself with grand gestures. Sometimes, it is just showing up when every part of you would rather stay still. Sometimes, it is another five minutes when your mind has already given up. Sometimes, it is simply choosing not to abandon yourself on a difficult day.

You have become my little laboratory of transformation, where frustration turns into fuel, restlessness finds its rhythm, and self-doubt slowly makes room for self-belief. Every step reminds me that I am capable of more than my moods would have me believe.

And perhaps my favourite part is that you never ask me to be perfect. You do not care whether I arrive motivated or miserable, whether I run like an athlete or walk like someone trying to make sense of life. You simply let me begin where I am. There is something profoundly comforting about a space where I do not have to prove anything before I start.

I have learnt that healing is not always a quiet, candlelit affair. Sometimes, it is loud music, untidy thoughts, an accelerated heartbeat, and the stubborn decision to keep moving. Sometimes, taking care of yourself looks less like having everything figured out and more like giving your feelings somewhere to go.

So, thank you for being a witness to all my little victories that nobody else noticed. I hope I never forget that the person who keeps showing up for me, day after day, is me. You may give me the space, the rhythm, and the reason to move, but I am the one taking the steps. And that is something I am learning to be genuinely proud of.

And as I lace up for another round, I shall remind myself, with a little more conviction each time:

I am getting better and better every day in every way.

With love, gratitude, and a slightly dramatic amount of sweat,

Yours always,

Trisha