I went through a really depressive phase my first year of college.
Being away from home was tough and I knew no one at the college. Dorm life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and college cheerleading turned out to be more about booze and guys than the actual sport. I ended up being on my own a lot and getting real sad about it. That is how I got into exercising. I started going for runs anytime I felt really down or lonely. The college campus had a track that I would run barefoot on and attempt to improve my times. I then progressed to doing skips, lunges and jumps across the college tennis courts. I then realized that there were open swim times at the college pool. I would typically go for a short run, stretch at the tennis courts and then end my work out with a nice swim. I could do laps, tread water or just enjoy myself. Afterwards I would shower at the college pool and the rest of my day would be mine. It was really great getting in shape and feeling more confident about myself. I also had the added bonus of really knowing my college campus. I would run around getting to know the buildings and learning the layout of the land. I also would meet people through all my physical activity as well. It is how I gained a small friend group, boyfriend and some peace being at college away from home.