My Journey in Canada

From Darkness to the Track: My Comeback After a Setback

There were days when I locked myself inside four walls, hiding from all the judgmental eyes that… honestly, only existed in my imagination. It felt like I had disappeared from the world, left alone with my confusion, helplessness, and a vague fear of the future.

Then one morning, I woke up and realized: I couldn’t stay like this forever. I had to do something — no matter how small — to change.

But what exactly is “something”?

After losing my job in December 2024, with my work permit expiring in October 2025, I knew one thing for sure: finding a new job wouldn’t be easy. Employers had every reason to doubt the possibility of hiring someone who could only legally stay for less than 10 months. I didn’t just imagine this — I learned it the hard way, through dozens of interviews from December to June.

In the middle of that mess, I chose to start again — by running.

I used to run 5km back in 2023, so starting over with 1km wasn’t too hard. But this time, each step had a different meaning. After six weeks, I slowly worked my way back up to 5km, then 7km. My body got stronger, but what surprised me more was how my mind became lighter and clearer.

I realized: I wasn’t just running — I was meditating.

While running, I could hear my heart whisper more clearly: what I wanted, what I needed, and what I still had left in this uncertain world. I counted slowly from 1 to 100, then started over again. I watched my heart rate stay in Zone 2 and just kept going. The negative energy slowly melted away.

After four months of feeling like a ghost — just applying for jobs, doing interviews, and stressing about my visa status — I finally had a night of deep, peaceful sleep. Running brought me back to myself.

Now, I’ve set a goal to run 10km non-stop. Not to prove anything to anyone, but simply as a promise to myself: to keep striving, to keep training, and to feel the rhythm of life through each step and each breath.

If you’re also going through a hard or negative time, I encourage you to try running. You might feel exhausted at first — I won’t lie — but just be patient. Because on that track, you might just find yourself again.