How to unburden the mind

Following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Question: Acharya Ji, I just keep feeling burdened most of the times. And to escape this burden, I keep racing all day long. But I find myself feeling heavy again.

Please help me unburden myself.

Acharya Prashant: You are burdened, that itself is the proof of the burden. The burden surely does exist, otherwise why would there be a burdened one. So, you are burdened, and you are moving. That movement, you are describing as a race. Great!

If you are burdened and troubled, then surely you must move.

But if you are burdened and troubled, your movement has to be with the intention of, and in the direction of un-burdening.

If I am burdened, and as a result of the burden I run, then the purpose of the run should be to un-burden myself.

So, it’s great that you are running everyday. Now, what remains to be asked is the question, that whether your race is helping you to be unburdened.

You wake up in the morning and the entire day you have been running, has this running helped you by the evening? If it has helped you, congratulations! Again tomorrow, run more, run faster. Running is exactly what you need. But, if it has not unburdened you, then all your…