Running For Mental Health
- Ian Visser
- Dec 1, 2019
- 3 min read
I’m sure everyone has seen a before and after picture on social media of someone when was overweight and had their lives transformed through running. Posting a picture of how running has done something similar to your mental wellbeing is not quite as easy, the pictures would like almost identical, but the impact on that person's life is just as amazing.
I am one of those people. I was not overweight, I was already fit and if you looked at me you would say there was nothing wrong but as always looks can be deceiving, especially when it comes to mental health as people who struggle with mental health are incredibly good at hiding it.
I didn’t start running to help with my mental health, initially it didn’t even cross my mind that it could benefit me mentally. No one spoke or wrote about running in that way then and I wish they had as I may have started earlier. That’s why pieces like this I feel are so important as it may spark even just one person to get out there and discover the benefits for themselves.
Initially I ran just for the fun of it, to discover something new and essentially to leave work early :) However I quickly felt the positive impact it had on my mental state. I feel like I’m in my own world when I run, it’s like my mind blocks out reality and I go into my own head space. It doesn’t make me forget what’s going on but it allows me to deconstruct my thoughts and think about them one at a time instead of everything blurring into one big uncontrollable dark cloud. I’m able to process what’s going on in my life and focus on something I may be struggling with or that’s getting me down. It’s like I have a rational conversion with myself in my head, and by ‘talking’ through it I am able to deal with it a lot better.
I never run with headphones in either as I feel that even though the music may distract me from the run it also distracts me from the whole purpose of me running in the first place. I want to ‘feel’ my run, I want absorb my surroundings and I don't want to clutter my head any more than it already is. When I run it’s just me, my time, my momentary break from the chaotic world around me. The natural boost that running gives you in general couple with mental break has such an uplifting effect and makes me feel rejuvenated.
Unfortunately I have not yet mastered the art of maintaining this state of mind for very long. The distractions and negative impacts of modern life are inevitable and build up incredibly quickly. Technology is amazing and has changed the way we live but it certainly comes at a cost, not just a physical one but a mental one too. To say avoid technology, ‘don’t listen to the negativity on social media etc.‘ and ‘don’t be influenced by what you see on the news‘ is completely unrealistic, our lives revolve around it and exposure is unavoidable.
The only way I am able to sustain any kind of mental balance is to run often and when I don’t I am an entirely different person, very negative and irritable. Since getting out for the first time around 10 years ago now, I have run a couple of times a week, every week since and will continue doing so until my legs won’t let me anymore. Even when I’m away on holiday I still get out, discovery something new and just to give myself that much needed time in my own head away from the world.
Without running I would be in a very different place mentally, for me its’s a coping mechanism to everyday life. If you have read this far I am certain you too would benefit from going for a run and I encourage you to try it, it will change your life.
There are some great episodes on a podcast called Running to Mental Health which discuss the positive effects of running on mental health issues.
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