Mental Health And Running (the sport, not away from your problems)

By Stephanie Ward

How often have we been told that exercise is good for our health? Regularly. But did it ever occur to you that exercise is not just a way to a healthy body, but also to a healthy mind?

There have been startlingly few studies done on the subject in recent years, but those that have happened seem to broadly agree that running has a positive influence on mental health. We all know that moving our body in some way every day is good for us, so let us take a moment to consider why running in particular is good for the mind.

A sense of achievement

Not the achievement of finishing a marathon (although that’s a pretty impressive achievement!), but the achievement of putting on shoes and starting to move. Achieving one more step today than you did yesterday. Achieving a slightly longer run, or a slightly faster average pace, or a personal best. Actually finishing something that you started when sometimes that’s too hard. 

Building confidence

Look at you, you just ran an entire kilometre! Or 5km! Or, dream big, a marathon! Bet you didn’t think you could do that when you first put your running shoes on, did you? Wonder what else you can do…

Community

Feeling isolated and alone? There’s probably someone else nearby who is also out for a run. You might even see the same faces if you go out regularly. Is there a parkrun nearby? Or a running group? Or an online community? Running is a way of being part of something bigger than yourself and finding like-minded people. And no, you don’t have to be the next Olympic champion to find something in common with other runners, there are communities for runners of all abilities. Introverted? Socially anxious? Prefer online engagement? There are plenty of free apps and online groups where you can lurk or engage as much as you feel comfortable with.

Body acceptance

This is a big one. Accepting your body and feeling confident in your skin is a subject far bigger than this blog post, but running is one of many ways that you can start to accept the skin you’re in. The physical act of running requires your body to perform a thousand tiny actions all at the same time to achieve movement. That’s pretty amazing! By regularly moving your body it will reward you by feeling stronger, or more flexible, or healthier. The adage “healthy body, healthy mind” is also annoyingly accurate. 

Running not for you? Don’t worry! It’s just one of so many things that you could do to help support a healthy mind. If you can walk, walk. If you can stretch, stretch. If you can follow a low-impact, gentle exercise plan, do that. But if you can run, or think you can run, or used to run when you were a kid, then put on your shoes and run! It’s the closest you’ll ever get to flight until we figure out how to evolve wings!