Facing Mental Health Challenges Head-on With Running
Being Honest About Mental Health Challenges
We are becoming increasingly aware of the mental health challenges so many of us face in our lives. As people in positions of influence, be they celebrities, sports stars, or politicians, become willing to disclose their personal experiences, it can light the way for others. I have struggled with mental health difficulties throughout my life. I am open about it and am not afraid of discussing the issues and diagnoses I have. But sometimes, the challenges feel overwhelming, the light fades and I feel sucked into the depths of despair and it is very often a very lonely, terrible place to be.
I find listening to or reading about others experiences helps me feel not quite so alone. It is very healing to feel heard and understood. It helps me to know that other people, many of whom I admire and respect, have experienced similar challenges. So I want to ensure that I never shy away from admitting I see a psychologist weekly, I am under the care of a psychiatrist, and I take medication. I can no longer work because of my mental health diagnoses. The fact I can’t work often makes me feel even more worthless and miserable. But I will never stop extolling the value of facing mental health challenges head-on with running.
Falling Into a Dark Hole
Just a couple of months ago I was not in a good place. Nothing seemed to be working, not therapy, not my medication. I was still working towards returning to fitness after injury, so fortunately I was able to run. Thank goodness I was able to run because sometimes, it can feel like the only thing that does work when I feel so low.
I liken the feeling to having fallen down an incredibly deep hole, dark, dank, lonely, with no way of climbing back out. I am miserable. I feel like I am worthless, and hopeless and that life is completely pointless. It is a terrible, awful feeling and not one I would wish anyone in the world to experience.
Climbing Out of The Dark Hole
With help though, I did eventually manage to climb out of the hole. It was hard, but I did it with the love and care of my closest, and with the skills and patience of my incredibly talented therapist and support team. Through all of this, I was better able to face the challenges of mental health head-on, with running.
I remember messaging my coach and one of my closest running friends in the midst of what felt like a crisis. I couldn’t meet them for a planned run. I couldn’t face leaving the house. The idea of trying to drag my exhausted, drained, miserable body and mind out for a run was unbearable. Even though I knew it would have been the best thing to do.
I love running and have done for over 20 years. I feel better when I run, both physically and mentally. I worked shifts a lot during my career so most of my running was a solo endeavour. Only once I stopped working and began intense psychotherapy to address the challenges I faced with Complex PTSD, major depression, anxiety, did I summon the courage to begin training with others.
It is no exaggeration to say when my psychologist suggested (or more accurately, insisted) that I find a local running group, he literally changed my life. I found my tribe. I connected with people who had similar interests. They quickly became friends, confidants, my community I was in desperate need of.
Running Satisfies Our Essential Psychological Needs
The human body is designed to move. We were born to be physically active, so when we are our bodies naturally respond by providing us with hormones and neurotransmitters that tell us we feel good, so we are more likely to do it again. Same goes for social connection. We are hardwired for connection with others.
Combine physical movement and social connection and what we have is a two-punch combination that addresses two of our most fundamental psychological needs we have as human beings. Proponents of Self-Determination Theory posit our essential needs to achieve psychological well-being are autonomy, competence, and relatedness with others.
I personally agree with a statement written by George Washington Burnap in 1848, which states “The grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for”. In essence: purpose, love, and optimism.
Whatever The Theory on Human Needs – Running Helps Satisfy Them
In his brilliantly written book, The Practice of Groundedness, researcher, human performance coach and author, Brad Stulberg discusses the six principles of groundedness – acceptance, presence, patience, vulnerability, deep community, and physical movement. He describes how research provides evidence for the benefits of adopting these principles in the form habits and practices to cultivate a more fulfilling, peaceful, sustainably successful life.
Running helps me to adopt every one of those six principles, helping me to face my mental health challenges head-on.
Running Can Help You Live a More Grounded Life
I pull on my running shoes when it is the last thing I feel like doing. I know and accept that I must do the work if I want to show up and try achieve my goals. More than that, I also appreciate the process. For me, the most motivating factor of running is not the event, or the finish line, or the finisher’s medal. It is the process. The grind of the build, the daily workouts and runs.
I get through a tough workout by focusing on staying present in the repetition I am in. I finish a a marathon by staying in the kilometre I’m running in that moment, without being distracted and overwhelmed by how many more I still have to run.
I work on being more patient while I build, or rebuild my fitness, or rehabilitate an injury. Knowing that every run in the bank contributes.
Nothing much makes me feel more vulnerable than leaving everything out on the track, or the trail. Putting everything I have into a race, and knowing that sometimes, I will still fall short of my aspirations, is a lesson in both patience and humility. But I still lace up my shoes the next day and try again.
Running is so often perceived as an individual sport. In competition it certainly can be. But hands down, the single most beneficial aspect of running is the social connection I have with my team of running buddies. They keep me accountable. Knowing that I have company on a tough interval session makes a 5am alarm so much easier to deal with. Long, hilly, or hard runs are always, and I do mean always, easier with friends.
Some Final Thoughts
Facing mental health challenges head-on with running can be difficult. I meet people who tell me they wish they had my motivation. They say they would love to run but don’t have the time, or they physically can’t, or they run too slow, are too embarrassed, or they just don’t enjoy it.
I don’t believe anybody can not find 10, 20, or 30 minutes most days of the week to move their bodies. If you don’t enjoy running, then find something you do enjoy – swim, cycle, go to the gym, find a local tennis/basketball/football/yoga club. Start small, be patient, build your fitness slowly, and surely you will improve. Consistent, regular physical movement will always result in improved fitness.
For those who say they are embarrassed or ashamed about how slow they are? Let me tell you something. Nobody, I mean nobody, cares one bit about how slow you are. And if there is somebody who does – why are you caring about what that sort of person thinks? Every single runner I know is glad to see you out there, is happy that you joined the organised group run on the weekend, and is thrilled to see you trying hard on a Saturday morning Park Run.
So, if like me, you need to face mental health challenges head-on, give running a go. It works for me, and if in the worst case scenario it doesn’t work, it will definitely not cause any harm.