Forums >General Running>Running and mental health
Decided on my lunch run TMI so I deleted my post
You don't have to pick just one.
Long dead ... But my stench lingers !
English Villain
I have one kid with schizophrenia, one kid with bipolar disorder, and one kid with anxiety (you'd be anxious, too, if you had two brothers that ill). I run to keep my own sanity.
Oh wow, I take my hat off to you.
I believe that running has done a better job helping me manage my issues with ptsd better than any pill had ever done. Running seems to keep me focused during the day and gives me something to do that doesn't leave my mind idle. It has also helped boost my confidence because now I know I can do things I never thought were possible before like running a marathon. I would even say that my wife and I are happier than before because I'm in a better place mentally.
I have been deeply involved in sport since the age of 5 (I'm 46 now). We are essentially animals and NEED physical exercise to be completely holistically healthy.
BUT, people don't understand how good it feels to be physically fit if they've never had that buzz; and the hardest thing is to go from a journey of zero exercise to the point you thrive on it.
The 30 minutes where I have just the right amount of coffee in me is close. I feel really good during those 30 minutes. I can feel good most the day with a good run ... once the run buzz dies down ... time for another run and another hit of feeling good. I like days I can run twice.
When I was a run junkie - I would run 3 sometimes 4 times a day ... but that is when running is not healthy ...
I have been deeply involved in sport since the age of 5 (I'm 46 now). We are essentially animals and NEED physical exercise to be completely holistically healthy. BUT, people don't understand how good it feels to be physically fit if they've never had that buzz; and the hardest thing is to go from a journey of zero exercise to the point you thrive on it.
The 30 minutes where I have just the right amount of coffee in me is close. I feel really good during those 30 minutes. I can feel good most the day with a good run ... once the run buzz dies down ... time for another run and another hit of feeling good. I like days I can run twice. When I was a run junkie - I would run 3 sometimes 4 times a day ... but that is when running is not healthy ...
Just out of curiosity, when you were running 3/4 times a day. How far did you go at any one time?
My log is open ...
Decided on my beautiful lunch run I dumped TMI and deleted it.
3Days4Cure
Chris PRs: 27:26 5k/ 49:52 5mi/ 58:17 10k/ 2:09:24 half/ 5:13:17 Full
Post-Bipolar PRs: 38:35 5k/ 1:09:34 8k/ 1:09:39 5mi/ 1:33:03 10k/ 3:20:40 Half
2022 Goals
Back to 10k
Usually 6 miles was as short as I would go. The long runs would be 20-40 miles.
Moderately severe bipolar here. Running is a risk/reward. It can be addicting and drive up my mania. The doctor medicates for that. We plan a run every day, so myself falling off the wagon is our "canary in the coal mine" that things are starting to veer in a bad direction. Still a balancing act.
Thanks for posting this, I applaud people who make mental health an open conversation rather than a push it under the carpet conversation.
Do any of you run to keep your mental health in check? How do you think your training positively (or negatively) impacts your frame of mind?
What keeps my mental health in check is engaging in creative action as often as possible, being mindful of the present moment, and remembering that my thoughts, memories and imagination have no reality--just little movies in my head. For me, running is creative action. Training has never been about exercise, but about creating an experience of competition and achievement. Running generally keeps my mood elevated, unless I'm running too much and not eating enough, then I get crabby. But crabbiness isn't a mental health problem, it's just an annoying one for my dear wife.
I really like this post
Thanks Kitty