Running can help your mental health. It won’t solve all of your problems, but it can be an excellent support system. We will discuss a few benefits and ways it can help provide therapy for your mind.
No cost therapy for your mind
I’m definitely not a mental health specialist, but I can share my perspective. The day-to-day grind can wear you down, even for the most positive mindsets. Those that are resistant to the challenges of mental health and stay pretty optimistic about most things still naturally go through the ups and downs. They happen.
Running clears the mind by getting out, setting a small goal, and achieving it. The body is refreshed and ready to take on the next big thing of the day. How does running help provide therapy for your mind? Here are a couple of ways it achieves this:
- Reduce stress and anxiety: Studies have shown that physical activity had a significant effect on alleviating anxiety for college students. Running is a great physical activity that meets this criteria.
- Feeling of achieving a goal: Whether you are planning a one mile run or training for something longer, achieving the distance you planned can have a positive impact on your mental well being. We all drive for success and achieving what you set out to do can have a positive feeling of accomplishment.
- Improving your mood: Studies have also shown that the production of endorphins can act as natural ways to elevate your mood. This can happen while running and potentially continue after the run and recovery.
Understanding your motivation
All of the benefits are great as long as your motivation is not something detrimental to your mental health. You don’t want to be in a situation where you are running away from your problems, but instead can use running as a positive vehicle to clear your mind and achieve the mental health balance you are looking for. Here are a few things to help keep you on track:
- Self-Reflection: Use your run as a focused time period to reflect. Reflect on the past day or week and evaluate what went well, what did not go well, and how you can improve. Frequent reflecting can help you understand where things are within yourself and areas that may need more attention.
- Problem Solving: Sometimes the day-to-day doesn’t give us enough time to actually focus and think through a problem. Getting that dedicated time can help you understand what is causing the anxiety or stress and come up with a resolution. You could find what is making you upset or figure out what you need to do to make it better.
- Clear your mind: It could be as simple as getting out to think about something else for a while. A change of scenery and being outdoors can do wonders for your mental state of mind. You can come back refreshed and ready to tackle a problem.
If things get tough or you find your motivation is to run away from your problems, talk to an expert. You may be creating an exercise dependency rather than a well being. Be careful if you find yourself running too long, too frequently, or too far. The better you can measure, evaluate, and correct, even with your mental health, the better you may feel.
It’s More than Just a Run
Running has its physical health benefits, but also mental. It helps reduce anxiety, the feeling of accomplishment, and improve overall mood. Your time out running can help you focus on specific issues or do a general check of your mental health. Make sure you understand your motivation and get help from an expert if you find yourself running for the wrong reasons.