How Running Changed My Mental Health (Without the Cheesy Clichés)
How Running Changed My Mental Health (Without the Cheesy Clichés)
Let’s cut through the lies which get told all over social media. Running didn’t “save me” or “fix all my problems.” I didn’t wake up every day with a spring in my step or a deep, spiritual connection to the sunrise. But honestly? It’s done something real for my mental health that I can’t ignore. And that change is worth talking about.
The Chaos Before the Calm
Before I laced up my trainers, my mind is like the Piccadilly Line at rush hour, packed, noisy, and just chaos. Stress, overthinking, and a brain that never switches off. I didn’t get into running with the hope of sorting all that out. I was doing 5k a day through the whole month of November for men’s mental health awareness and raising money for the cause, I didn’t enjoy it or have fun as 5k a day is a hard thing when you haven’t been running your whole life, I did it for the cause and that cause gave me the motivation, what I’m saying is find your motivation.
But a funny thing happened after my first few runs: the stress started to turn down. Not because I suddenly became a running fanatic, but because, for those 20-30 minutes, I had to focus on not dying from lack of fitness.
Why Running Works (Even If You’re terrible at It)
Here’s the thing: you don’t need to be smashing 4-minute kilometres for running to work its magic. Just getting out and plodding along does the trick. For me, it became less about how fast or how far and more about the fact I was doing something.
Running forced me to stop scrolling, stop sitting, and stop spiralling. It gave me a job: put one foot in front of the other. Weirdly, that simplicity is kind of freeing. I love trail running now as I go at a steady, manageable pace and can take in all the scenic beauty that Wales and England has to offer.
Headspace on the Pavement
Here’s where running really helped: I stopped overthinking. Not completely, obviously, I’m not a robot, but enough that I felt like I was finally getting some headspace. It’s hard to worry about the past when you’re wheezing your way up a hill that feels like Everest.
And those little bursts of calm started spilling over into other parts of my life. I’d feel less irritable. I’d sleep better due the exhaustion. It’s not that running “fixed” me, it’s more that it gave my brain a breather.
It’s Not All Rainbows
Some days running feels like the last thing I want to do. Rain’s battering the windows and it's warm inside. But the thing is, even the bad runs leave me feeling better than if I’d stayed inside. You don’t have to love it every time. You just have to show up. And when its really grim, some music and a running jacket does the trick.
My non-Expert but Personal Advice
If you’re thinking about running but the idea of starting feels overwhelming, here’s my take:
- Keep it short. You don’t need to run a marathon. A 10-minute shuffle counts.
- Embrace the mess. You’ll look sweaty and feel unfit at first. Who cares?
- Celebrate the wins. First 1K? Celebrate. Ran without stopping? Celebrate. Didn’t trip over your own feet, great, I started doing 3ks then built up over months to 5k, 10ks, half marathons and eventually marathons, it wasn’t easy like people say it is but i'll say once again, find your motivation.
Running hasn’t turned me into some Zen-like guru, but it’s given me a tool. A tool to clear my head and feel a bit more in control. That’s enough for me.
Now, get out there. Or don’t. But if you do, I promise you won’t regret it (much).
Written by Callum Davidson-Guild
