Stress And Anxiety: How Running Can Improve Your Stress Levels
Stress and anxiety are all too common these days. Between work demands and feeling over-scheduled, financial problems, relationship challenges and family stress, health concerns, world issues, and political tension, it seems like there’s often something in our lives causing tension, worry, and emotional distress.
Of course, no one likes to feel anxious. Your heart races, you might have trouble breathing, it’s hard to focus on what you actually should be doing, you often feel hungry or nauseous, and you might even have trouble sleeping.
However, anxiety and stress are a state of mind, and there are various things you can do to reduce the feelings of stress and anxiety, one of which is running.
What are the mental health benefits of exercise?
Exercise is not just about aerobic capacity and muscle size.
Sure, exercise can improve your physical health and your physique, trim your waistline, improve your sex life, and even add years to your life.
But that’s not what motivates most people to stay active.
People who exercise regularly tend to do so because it gives them an enormous sense of well-being.
They feel more energetic throughout the day, sleep better at night, have sharper memories, and feel more relaxed and positive about themselves and their lives. And it’s also a powerful medicine for many common mental health challenges.
Regular exercise can have a profoundly positive impact on depression, anxiety, and ADHD. It also relieves stress, improves memory, helps you sleep better, and boosts your overall mood.
And you don’t have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. Research indicates that modest amounts of exercise can make a real difference.
No matter your age or fitness level, you can learn to use exercise as a powerful tool to deal with mental health problems, improve your energy and outlook, and get more out of life.
Does Running Decrease Stress And Anxiety?
If you’ve ever felt like a good run helped you work out your nerves and decrease your stress, leaving you in a happier, calmer, more confident state, you’re not alone.
Even a single run can immediately decrease state anxiety.
A large review reported that eleven studies involving testing mental health outcomes from a single bout of treadmill running found significant reductions in state-trait anxiety and POMS subscales of anxiety.
What does the POMS test stand for?
Profile of Mood States
Similarly, three studies investigating a single bout of track running and two studies with a single outdoor run also demonstrated a significant anxiety reduction.
In one of the outdoor studies, anxiety decreased, and mood increased after just a 10-minute jog.
In other words, even just running a mile or two—treadmill, track, trail, road—can reduce anxiety and leave you in a better mood.
Consistent running can also work wonders for your mental health and provide stress and anxiety relief. Generalized anxiety levels have also been shown to decrease throughout longer training programs—in the 10-20 week range.
A study found that a 12-week running training program for adults and children with clinical diagnoses of various mood disorders resulted in significant reductions in anxiety, stress, and depression.
How Running Affects Your Stress And Anxiety
Though anecdotal and experimental evidence seems to clearly indicate that running and other forms of exercise can reduce stress and anxiety, the mechanisms of action aren’t as clearly well understood.
We used to believe that the primary way in which exercise reduced anxiety is by releasing endorphins, which are feel-good chemicals.
However, it seems like the release of these compounds during exercise may not actually cross the blood-brain barrier.
So how does running reduce stress and anxiety?
There are various evidence and other theories as to how running reduces stress and anxiety, including the following:
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Running Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety By Reducing Cortisol
Cortisol is one of the primary stress hormones in the body.
It is produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Exercise can lower cortisol levels, which reduces the physical and emotional manifestations of stress.
Although moderate-intensity and low-intensity exercises, such as base-building aerobic runs, recovery runs, and easy runs, can lower cortisol, high-Intensity exercise, including racing, speed workouts, and hard runs, can increase circulating cortisol levels.
Therefore, it’s important to balance your training by alternating hard workouts with easier runs that are lower heart rate zones.
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Running Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety By Giving You a Break
One of the simplest ways in which running can reduce stress is simply by physically removing you from a stressful situation.
Running gives you a chance to unplug, go outside, connect with nature, and turn away from upsetting news, demanding managers, fighting children, and piles of bills.
We all need a break from the various responsibilities and demands for our attention, time, and physical and mental energy.
Your runs are for you. It’s your time. It’s your body. It’s all your decision.
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Running Can Increase Your Emotional Resilience to Stress
Running can help build your emotional resilience to acute bouts of stress.
You can think of emotional resilience as a metaphorical protective armour you can wear against impending stressors.
The more resilience you have, the less stress will affect you.
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Running Reduces Stress By Rewiring the Brain
Exercise appears to rewire the brain and help regulate anxiety by triggering mechanisms in the ventral hippocampus of the brain that inhibits anxiety.
In this way, running helps quiet the cascade of anxiety that originates in the brain.
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Running Can Decrease Anxiety By Increasing Self-Esteem
Many people feel anxiety due to self-doubt, fearing they aren’t worthy, capable, attractive, or so on.
Running can be a great way to dismantle feelings of “Imposter’s Syndrome” and reduce this type of anxiety because it can improve self-esteem, confidence, and self-efficacy.
When you feel fit and set and achieve goals, you feel better about your body, yourself, and your life.
Studies have found that marathon training increases self-esteem and psychological coping mechanisms for stress, anxiety, and depression.
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Running Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety by Improving Sleep
Running expends energy and can leave you feeling tired and calm, so it can help you sleep better at night.
One study with adolescents found that running 30 minutes in the morning for three weeks improved sleep quality and overall mood.
Poor sleep can increase stress and anxiety and leave you in an emotionally depleted state to handle stressors as they come.
Therefore, if running helps you sleep better, you can get the rest your body needs to maintain emotional resilience.
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Running Can Reduce Stress By Altering Metabolism In the Brain
Although complex to explain, running seems to alter the metabolism of fatty acids in the hippocampus of the brain, which seems to have an effect on reducing anxiety, according to an animal study.
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Running Can Reduce Stress and Anxiety By Building a Sense of Community
Running can be a social activity where you can meet new friends and bond with others. Social connection can reduce stress and improve feelings of overall well-being.
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Running Reduces Anxiety By Giving You Something to Rely On
Anxiety and stress are often exacerbated by “what ifs” and the unknown.
Running is something concrete and actionable that you can control. You decide when, where, how far, how fast, and with whom you run.
Running consistently, whether several days per week during your lunch break, every weekday morning before heading to work, or with your neighbour every evening when you get home at night, provides a stable routine or constant you can rely on in a life of unknowns.
Many runners find comfort in creating a running “habit” and enjoy the feeling of knowing at least one point of their day is going to be predictable and enjoyable.
Whether you enjoy running because of the many wonderful things it does for your physical health, or you appreciate how it can reduce stress and anxiety, putting in the miles is undoubtedly one of the best ways to live your best life.
Other mental health benefits of exercise
Even if you’re not suffering from a mental health problem, regular physical activity can still offer a welcome boost to your mood, outlook, and mental well-being.
Exercise can help provide:
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Sharper memory and thinking.
The same endorphins that make you feel better also help you concentrate and feel mentally sharp for the tasks at hand.
Exercise also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related decline.
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Higher self-esteem.
Regular activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes a habit, it can foster your sense of self-worth and make you feel strong and powerful.
You’ll feel better about your appearance and, by meeting even small exercise goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement.
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Better sleep.
Even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns.
If you prefer to exercise at night, relaxing exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep.
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More energy.
Increasing your heart rate several times a week will give you more get-up-and-go. Start off with just a few minutes of exercise per day, and increase your workout as you feel more energized.
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Stronger resilience.
When faced with mental or emotional challenges in life, exercise can help you build resilience and cope healthily, instead of resorting to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviours that ultimately only make your symptoms worse.
Regular exercise can also help boost your immune system and reduce the impact of stress.
Reaping the mental health benefits of exercise is easier than you think
You don’t need to devote hours out of your busy day to train at the gym, sweat buckets, or run mile after monotonous mile to reap all the physical and mental health benefits of exercise.
Just 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week is enough. And even that can be broken down into two 15-minute or even three 10-minute exercise sessions if that’s easier.
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Even a little bit of activity is better than nothing
If you don’t have time for 15 or 30 minutes of exercise, or if your body tells you to take a break after 5 or 10 minutes, for example, that’s okay, too. Start with 5- or 10-minute sessions and slowly increase your time.
The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, so eventually you’ll feel ready for a little more. The key is to commit to some moderate physical activity—however little—on most days.
As exercising becomes a habit, you can slowly add extra minutes or try different types of activities. If you keep at it, the benefits of exercise will begin to pay off.
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You don’t have to suffer to get results
Research shows that moderate levels of exercise are best for most people. Moderate means:
- That you breathe a little heavier than normal, but are not out of breath. For example, you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but not easily sing a song.
- That your body feels warmer as you move, but not overheated or very sweaty.
Overcoming obstacles to exercise
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Feeling exhausted.
When you’re tired, depressed, or stressed, it seems that working out will just make you feel worse.
But the truth is that physical activity is a powerful energizer. Studies show that regular exercise can dramatically reduce fatigue and increase your energy levels.
If you are really feeling tired, promise yourself a quick, 5-minute walk. Chances are, once you get moving you’ll have more energy and be able to walk for longer.
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Feeling overwhelmed.
When you’re stressed or depressed, the thought of adding another obligation to your busy daily schedule can seem overwhelming.
Working out just doesn’t seem practical. If you have children, finding childcare while you exercise can also be a big hurdle.
However, if you begin thinking of physical activity as a priority, you’ll soon find ways to fit small amounts of exercise into even the busiest schedule.
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Feeling hopeless.
Even if you’ve never exercised before, you can still find ways to comfortably get active. Start slow with easy, low-impact activities for a few minutes each day, such as walking or dancing.
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Feeling bad about yourself.
Are you your own worst critic? It’s time to try a new way of thinking about your body.
No matter your weight, age or fitness level, there are plenty of others in the same boat. Ask a friend to exercise with you.
Accomplishing even the smallest fitness goals will help you gain body confidence and improve how you think about yourself.
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Feeling pain.
If you have a disability, severe weight problem, arthritis, or any injury or illness that limits your mobility, talk to your doctor about ways to safely exercise.
You shouldn’t ignore pain, but rather do what you can when you can.
Divide your exercise into shorter, more frequent chunks of time if that helps, or try exercising in water to reduce joint or muscle discomfort.
