Does running help you deal with personal problems?

As a general rule, I find that running is great to deal with personal problems --- feel better after the run...always.

Where things get a bit iffy is when life gets too busy and I'm stressed and then can't find time to run, then not running makes things worse. Not to mention the good old catholic guilt that does along with it.

Also sucks when being too busy makes it hard to do all things that make life great --- running, talking to people you care about etc.

running causes my personal problems

Ditto, encharito. My life would be downright tranquil if injuries, bad workouts, coaches, trainers, teammates, bad races, and traveling didn't interfere. The worst three months of my life was due almost wholely to running.

Nevertheless, I hold out hope that when I graduate from college and am able to train myself that running will then become an outlet for my problems.

Although, I do tend to dwell on problems when I run, replaying scenarios over and over again and drawing conclusions from the slightest nuance.

encharito wrote:

running causes my personal problems

from the like of this message board, I would have to say that is true for a number of people.

In a nutshell,

YES!

Running will cleanse yourself of stress and anxiety and hopefully allow you to view life from a distant perspective. Provided you posess or are receptive to a POSITIVE attitude.

Maintaining a focus on the big picture or what I like to refer to as the only thing that matters in life, LIFE itself can often humble oneself into less of a whoa-is-me frame of mind.

Without going into too much detail let me tell you about how running nurtured my soul, mind and body.

I've ran for years and enjoyed it on the local scene competitively. Running provided me with fitness, stress relief and a goal (usually my next race). It was something I was in control of know matter what life dealt out.

Then on the day of the big power black-out, August 14th, 2003 my world was hit by a meteor. This was the day our second son was born. He spent the first several months of his life in the hospital. Diagnosed with a extremely rare disorder, CCHS or Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome also known as Ondine's curse he requires life support ventilation through a tracheostomy whenever he sleeps. It is a life duration syndrome he will never out grow.

My wife and I would go to the hospital everyday. Upon returning home or later that evening when our older boy was sleeping I would hit the road for some badly needed stress relief and soul searching. "Why me? Why us? What are we going to do? What will all of our lives be like?" These questions and many others weighed heavily on me. Taking care of our new baby boy was not going to be an easy or routine matter, forget about the financial aspects.

I ran almost everyday. Sometimes I ran like hell and punished myself physically thinking I somehow deserved it. Other times I ran in a daze. Occassionally I ran contently in the countryside wishing my run would never end. These were the runs where once again I had regained control at least for the act of running and they helped point my attitude back in the positive direction. This was a valuable assest in dealing with life's new daily challenges.

Almost three years have past. Our son still has his trach and requires daily life support ventilation during sleep. He is quite the character and is doing amazingly well. Through that time I've run 4 marathons and dozens of shorter races. All but one were for fun.

Running has aided me in more ways than I could have ever imagined three years ago.

In short.

Don't sweat the litttle or even the medium to big stuff.

Try and focus daily on maintaining or developing a POSITIVE attitude.

Take control of your life even if it is only through running. Eventually it will cross over.

And finally be thankful every morning you wake up breathing and ALIVE!

Because everything after that is only second best.

Hope this helps.

motto:

Run with light feet,

a strong heart

and an iron will,

but most importantly...

never EVER give up!

I think this is the one area where the Penguins of the world have us "competitive" runners beat. In that because they are not as worried about losing fitness if they have to take time off, it's not that big of a deal.

It's during the recovery from injury or maybe life just deals you a situation where you have to miss (job, kid, wife, aging) that even competitive runners have to start looking at the other sides of running.

I was ready to be all sarcastic after reading the first three lines of your post, but LSR you nailed it. Both my parents died suddenly in 2005, and after the first, I foiund it very hard to get out to run. But when I finally did I found myself talking to her, writing her eulogy, going through all kinds of stuff in my head that was all blocked up beforehand. By the time I was done I felt 200 percent better. When Dad passed I made sure I kept getting out the door. Running is not a solution to anything, fixing your personal problems is a different deal. That is up to you. But running does seem to give you a little perspective or distance or something necessary to keep soldiering on and doing what you know is right.

ummmm, yes!

I started running after my wife left,after 27 years.

Initially it helped me deal with the split.

Now,I run because I love it.

Believe there are probably a lot of people who have started running to deal with an emotional belting.

Better than becoming a pisspot for sure.

Running can allow for a short separation from reality. It also can allow for reflective thought to help sort out the personal problems that one might run from.