Well since the topic of depression is now coming out due to the death of Robin Williams I’d like to talk about how running has helped me. I talked about my illness of kidney vasculitis in my post “Everyone Has A Story – My Story”. I was feeling depressed when I was going through the onset of my illness and the time that I went with unanswered questions. At that time I began running. It was only on my treadmill at home, but it was something that I began to do and it helped me.
I needed to move my body and push it to limits that I never did before. I used to hate running. But once I started, I began to love it. I didn’t want to feel like the illness was going to take over my life and my moods. It was a very difficult time for me, but running did help.
After my second child Adrienne was born, I had a lot of hormonal issues where I was crying a lot. I felt overwhelmed having a 16-month old ACTIVE little boy and a newborn who was having trouble nursing. For my six week check up I just sat in the doctor’s office crying. The doctor looked at my husband who just didn’t know what to say. It happens, new moms sometimes cry a lot. But I really had a hard time. After that appointment I needed help. My mom came over after just having had shoulder surgery not long before and wasn’t really allowed to drive. She watched my daughter for me so I could go take a walk. At that point I wasn’t running because I was still postpartum. But I NEEDED to move my body and get those endorphins flowing. It helped to walk. Eventually that difficult time got easier for me and I got into running much more when the time allowed.
Running isn’t the answer for severe depression, doctors and perhaps medication are required, but getting active and moving your body while releasing endorphins is very helpful to me. I have been through very tough times in my life where I felt blue or in a funk and after a good run, it has helped me come back and feel a bit more hopeful. But like I said, it’s not the only answer to dealing with depression. If you feel you are anxious or depressed, talk to a doctor and let them know what you are feeling. I did and it was a very smart decision for me. Don’t be afraid. It doesn’t mean you are weak or incompetent or lessen your intelligence. It will actually make you more clear, focused and balanced. Your brain is a very complex cocktail of chemicals and if some of those chemicals get out of whack you need to help put them back where they belong so you can do the things you used to do.