How Running Helped My Friend Overcome Depression
“Depression, real depression, causes you to lose interest in what you once loved. Real depression makes it difficult to function in your everyday life because nothing seems to matter anymore. Real depression makes you constantly doubt the validity of your friendships and hole up in your room for days because of it. Real depression makes self-hatred so prevalent in your every thought that not a day passes by that you wish you weren’t on this planet anymore¹”.
Sarah, one of my best friends, struggled with a terrible depression for many years. She tried quite a few different therapies and changed a handful of psychologists, but nothing seemed to work. She would describe depression as a “dark cloak that hangs over you, no matter what.”
One day, she stumbled upon an article on the benefits of running and how studies confirmed that it was particularly helpful for people who suffer from depression. She was hesitant at first. I would normally call her a couple of times weekly to check on her and see if she had started yet.
Eventually, she included running as a part of her daily routine. Trust me, it took her a while to start and many phone calls. But once I convinced her, I started seeing the light in her eyes again. She started with short, quick walks and increased distance and pace every day. I even started running with her. We would meet several times weekly and run for about 15 to 20 minutes. Day by day, she developed a sense of control over her thoughts and emotions. I saw her smiling again, and not one of those fake smiles she used to “wear”; she was genuinely serene again. She felt the weight of depression gradually fading away.
Sarah is convinced that running was one of the main, if not the primary, reasons she managed to get through that dark period of her life. Although she’s now a completely different person, she continues to run a couple of times per week. She understood its importance and the pivotal role it played in her well-being.
I am not here to promote running-over therapy. I mentioned in many of my articles on depression the importance of professional help. Sarah started being fully aware of her negative thoughts and their sources, thanks to the therapy, after all.
I would simply like to highlight the therapeutic benefits of physical activity, particularly running, in tackling the symptoms of depression.
The Neurobiological Basis of Depression:
Depression impacts some of the neurotransmitters that regulate mood and emotional processing, such as serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine. Abnormalities in brain structure itself would normally occur in individuals who suffer from depression. The most common regions would be the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system².
The Impact of Running on Brain Chemistry:
Frequent aerobic activities, especially running, have a positive effect on brain chemistry, stimulating the release of endorphins.
Endorphins could be seen as natural “painkillers”. The more endorphins are released, the happier we feel³. When running, our body produces a protein called BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which increases neuroplasticity and neural growth. It essentially enhances our cognitive function and increases our mood stability⁴.
Evidence from Scientific Studies:
Throughout the years, there have been many publications in favor of the positive effect of running in tackling depression and its symptoms.
Here are some of the most prominent studies:
1. “Exercise Treatment for Major Depression: Maintenance of Therapeutic Benefit at 10 Months” — (Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology). This study, which focused on the long-term effects of exercise as a treatment for depression, demonstrated a significant reduction in depressive symptoms over time attributable to physical activity.
2. “The Influence of Physical Activity on Mental Well-Being” — (American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine). This study conluded that Aerobic exercise including running improves the mood quality and reduces the sympotms of anxiety and depression.
3. “Running as a Treatment for Depression: A Comprehensive Review of Current Evidence and Future Directions” — Journal of Psychiatric Research. The conclusion of this study matches the previous ones considering different age group.
4. “Exercise for depression” — A meta-analysis published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. This study evaluated the benifcts of running as a treatment for depression.
Numerous other empirical studies have been conducted, emphasizing the strong evidence that exercise, particularly running, is a valid treatment for major depressive disorders.
All in all, I would like to conclude by saying that I witnessed with my very eyes the miraculous recovery of my friend Sarah thanks to her running, and her smile was indeed priceless.
Science overwhelmingly supports physical activity as a valid therapy for depression due to the neurobiological mechanisms that trigger in our brains.
I would simply suggest to everybody who suffers from anxiety and depression to consider including running as an adjunctive treatment.
Lace up your shoes and give it a try, you don't have anything to lose!
Citation:
[1]: Evelyn Knouse. BCheights (April 24, 2022). Stop Casually Using the Word Depression. https://www.bcheights.com/2022/04/24/stop-casually-using-the-word-depression/.
[2]: GREGOR HASLER. National Library of Medicine. PATHOPHYSIOLOGY OF DEPRESSION: DO WE HAVE ANY SOLID EVIDENCE OF INTEREST TO CLINICIANS? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2950973/
[3] Yumeng Xie, Zuotian Wu, Limin Sun, Lin Zhou, Gaohua Wang, * Ling Xiao, and Huiling Wang. National Library of Medicine (2021). The Effects and Mechanisms of Exercise on the Treatment of Depression. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8602192/
[4]: Front Physiol. National Library of Medicine (March 8, 2022). Exercise improves depression through positive modulation of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A review based on 100 manuscripts over 20 years. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10030936/
