It’s a scientifically proven fact that running does wonders for your physical health, but that’s not where the benefits end: Running is just as powerful a tool when it comes to your mental health and wellness.
From enhancing your mood to supporting many specific conditions, research proves that running can transform your brain cells and positively influence your brain chemicals. By the simple act of putting one leg in front of the other, you can shift your thought process and improve your well-being.
To help you put a plan into action, Runner’s World+ created The Runner’s World Guide to Mental Health. Made exclusively for Runner’s World+ members, this video series not only delivers a scientific explanation of how precisely running supports your mental health, but also provides strategies, tips, and resources to assist you with implementing running into your wellness routine.
No matter where you are in your running journey, we’ll help you make running work for your mental health so you feel calmer and more relaxed. For anyone struggling with their mental health, we’re here to show you you’re not alone.
Deena Kastor is a legendary American long-distance runner, a three-time Olympian, bronze medalist in the 2004 Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece, and New York Times best-selling author of Let Your Mind Run. Deena has been championing running as a mental health tool for years, not only using it throughout her career, but also helping other runners get the most out of the miles they invest in.
Lennie Waite, PhD
Certified Mental Performance Consultant and Olympian
John Ratey, MD
Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science on Exercise and the Brain
Dwayne Brown, LCSW
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
What You’ll Learn
How Running Helps With Depression
How Running Helps With Anxiety
How Running Helps With Substance Use Disorder
Other Tools Runners Use to Support Their Mental Health
More than 50 million American adults experience mental illness.1 Half of those receive no treatment.
- 40 million adult Americans have experienced anxiety, making it the most common mental illness in the country.2
- 21 million American adults experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2021, making depression the leading cause of disability in ages 15-44.3
- 47 million Americans aged 12 and older dealt with a substance use disorder in 2022.4
Due to their commonality, we focus on these prevalent mental health disorders in the Runner’s World Guide to Mental Health, but that’s not to say that the benefits of running are limited to those. The sport can help runners manage other mental health disorders as well, including post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, ADHD, the risk of dementia, or, for example, OCD.
Running is one of the most valuable and transformative devices when it comes to your mental health, but there are many additional tools worth practicing and turning to when you need to improve your mental state. RW+ members who access the Runner’s World Guide to Mental Health also get other bonus material, including on-the-run-meditation guides and a standalone guide with a mix of essential resources (from books to apps to helplines).
→ Ruminating Thoughts Meditation (10 minutes)
→ Breathing Meditation (8 minutes)
→ Running Meditation (20 minutes)
→ Finding a therapist
→ Online therapy
→ Meditation apps
→ Books on mental wellness
→ Helpful workbooks
Plus, as a free preview of just how truly beneficial running can be for individuals, we’re sharing a full hour-plus discussion with Deena Kastor and real runners like you about their mental health journey through movement. Watch below!
Runners World+ is a tight-knit community as passionate about running as you are. Through RW+, we’ve expanded the ways we can reach you beyond simple stories in a magazine and on a website, offering more unique benefits to help you run faster, stronger, healthier, and happier. Along with The Runner’s World Guide to Mental Health, here’s just a glimpse at what we offer
- Unlock all stories, curated training plans for any running goal, cutting-edge tools, and gear reviews on runnersworldblog.com
- Prepare for your next half marathon with our member-only training guide and video series for mastering 13.1 miles
- Get every print issue delivered straight to your mailbox
- Receive a weekly members-only newsletter with insight from the Runner’s World staff and experts in the running community
- Access hundreds of streaming video workouts on demand
Cited studies and websites:
1 Mental Health America
2 Anxiety & Depression Association of America
3 National Institute of Mental Health
4 2022 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health
Mallory Creveling is an ACE-certified personal trainer and RRCA-certified run coach, who also holds certifications in kettlebell training, sports performance, and more. She has more than a decade of experience covering fitness, health, and nutrition for a wide range of publications, and nearly 10 years of experience as a trainer and fitness instructor. Mallory stays on top of her continuing education in fitness, as well as the latest science in wellness. She has worked with some of the best experts in their medical fields, and regularly interviews researchers, trainers, athletes, and more to find the best advice for readers looking to improve their performance and well-being. As a freelance writer, Mallory's work appeared in Women's Health, Self, Men's Journal, Reader's Digest, and more. She has also held staff editorial positions at Family Circle and Shape magazines, as well as DailyBurn.com. A former New Yorker/Brooklynite, she's now based in Easton, Pennsylvania.
Brian has spent more than a decade focused on creating compelling news, health, and fitness content—with a particular interest on enthusiast activities like running and cycling. He’s coordinated coverage of major events like the Paris Olympics, Boston Marathon, New York City Marathon, and Tour de France, with an eye toward both the professional race and the engaging stories readers love.
Pavlína Černá, an RRCA-certified run coach and cycling enthusiast, has been with Runner’s World, Bicycling, and Popular Mechanics since August 2021. When she doesn’t edit, she writes; when she doesn’t write, she reads or translates. In whatever time she has left, you can find her outside running, riding, or roller-skating to the beat of one of the many audiobooks on her TBL list.
