#103 - Running, Mental Health, & You w/ Jared Lombardi
In these times that we live in today, it can be very challenging to keep a positive mindset on life. Between a deadly pandemic, uncertainty in government, economic uncertainty, and the breakdowns in the family arrangement. As a runner, if you sprain your ankle, you go see a specialist to help heal your ankle. When it comes to our mental health, we may need to go see that specialist as well. In this week’s blog/podcast we will discuss the relationship between running & mental health. To help me with this we will speak with Jared Lombardi of The Positive Pursuit.
Sisters Chris Ballard & Lisa Keating Both Use Running As A Way To Clear Their Minds.
How Does Running Affect Mental Health?
Running can control stress and boost the body's ability to deal with existing mental tension. Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that helps moderate the brain's response to stress.
“It blunts the brain's response to physical and emotional stress.” What's more, the hippocampus — the part of the brain associated with memory and learning — has been found to increase in volume in the brains of regular exercisers. Other mental benefits include Improved working memory and focus.
How Long Does Running Take To Improve Mental Health?
In the medium term – 12 to 16 weeks – you can get increases in the volume of the hippocampus through running. In the short term, after just ten minutes, you can get a real spike in electrical activity in this emotion-processing area of the brain. This short ten-minute burst is perfect in the morning before work. In the middle of the day to deal with stress at work, pick up your mood with a ten-minute run. We can benefit from a 10-minute run before dealing with the family after work. Recognize the areas in your life in which you could use a boost and give to yourself a stress-free run.
The Interview:
Coach Tadris: Jared, it is “Mental Health” Awareness Month. Let’s start by asking you, what is mental health?
Jared: Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. Throughout your life, experiencing mental health problems could impact your thinking, mood, and behavior. Many factors contribute to mental health problems, including:
• Biological factors, such as genes or brain chemistry
• Life experiences, such as trauma or abuse
• Family history of mental health problems
Sometimes, however, our minds get sick and they simply cannot help us move forward. Nearly half of all adults, at some point in our lives, will endure times of acute mental, physical, and emotional suffering, and find ourselves unable to work, play, eat, sleep, or open deeply to others—times when we are arrested by anxiety or depression, anger or fear, compulsions, or addictions, and unable to digest our experiences.
Coach: What do you do for a living?
Jared: I am currently a full-time student at Stockton university studying in Social Work with a minor in Mental Health. I plan on pursuing my master's after acquiring my bachelor’s in social work with the intent to become a licensed clinical therapist. When it comes to working, I hold a full-time job in community involvement. I volunteer my time to foundations and nonprofits that are helping to make positive change in the community but in doing so I can make a positive change for myself as well. During the pandemic, I started a positive movement called “The Positive Pursuit”. This movement was based on a single sunflower and the positive effect it can have on a person’s mental health when handed out as a kind gesture. Summer of 2020 I was able to hand out over a thousand 1000 sunflowers to the community which equates to thousands of smiles created with no strings attached. Currently, I am preparing for this sunflower season and plan to top my number of sunflowers handed out from last season.
Coach: I know that you are a huge advocate of mental health, how did you get started in this space?
Jared: I got started reading an article that popped up on my news feed when I was at work one morning. The article explained that after a cluster of local teen suicides, a stay-at-home dad launched the “You Matter” campaign to strengthen mental health. He set up lawn signs that had motivational messages printed on them to promote a positive message in his community. After researching further, I found that these lawn signs were sold on a website created for a similar campaign but that this website was able to reach a much larger audience. After looking through the shop I came across motivational messages written on a wristband “Don’t Give Up” “You Matter”. This sparked the lightbulb in my head and gave me the motivation to create my first fundraiser. The idea behind the wristbands was to work as a tool in aiding someone’s mental health. It allowed a daily reminder to keep going for the individual wearing it as well as the people that caught a glimpse of the message passing by. The next step was to find a local foundation that dealt with Mental Health Awareness and Suicide prevention for all the proceeds from wristbands sale to help raise awareness in the community. After the past few years, I have found success when it comes to raising awareness through the wristbands and the funds raised have helped a few local charities and foundations to reach a larger audience.
Coach: Wow! What was that pivotal moment in your life that caused you not only to make a change for yourself but to give of yourself to others for the cause?
Jared: I started on this journey after I had hit rock bottom with my mental health and the only direction to look was up. I suffer from OCD and Borderline Personality Disorder which has made going through life an everyday battle. I have seen the depth in which you can get into your thoughts and how dark they can be. The feelings of unhappiness or worthlessness allowed me to understand individuals and not judge them. I feel that when we overcome the dark times in our lives it opens our heart and mind to give help to others to not feel the ways we have felt before. The darkness I have experienced in life has been the greatest coach I’ve could have asked for. It built the strength in me to help guide others to find the happiness they deserve in life.
Coach: What role would you say exercise plays in a person’s mental health?
Jared:
· Exercise promotes the release of feel-good chemicals in your brain, like endorphins and serotonin. It helps you sleep better so you rest at night and feel more energized during the day.
· It helps individuals deal with both depression and anxiety. Exercise is a scientifically proven mood booster, decreasing symptoms of both depression and anxiety. Physical activity kicks up endorphin levels, the body’s famous “feel good” chemical produced by the brain and spinal cord that produces feelings of happiness and euphoria.
· Exercise gives people increased self-esteem and self-confidence. From improving endurance to losing weight and increasing muscle tone, there is no shortage of physical achievements that come about from regular exercise. This will give you a sense of accomplishment as your fitness improves and you start achieving your goals.
· One of the most common mental benefits of exercise is stress relief. Working up a sweat can help manage physical and mental stress. Exercise also increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical that can moderate the brain's response to stress.
· Exercise is a brain boost. From building intelligence to strengthening memory, exercise boosts brain power in several ways. Studies on mice and humans indicate that cardiovascular exercise creates new brain cells—a process called neurogenesis—and improves overall brain performance.
Coach: Thanks for that Jared, is there anything else we can learn about mental health?
Jared: The most important thing is for everyone to remember to stop being so hard on themselves. But also, to get up and move, surround yourself with people you love and people that love you, find a way to laugh, and eat something healthy. There are so many ways for individuals to get help, including speaking to their doctor, talking to a trustworthy friend or family member, connecting to a local support group, and seeking therapy or medication, as necessary, for mental illness under the direction of a healthcare provider.
You are doing your best and even though things have not been easy on you, you are still strong enough to make it through. Hold onto yourself with kindness and love during this long season of strangeness and hurt and let go of everything that weighs heavy on your heart, that does not allow you to be who you are meant to be.
Follow Jared and Ask About The Bracelets on Instagram @ the_positive_pursuit
9 Steps To Dealing With Mental Disorders
Follow the treatment prescribed by qualified mental health professionals. *
2. Maintain a balanced and stable daily routine.
3. Stay physically active.
4. Get enough sleep.
5. Take time each day to relax.
6. Eat a nutritious and balanced diet.
7. Limit alcohol consumption and drugs that are not prescribed for you.
8. Avoid isolation; spend time with people whom you trust and who care for you.
9. Give attention to your spiritual needs. *
