Note to self: I'm a runner = I need to run

Running gives a euphoric high

Note to self.  I'm a runner and I need to run.

If only I had got properly into running 20 years ago but I'm very grateful I discovered it while I have many years ahead (God willing) to enjoy it.  Just as well really as it makes all the difference, just like faith itself.

If you have found this page because of a search on how to handle stress, or is stress bad for me, or stress symptoms, let me give you some encouragement.

Sometimes I can feel really stressed out at work and as a manager myself, I recognise stress as a health and safety risk.  Just as I am responsible for the well being of colleagues, I must take responsibility for myself.  I expect much of myself, I'm sort of a Type A personality but not completely, nevertheless we're demanding and very critical about ourselves, never satisfied.  Type A personalities are often their own worst enemies.

Running is part of the solution and it also serves the worthwhile purpose in keeping in good shape.  I can be weighed down with all kinds of worries, problems and feelings of inferiority and failure.  Then as I run, those problems seem solvable and solutions are found, often in imaginative ways - if only I could remember them! Troubles are kept in perspective.  After a while I sometimes feel as if I'm running on auto-pilot; unaware of those miles going by.  After the run and maybe for a day afterwards I often feel a kind of "high".  Yes, it's the Runner's High, with all of those endorphins flooding my thoughts.  Those make me feel good about myself and give me that extra boost of courage and confidence.

So, if you are suffering some stress and you are not a runner, is it worth giving it a try?  Why not?  You might like to get checked over by your Doctor if you're not used to this kind of intensive exercise.