Just about any runner will tell you that running makes them feel good. I know that I feel better, in my body and in my mind, when I run regularly. In case non-runners need convincing, or if runners need affirmation, Scott Douglas has the answer. In Running is My Therapy: Relieve Stress and Anxiety, Fight Depression, Ditch Bad Habits, and Live Happier, Douglas not only gives anecdotal evidence of the benefits of running, but reviews the hard science behind it as well.


With a spirit of openness, honesty, and a desire to help others, Douglas talks about his own struggles with depression, and the role that running has had in helping him cope. Based on his own experiences, as well as a wide range of interviews and medical research, Douglas discusses the impact of running on mental health. Several points stand out.

Doctors in some countries actually prescribe running before turning to pharmaceutical solutions for depression.
The health of the brain is improved by running.
Running actually promotes the growth of new brain cells.
Running promotes better memory and creativity.
Some benefits of running can be found in other forms of exercise, but running is the best.

The curious reader, or the medically or scientifically inclined reader, will find plenty to pursue in Douglas's source material. Perhaps some will be inspired to replicate or expand on the cited studies. Runners who read Running is My Therapy will find plenty of motivation here to lace up their shoes and go for a run. Their mental health depends on it.


Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary electronic review copy!

In his new book, Running is My Therapy, author and Runner's World editor Scott Douglas validates how running helps us manage depression and anxiety. He reviews the physiology of how running helps people who struggle with mental health issues. Most of what he shares is about the mind-body connection. He also talks about how running "makes us smarter", citing plenty of evidence to back that up.
Douglas also cites the growing body of evidence that exercise can be a viable treatment or at least an adjunct to treatment for depression and anxiety. Along with the evidence he presents, he shares his own story. As a teenager, he found sex, drugs, and rock and roll as a way to cope with his depression. During that time, he also started running and found it to provide the same kind of symptom relief as the less healthy pursuits. He also discovered other running-related benefits, like self-confidence and self-efficacy--something he cites often throughout the book. Douglas became a pretty impressive runner, racking up some nice PRs throughout his life. He provides examples of world-class runners who also fight depression and anxiety.
There's plenty of science here for the nerd in all of us. But Douglas breaks it down so that the information is easy to digest. I found this book to be very interesting and not at all complicated or boring. In fact, I felt as if I was reading an extended article from Runner's World. For me, a runner whose mental toughness has been a work in progress for what seems like forever, there wasn't a lot of new information here. But it was really nice to have it all in one place. Douglas really did his homework on this topic and it shows. I feel completely validated in my pursuit of happiness.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in return for my honest review.
I picked this book up as the description mentioned, amongst other things, alleviating stress through running. I am not a runner although I have attempted running for fitness sporadically. I had hoped this book would provide ways in which a non runner could start an exercise program based on running. I was also hoping that these starting tips would include how to get from being a walker / runner to actually learning breathing and whatever else is required to push past those first few days / weeks or months until I felt like I was able to run a couple kilometres without stopping.

I do realise that the author is a long term, long distance runner but unfortunately for me, it felt that the book addressed the benefits but not the how to get from my stage to running 150 miles per week ( something infathomable to me right now,).

The book went into great detail of how running is vital for those suffering from depression or anxiety. I appreciate that this was the main message in this book however unfortunately for me it did not hold my interest.

I enjoyed this mix of a careful examination of scientific sources and personal stories from the front line of depression and addiction.
More detail in my review on my blog, linked below.

A book focused on, as the author succintly puts it, "integration of body and mind via running in managing depression and anxiety".

The first part of the book shares the author's personal experiences with their professional writing career, and how running has helped them with anxiety. It also delves into the mental health benefits of running (a minimum of twice a week is suggested), along with ample evidence and scientific data backing up their claims.

The second part of the book, and the meat of the reading, focuses on the "intersection of running and several forms of therapy". Each chapter clearly delineates what it covers: Running and Antidepressants, How Running Affects Your Mood, Running and Behavioral Therapy, and so forth.

This review sounds and probably feels a bit clinical - and it is. Why? I feel it matches the tone of the book - odd, considering the author shares much of their personal (and sometimes painful) experiences, in a friendly and engaging manner. Yet you can't take the journalist out of the book, and so, I found this book to read more like a highly researched magazine article. Very informative, chock full of scientific journal summaries and experts in both running and mental health. And yet... it's missing something for me.

Perhaps it's that I'm not technically a runner. The author states early on, "to be a runner, you just have to run". WIth that criteria, I am a runner. Have I struggled with depression in the past? You betcha. Do I now? No. So this may be where it falls flat for me. It's clinical, it's informative, and it's well-written. I, however, want a bit more color and 'oomph' in my books.

I would definitely recommend this book for library purchase; there are likely no other books on this specific topic, and it would be a great reference material or starting off point for students of mental health and/or running as therapy.

An exhortation on the benefits of running on mood dysfunctions like depression and disorder. I imagine it to be a useful resource to people seeking out a programme to start on.