How can running improve your mental health? and why does that matter to business?
Loren Murfield, Ph.D Disruptive Thinker, Author, Speaker, Filmmaker
Thinking Bigger and Reaching Higher to do the Impossible
We are currently in a mental health epidemic. About 1/4 (22.8%) of us suffer from mental illness. Suicide rates are alarmingly high, with 2022 recording the highest number of death by suicide ever in the U.S. ?Others struggle with anxiety and depression.?
Hidden in the statistics is a quiet threat that often goes unnoticed. 85% of us suffer from low self-esteem. Did you know that is a mental health issue? ?While it is not considered a mental health condition or illness, it dramatically impacts our mental health. In a closely related issue, 82% suffer from Imposter Syndrome.?
Consequences of Low Self-Esteem
Low self-esteem is linked to anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions.?
In the workplace, the lack of self-confidence restricts communication, which creates conflict and reduces performance, productivity, and profits.?
Low self-esteem is not just bad for individuals. It negatively affects businesses.?
Look further, and we see that it negatively impacts our communities, nation, and world.?
My Story
I struggled early in life, feeling lost as the fifth of eight children, relegated to the chore boy on our farm outside a tiny town in a flyover state.
I didn’t know what I could do or how good I could be.
I felt like everyone was better, more talented, and had more potential than me.?
The worst part was that I believed self-confidence was part of your DNA. You were either born with it or not. I figured I had missed out. ?
4 Methods to Build Self-Confidence?
In my 30s, I was pleased to learn that self-confidence is a skill everyone can learn.?
The Mayo Clinic recommends a variety of methods for self-confidence therapy, including:
In other words, boosting my self-esteem required that I think bigger than my doubts and reach higher to build my confidence. By adopting this strategy, I could do what I never imagined.?
Building My Confidence
Over the years, I have worked to build my confidence in the four elements above. I recognized where I felt inferior and went to work.?
I returned to college and earned my Bachelor's Degree.?
Then I immediately went for my Masters Degree.?
Feeling confident in my ability to learn, I earned my Ph.D.?
You would think that would provide all the confidence I needed, right??
It definitely helped, but I still suffered from self-doubt.?
I constantly monitored my thoughts and challenged my negative thinking. My growing confidence led to authoring my first book in 2007.?
Then I wrote my second and quickly my third. This month, I'm releasing my 42nd book. ?
I have found that challenging myself to do what I never imagined changes my thoughts and boosts my self-esteem. By thinking bigger, I could reach higher and do what I once thought was impossible.?
I was making progress, but one more thing made a huge difference. ?
Running Marathons
Like Forest Gump, I began running and kept going.?
I was never a fast runner and was not known as much of an athlete. But I was willing to challenge that thinking.?
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Thinking Bigger
Yet a seed was planted when I ran that first 5k in 2012. Three years later, after sporadic races, I ?found my rhythm and whispered, "I wonder how fast and how far I can run." That's a strange thought for someone in their mid-50s.?
Even though I am a back-of-the-pack runner and used to finishing well after most, something clicked. I was doing something I never imagined this late in life. ?I was building my self-esteem by doing what very few people my age would think of doing. It didn't matter that I wasn't fast. All that mattered was that I trained, started, and finished.?
Notice how this challenged my old habit of thinking. I was no longer comparing myself to others and losing. Instead, I was finding my unique value.?
I focused on bettering my time and finishing. It didn't matter what anyone else was doing. We all have different capabilities. I focused on seeing what I could do. Comparisons didn't matter. ?
Reaching Higher
My wife joined me as we extended our races to 10k the next year, 15k the following year, and half-marathons in 2017. With each step, my confidence grew. Interestingly enough, my age comparison results slipped. The better runners seemed to keep running as they aged, while the less talented runners quit. But that didn't matter because I was on my quest—not to beat anyone but to find what I could do.?
Then, on January 7, 2018, my wife and I ran our first marathon. I was 62 years old when I crossed the line at the Walt Disney World Marathon. ?
As my wife posted on Facebook that day, "Today we are not just runners, we are marathoners."?
Wow! Our finish time didn't matter. All that mattered was that we finished. Suddenly, we had done what less than 1% of the population does - run a marathon. Those marathoners over 60 account for less than 10% of marathoners. That means I am doing what less than 1% of the population has done. ?
Imagine what that did for my self-confidence. Speed doesn't matter as much as persistence in most accomplishments. Imagine how I could take that into the rest of my life.?
Doing the Impossible
Four years later, I saw another challenge in running the signature marathons. I first ran the 2022 New York City Virtual Marathon (you can run it anywhere and record it on the Strava app) to gain entry to the ?2023 race in the Big Apple. In between, I ran as a support runner 10 days later in the 2022 New York City Marathon, then in the 2023 Tokyo Marathon, and the 2023 Boston Marathon. There were challenges, frustrations, and successes, but then I felt so confident I entered the Chicago Marathon independently.?
Little did I know that would create a devastating, unrestricted war between my lifelong insecurity and my newfound confidence. It took every ounce of mental strength to persist, but it was worth it when I turned in a personal record time.?
Finally, I approached the 2023 NYC Marathon, determined to have fun. Taking time off the table, I enjoyed the 52,000 runners and 2 million spectators as I ran through the 5 boroughs. ?
In the process, I built my confidence wall, filled with photos, medals, and plaques that tell me everyday, "You can do far more than you once imagined." That gives me even more confidence to challenge myself to do even more.?
Goodbye, low self-esteem. Hello confidence. Welcome new opportunities.?
You can read about my 6 marathon ventures in my new book, now available for preorder, ?Just One More.?
I am Loren Murfield, Ph.D., helping you think bigger and reach higher to do what you once never imagined.?
Click here to preorder your copy of 'Just One More.
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Owner, Lou Heckler & Associates
5 个月Just a wonderful and provocative article, Loren, filled with self-disclosure and resonating with promise. Just a great read and I thank you.