When Running Meets Reality: How Political Stress Shows Up in Your Body

An often-overlooked factor that can contribute to poor running performance and injury is stress. Work stress, relationship stress, life stress—and even stress caused by the inundation of harmful executive actions from government administrations—can all take a toll on our bodies. And it’s important to remember that our bodies don’t differentiate between physical stress, social stress and psychological stress. It’s all stress.

Running often feels like an escape from reality, allowing us to step away from screens, move our bodies, and get a shot of endorphins that boost our mood. It’s true—there are many mental health benefits to running.

However, when we’re worried about ourselves, our communities, families, and friends who may be under threat of deportation, denied access to life-saving gender-affirming care, or deprived of critical federal funding, that stress can manifest in physical ways, leading to injury. Higher levels of stress, and the disruption to sleep and nutrition—both of which are essential for recovery and performance—that often accompany stress can have significant impacts on our training and our well-being.

What Can We Do?

Paying attention to how our bodies feel during and after runs, our mood, and performance indicators like pace and heart rate can help us recognize if stress is showing up in our training. If it is, adjusting training schedules by reducing load and intensity makes sense while focusing on improving stress management.

Two things that have been helping me navigate and manage my anxiety have been practicing yoga and skiing.

Mindfulness practices like yoga or meditation can be effective tools for manging stress. I’ve re-focused on a daily yoga practice over the past two weeks. Instead of turning to my phone first thing in the morning, I practice yoga and sip coffee. Mindfulness exercises like yoga or meditation can help relieve stress and bring a sense of calm.

Cross-training is another valuable strategy. Incorporating activities like skiing, cycling, swimming, or strength training can provide physical benefits while reducing the repetitive impact of running on your body. Activities that get you outside and moving while offering reduced load and impact to running, can provide similar benefits (like those endorphins we love!) while giving your body the break it needs.

Another helpful practice is journaling. Writing down your thoughts, worries, or even moments of gratitude can provide perspective and help untangle mental knots, reducing stress and fostering a sense of control.

Beyond Self-Care: Community Action

Stress management can’t be entirely about self-care when our communities are under attack. Finding ways to get involved and nurture stronger communities can help channel worry and angst into meaningful action. Consider:

• Volunteering with organizations that support vulnerable communities.
• Printing and sharing “know your rights” cards.
• Joining groups committed to advocating against harmful policies.
• Growing and strengthening your networks to build solidarity.

Final Thoughts

Running doesn’t exist in isolation from the rest of our lives, nor can we separate runners from the political and social landscapes their bodies inhabit. And while running can be an effective respite from doomscrolling and anxiety, stress does impact training and contributes to injury and poor performance. Finding a balance through self-care and community action is imperative for maintaining both mental and physical well-being and building a sustainable and holistic running practice.