Thank You Run
Gratitude is good for you, according to science. Plus, this week's song... Hint: It's Fergalicious!
Practicing gratitude is Good For You, according to science. It reduces stress, helps you sleep, and makes you nicer and less depressed. The problem: it’s hard to remember to do, and it’s also…. I dunno, a little cheesy?
Sorry for being a brat. But mostly my beef with gratitude is the way it’s written about. It’s shoved down our throats as the most psychologically correct emotion. I don’t disagree with the science. I’m sure (because I’ve experienced it, more on that later) that gratitude really can help you feel less stressed and depressed. It’s just that gratitude’s oversized reputation can sometimes make other emotions—especially negative ones—feel even worse.
Feeling bad is not just normal, it’s expected in a world where inequality and capitalism that’s constantly telling us we’re never enough reigns over every aspect of our lives. When it’s offered that gratitude is the antidote—but it’s on you to find a way to practice it—it ends up just another thing to fail at. On top of feeling lonely or inadequate or just sad for all the suffering in the world, now you also feel like a terrible person for not feeling grateful for what good there is to be had.
Also, doesn’t the mere idea of a gratitude journal make you squirm? Just me? Okay.
Now that I’ve revealed all the reasons I’m in therapy, I have to admit that despite the valid reasons to resist, the scientists are (unfortunately) right. Gratitude is good. Or at least, it can be. The only way I’ve been able to experience what all the fuss is about, though, is by adding my gratitude practice on to something else equally pointless and joyful that I already do.
Yes, I’m talking about running. Enter what I call the Thank You Run. Basically how it works is, you go for a run and say thank you to everything you pass and everything you feel, good or bad. You might thank yourself for lacing up, your legs for carrying you, or your discomfort for challenging you. You thank the sun, the trees, the air, the kid on the bicycle who almost ran you over, or the violent smell of New York city trash in the summer. The rule is you have to thank everything, appreciating it for what it is without judgment.
I like to do a Thank You Run every once in a while, often when I really don’t feel like going. It’s helpful in those moments to remind myself that I am indeed very grateful to be able to run. But more than that, it’s a reliable way to calm down when I feel like everything in my world is spinning out of control.
I’m not sure why this works so well, but my sense is that combining it with physicality allows you to break down any defenses you have against the cheese factor. Our emotional brain is more active when we’re physically tired. It’s science.
It also works better (IMO) to thank everything for simply being there to witness. Typically, the gratitude practice advice is to think of something you’re glad you have or got to experience, to let that memory “fill your heart” to “marinate in it” so it really sinks in. And maybe that works for some people. But to me that just feels self-centered. Like, the arctic is melting and no one with the power to do anything about it seems to care, but at least I’ve got friends and family who love me. How is that supposed to help? That’s just changing the subject. But when you look around and thank everything you’re experiencing, no excuses, you aren’t making any judgments. You’re simply looking at what’s right in front of you. And for some reason, thankfully, there’s some alchemy in that.
Song Suggestion Box
This week’s song…
“Glamorous” by Fergie
If you saw me at the McCarren Park Track, gritting my teeth, chanting “After the show or after the Grammys, I like to go cool out with the family, Sippin', reminiscing on days when I had a Mustang”— no you didn’t.
But for real thank you Goddess for Stacey Ann Ferguson. The Dutchess herself. She gave us not only “Glamorous” (ft. Ludacris and the phrase “if you aint go no money take your broke ass home”), but also “Fergalicious” AND that time she sang the national anthem at that basketball game and the players couldn’t stop laughing.
I rest my case.
Other things to think about while running this week…
ICYMI, this year’s Global Running Day was Wednesday. A few good deals still left!
Elite running culture is toxic, especially for women. Young runners are speaking out.
I’m sure you saw that 17-year-old girl push that bear. But did you see it with Mystikal’s “help the bear” track on top???