Imagine your life is an endless race. Not a short-distance sprint where speed and results are all that matter, but a long, scenic, and sometimes grueling marathon. This is the philosophy of MriyaRun (where "Mriya" is Ukrainian for "Dream") — a path where the goal isn't the finish line, but the experience of the run itself, the ability to keep a rhythm, to breathe deeply, and to find your footing when it feels like you have no strength left.
But on this course, anxiety sometimes catches up to each of us. It’s like a sudden, cold wind that chills you to the bone, a steep hill that leaves you breathless, a nagging pebble in your shoe. Advice like "just relax" or "don't worry" sounds as absurd in those moments as shouting at a runner, "just run faster!" Because nervousness isn't a weakness of will. It's a complex signal from our body and brain. It's part of the landscape of our marathon.
This story isn't just a route map. It's a guide to the art of the run. We'll start with simple, instinctive movements — small rituals that help maintain pace. Then, we'll learn to breathe so that every inhale gives strength and every exhale releases tension. We'll look at our "diet" — not just food, but the thoughts and habits that nourish or poison us. Most importantly, we'll understand that we are not alone on this path, and sometimes the best thing to do is to turn to our support team. Because MriyaRun isn't about running alone. It's about reaching your dream by enjoying every step.
Part 1. The Philosophy of Restless Hands: Small Rituals for a Long Journey
Every experienced runner has their little rituals: adjusting their watch, checking their laces, touching a charm. Similarly, in life, when excitement builds, our hands instinctively seek movement. This isn't a nervous habit, but a deep-seated need of the brain for self-regulation. It's an attempt to find our rhythm.
From Prayer Beads to Pop-Its: Millennia in Your Palm
This need for rhythmic movement is as old as time. Monks fumbled with prayer beads to focus their minds on prayer. Greeks fidgeted with komboloi to ward off anxious thoughts. Chinese health balls trained not just the hands, but the spirit. These are all ancient "fidgets," tools for concentration and calm.
Today, the market offers us countless modern versions: the Fidget Cube, which allows for discreet clicking during a meeting; tactile squishies that slowly return to their shape; Su-Jok massage rings that stimulate points on the fingers. Even the popular Pop-It is a modern echo of the universal pleasure of popping bubble wrap, an endless cycle of sound and touch.
How to Choose Your Tool?
The main rule of a marathon runner: the tool must help you keep your pace, not distract you from the road. Therefore, the best "toys" are those that engage tactile senses but do not require visual attention. A stress ball, a massage ring, the silent side of a Fidget Cube — they can be used without looking, releasing nervous energy while leaving your gaze free to watch the path ahead.
The philosophy of fidget spinners, however, proved flawed. They demand visual attention, turning from a background support into a separate task. It's like trying to run and juggle at the same time. Instead of helping, it only scatters your focus.
So, when choosing your little ritual, be honest with yourself. Does it help you focus on what's important, or has it just become a more interesting form of procrastination?
Part 2. First-Aid Kit on the Course: How to Regain Control When You're Out of Breath
Critical moments happen during a marathon. A panic attack is that "wall" a runner hits. It feels like the air has run out, your heart is about to leap out of your chest, and the ground is slipping from under your feet. At this moment, you don't need willpower, but a clear technique. Your personal first-aid kit.
Tool #1: Taming Your Breath
Breathing is your built-in tranquilizer. When we panic, we breathe quickly and shallowly, as if taking short, ragged steps. This only increases stress. To break this cycle, you must consciously change the rhythm.
- Box Breathing: A special forces technique for staying calm. Imagine a square.Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4.Hold your breath for a count of 4.Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 4.Hold your breath for a count of 4.Repeat until your heart calms and your stride evens out.
- Inhale slowly through your nose for a count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 4.
- Exhale slowly through your mouth for a count of 4.
- Hold your breath for a count of 4.Repeat until your heart calms and your stride evens out.
Tool #2: Grounding. Returning to the "Here and Now"
During a panic, the mind races to a catastrophic future. Grounding is a way to forcibly bring it back to the present moment, to your running path.
- The 5-4-3-2-1 Technique: Stop. Take a deep breath. And find:5 things you can see (a tree, a cloud, a crack in the pavement).4 things you can feel (the wind on your skin, the fabric of your clothes, the sole of your shoe).3 things you can hear (birds singing, the sound of cars, your own breathing).2 things you can smell (the scent of rain, coffee from a nearby café).1 thing you can taste (the taste of water, a mint gum).This brings the brain back to processing real information, taking energy away from the panic.
- 5 things you can see (a tree, a cloud, a crack in the pavement).
- 4 things you can feel (the wind on your skin, the fabric of your clothes, the sole of your shoe).
- 3 things you can hear (birds singing, the sound of cars, your own breathing).
- 2 things you can smell (the scent of rain, coffee from a nearby café).
- 1 thing you can taste (the taste of water, a mint gum).This brings the brain back to processing real information, taking energy away from the panic.
Part 3. The Marathoner's Strategy: How to Train Your Resilience
A true marathoner prepares for a race for months. Resilience to anxiety is also the result of daily training, not a one-time fix. It's an investment in your body and spirit that builds a strong foundation.
Movement as Medicine. Physical activity is the most powerful antidepressant. Running, walking, any movement "rewires" the brain, making it less reactive to stress. Even a 20-minute walk can help "clear your head" and lower stress hormone levels.
Nutrition for the Nerves. Our gut is our "second brain." Our mood depends on its health. Include in your diet:
- Omega-3s (fatty fish, nuts, flax seeds) — building blocks for brain cells.
- Magnesium (the "calm element"): green vegetables, bananas, avocados, almonds.
- Foods rich in tryptophan (turkey, cheese, legumes) — a precursor to the "happy hormone" serotonin.
- Fermented foods (natural yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut) — for a healthy microbiome.
Hobbies as a "Flow State." A favorite hobby is not just a distraction. It's a chance to enter a "flow state," where time disappears, and all worries recede. The brain is fully focused on the task at hand, "here and now." It's a powerful antidote to a mind wandering in the mazes of anxiety.
Sleep as Recovery. It's impossible to run a marathon without rest. Lack of sleep is a powerful stressor for the body, creating a vicious cycle: anxiety interferes with sleep, and lack of sleep increases anxiety. Create a bedtime ritual, put away gadgets an hour before bed, and stabilize your schedule.
Part 4. False Paths and Dead Ends: When the Cure Does More Harm
On a long journey, there's always a temptation to take a shortcut, to find an easy way. Alcohol, cigarettes, stress-eating — these are those false paths. They give the illusion of quick relief but ultimately lead to a dead end, leaving you even more exhausted.
- Alcohol: It offers temporary relaxation, but once its effects wear off, anxiety returns with a vengeance. This is "hangxiety" (hangover anxiety).
- Nicotine: The illusion of calm. In reality, the relief a smoker feels is just the temporary easing of nicotine withdrawal symptoms, which nicotine itself creates.
- Emotional Eating: An attempt to "numb" emotions with food. Unlike physical hunger, which builds gradually, emotional hunger strikes suddenly and demands specific "comfort" foods (sweet, fatty), leaving only guilt behind.
Recognizing these traps is the first step to getting back on your true path. It's not a sign of weakness, but the result of our brain being "hacked" by fast-acting but destructive substances. The solution lies not in self-flagellation, but in consciously replacing these false paths with the reliable techniques from the previous sections.
Part 5. Your Support Crew on the Marathon: When and How to Ask for Help
No marathon runner runs completely alone. There are coaches, medics, volunteers at hydration stations, and fans along the route. Admitting you need help isn't quitting the race. It's turning to your support crew.
When Do You Need a Coach (Psychotherapist)?
- When anxiety interferes with your daily "run": work, relationships, life.
- When panic attacks become so frequent that you start avoiding certain "routes."
- When you realize you're trapped on "false paths" (alcohol, overeating) and can't get out on your own.
- When it feels like you've hit a dead end and all self-help attempts are failing.
CBT: Training for the Mind. One of the most effective methods is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). It's not about talking endlessly about the past, but practical training. Together with a "coach," you learn to:
- Identify your automatic negative thoughts ("I'm having a heart attack!" instead of "My pulse just quickened on the hill").
- Analyze and change them to be more realistic.
- Gradually and safely confront your fears (exposure) to learn from experience that they are not dangerous.
It's like working with a running coach on your form: you learn to place your foot (thought) correctly to avoid injury and run more efficiently. Taking the first step and asking for help is the most important decision on the path to healing.
Conclusion: The Path That Is the Dream
The return to calm is not about finding a magic pill. It's the art of creating your own flexible running plan in the great marathon of life.
- Your "First-Aid Kit": Choose 1-2 techniques for acute moments and practice them.
- Your "Training Plan": Make small but regular changes to your lifestyle (a walk, healthy food, a hobby, sleep).
- Your "Team": Take an honest look at your habits. Don't be afraid to seek professional help if needed.
Anxiety is part of the human experience. We can't eliminate all the hills and headwinds on our path forever. But we can learn to overcome them without losing our balance. We can learn to listen to our body's signals without giving in to panic.
The path to calm is your MriyaRun. A marathon where the greatest victory is not at the finish line, but in every conscious step, in every deep breath, in every moment you reclaim control and joy in this incredible journey called life.