[One Sip of a Book] The Joy of Running: Breaking Through Anxiety with Every Step

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the essence of an entire book, while others instantly resonate with readers and create a point of connection with the work. Here, we introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from books.

This is an essay by Bella Mackie, which has sold one million copies worldwide and sparked a running craze across the United Kingdom. As a journalist for The Guardian, she was steadily building her career when she was suddenly struck by an anxiety disorder and divorce, events that upended her daily life. To rebuild her life, she chose running. The book presents how this simple and primal movement helped her reclaim her life. Mackie emphasizes that even if running does not cure anxiety disorders or restore a marriage, the experience of running through life at one's own pace and in one's own way can lead to a new life.

Several weeks had passed since my marriage ended in disaster, but I was still reeling from the aftermath. At work, I would slip into the restroom to cry quietly. At home, I would immediately change into pajamas, turn on the TV, and stare blankly at whatever was on. On days I went out, I drank heavily and cried again (this time out loud, which my friends seemed to appreciate). But when I was running, I forgot all of it. I didn't have to see anyone's pitying expression, nor did I have to endure suffocating hugs. In fact, there was no one looking at me at all. Wearing fluorescent clothes, I became just another person jogging lazily through the city, blending in. - From "1K_Not Running Away, But Running"

Anxiety and worry are distinctly different. The reason I emphasize this is that, to reduce the stigma around mental illness and increase understanding, we must recognize how serious anxiety can be. Just as depression is not simply "feeling sad," and postpartum depression is not just "parenting stress," anxiety disorder is not the same as mere nervousness. And it is something you can see very frequently. - From "2K_We Are Just Taking a Detour"

"Just one more minute!" became my slogan. Anyone can run for just one more minute. Even if every second feels like hell, you can endure a minute. In my case, when I pushed myself to run for just one more minute, I would end up running at least five more. And contrary to my fears, I didn't have panic attacks even in unfamiliar places. I enjoyed calm and relaxation?emotions unfamiliar to my anxious mind. - From "6K_Running Through Panic"

When I first started running, I felt as if I had lost all say over my own life. My husband had left me, and the anxiety growing inside me seemed certain to consume me, yet I had no solution. I don't know if this is the right metaphor, but it felt like my life was suddenly running away from me like a horse. I was desperately chasing after it, trying to grab the reins before it got away completely. After I started running, it felt as if those reins were finally within reach. - From "7K_Screaming While Running"

There is no right way to run. An old man in my neighborhood runs to the supermarket every day, wearing shorts embarrassingly short and a sweatband on his forehead that looks straight out of a third-rate 1980s movie. Watching him run so surprisingly fast, I realized that's what works for him. Seeing a young woman circling the plaza near her house, I wondered why she didn't go farther, but then remembered how, for the first few weeks, I couldn't leave the alleys near my own home either. - From "8K_There Is No Right Way to Run"

Sometimes, when I catch a glimpse of myself reflected in a shop window, I look like a mess?hair wild, face red and sweaty, hardly more composed than a grade-schooler. When I run, mouth open and shuffling along because I'm thirsty, people in the store back away. But as I keep running, I realize that no one is actually watching me. Everyone is too busy looking at their phones. My job is to dodge them as I run. No one even bothers to look up if someone is barreling toward them. I am less interesting than a cat video. - From "10K_We Will Stagger On to the End"

The Joy of Running | Written by Bella Mackie | Translated by Kim Gomyung | Galleon | 388 pages | 18,000 KRW