Stressed? Run!

Yes, running can diffuse negative emotions--and more.

Dr. George Sheehan, a medical practitioner who has written for Runner's World and Physician and Sports Medicine magazines, considers the running life as mental as well as physical.

Speaking from experience, Dr. Sheehan further claims that running has the effect of defusing anger, fear and anxiety. Like music, it soothes the savagery in us that lies so close to the surface. It is the ultimate tranquilizer.

But why is this so? What is it about running that blocks these negative, destructive feelings?

Here are Dr. Sheehan's own words: "The best explanation, it seems to me, lies in the James-Lange theory of emotions. It is one of psychology's most unlikely hypotheses and one that has been given little credence. Yet, like most ideas espoused by James, the passage of time seems to be giving it the support it has always deserved."

"According to James, I do not first get angry and then exhibit that anger in my body. The actual process is the reverse: My body gets angry, and then I get angry. My body perceives the object or idea that angers me, reacts with the usual physiological phenomena--rapid pulse, flushing of the face, and so on--and only then do I feel the emotion of anger.

"If the usual signs and symptoms of rage are blocked, I will not feel rage in my mind. Such blocking can occur two ways. The first is by flooding the various systems of the body with activity, so that there is no reserve to utilize for creating the reaction identified with emotion. The second is to substitute some positive emotion in its place. Act happy, look happy, speak happy, said James, and you will be happy.

SQUEEZE IT OUT. Persons can slow down a dangerously racing heartbeat by squeezing one of their ears; angina sufferers can relieve their chest pain the same way, said Dr. Mohan Kataria of King's College Hospital.

The squeezing action, he said, slows the heartbeat and reduces blood flow by stimulating the vagus nerve, which begins in the brain and branches to both the ears and heart.

Dr. Kataria outlined the proper technique for squeezing the ear: Cover one ear with the open palm of your strongest hand, press your fingertips behind your neck and squeeze the whole ear for 10 to 20 seconds -- firmly but not till it hurts. It's as simple as squeezing a sponge.