Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access
ISSN: 2161-0487
ISSN: 2161-0487
Roopak Desai
Union Bank of Switzerland, USA
Scientific Tracks Abstracts: J Psychol Psychother
I have self-discovered through my journey of running so far that running is indeed an ultimate source to health, happiness and wellbeing. My journey started four years ago. And before that I have been suffering from chronic anxiety and depression. I went through a severe attack of anxiety in 2012 and, I went spiralling down with cyclic negative depressive thought without any hope to come out of it and truly live the life with purpose. But with inner calling, I took up running. I prepared and ran my first 5k, 10k and by end of 2013, I ran my first half marathon. I started feeling good, got moral boost, felt self-worth and got a can-do feeling and continued running to my first full marathon in 2015. In the process, I overcame anxiety and depression and able to cope with its episodes without caving in it. This motivated me to go ahead and study effect of running on "Science of Happiness", "Positive Psychology" and "Mental Well-Being". I found out about how different neurotransmitters like endorphins and dopamine released by chemical responses on stimulation of brain helps to boost your confidence and gives euphoric effect (Runner's High). And I also learnt running as "large clinical impact" on depression. Based on my studies, I learnt that with applied positive psychology and the euphoric neural conditions that running creates enables to retrain your own brain to start taking things positively and alter its neural pathways to help deal with anxiety and depression by feeling motivated, energetic and confident. My mission, The Marathon for Life, which is alter ego now is to affirm the research and studies conducted on running and its impact on health, happiness and wellbeing. I intend to take the message mainstream and have collective inputs from all the runners with similar stories to potentially raise awareness for positively impacting lives to overcome anxiety/ depression and for communities as whole.
Roopak Desai participated in the first signature Habits and Happiness Programing 2012 conducted by The Institute of Advance Human Performance (IFHAP). He has been a practitioner of meditation, mindfulness and gratitude journaling since then. He now serves as a member coach at Positive Psychology - The Science of Happiness led by Braco Pobric and a passionate runner. His alter ego is Marathon for Life runner after running helped fighting and negotiating anxiety and depression. The Marathon for Life runner is a strong advocate to take up running as a lifestyle and will be sharing why it is the ultimate source to happiness, health and wellbeing. Applied Positive Psychology principals combined with the euphoric neural conditions that running creates, enabled him to re-train his own brain and alter its neural pathways, allowing him to finally overcome 20 odd years of clinical depression. His sole purpose is to make a difference in world by helping people with their health, happiness and wellbeing by spreading awareness and knowledge.
Email: roopakdesai@gmail.com