In January 2018 I met with my PhD supervisor to tell her I wasn’t coping. The person I was didn’t match who I thought I was expected to be. Academic achievement had provided a convincing mask for anxiety and depression, but it weighed heavily on me. Despite the evidence, I couldn’t convince myself I was good enough. I was an imposter.

I agreed to take a break from my studies. I spent months trying to find a strategy to manage my mind, one that would stick. I tried lots: eating healthily, meditation, counselling, quitting caffeine, reading (lots), getting outside more, taking supplements like omega-3s. These all helped to a point but sustaining them was difficult. Towards the end of the summer I decided to try running. I hoped it would provide a distraction from my unwanted thoughts and help me feel a sense of accomplishment. It seemed to work. It became a way of expressing the suppressed energy of anxiety. Going first thing in the morning pushed my mood in an upward spiral, rather than restarting the downward one.

I’m not suggesting running’s a miracle cure and it might not be for everyone. It’s working for me, alongside the other positive strategies I’ve tried along the way. I injured my hip recently, preventing me from getting out in my trainers for a couple of weeks. As I fell back into unhelpful thinking patterns, it helped me acknowledge the positive effects running had had on me.

So I’m going to run around London for a few hours on a Sunday this April. Running a marathon gives me a more tangible goal to keep running, motivating me to get out in the Great British winter. I’m doing this to contribute to Healthy Minds, a programme at the University of Bristol that makes exercise more accessible for students struggling with mental health problems. The team provide training, advice and mentoring to develop a sustainable activity plan to keep both mind and body healthy. I hope my efforts can go towards helping others find solutions that work for their own mental health challenges. This cause will be especially powerful for me in the moments when going out for a run feels like the last thing I want to do – despite it being the best thing I could do. If you can make the training extra worthwhile by donating as generously as you can, I’d be incredibly grateful.