Sports Anxiety

There's no other book like this. Longtime running writer Scott Douglas marshals expert advice (including his own, cultivated from more than 100,000 miles of personal experience), and a growing body of scientific research to show how running can make us happier. How? Everyone knows that running builds stronger muscles and a healthier heart; science now shows it also helps develop a healthier brain. For those struggling with depression and anxiety, a consistent running routine can enhance the mental-health benefits of talk therapy, antidepressants, and cognitive behavioral therapy.

Being a teenager in the digital age isn’t easy, especially given the constant streams of contradictory information you’re subjected to online. The problem is that before you know it, you can go down a rabbit hole, start massively overthinking and lose your sense of self in a sea of worry that just gets deeper and deeper.

As an athlete in my sophomore year of college, I found myself miserable. Two years later, as a senior, I enjoyed the most satisfying basketball season of my life. My path from depression and anxiety to joy and peak performance was somewhat unconventional. A therapist taught me to meditate, enabling me to face my problems instead of shrinking from them. By modifying my habits regarding drugs, partying and my phone, and reading meaningful books, I developed new attitudes toward both my sport and my life.

As an athlete in his sophomore year of college, Billy Hansen found himself miserable. Two years later, as a senior, he enjoyed the most satisfying basketball season of his life. The path from depression and anxiety to joy and peak performance was somewhat unconventional. A therapist taught him to meditate, enabling him to face his problems instead of shrinking from them. This book, then, is about playing sports, overcoming anxiety, the practice of meditation, growing up, and discovering how to live well.