As someone who has grappled with anxiety for several years, and has found running to be a really effective way of managing the symptoms, I was naturally drawn to this book. When this occurs, adrenaline is released into your bloodstream, which accelerates your reaction time and makes you more powerful and faster. Mackie found her inspiration in the world around her, and in the natural beauty of her surroundings. I was good at holding down my job, cracking jokes, going out just enough that I wasn’t seen as a hermit.

You notice your heartbeat, the sweat dripping into your ears, the way your torso twists as you stride. Her tone is quite conversational, and it feels like you’re just having a chat with a mate who is occasionally witty and makes you unexpectedly snort. Anxiety occurs when the brain reacts to a real or imagined threat by releasing adrenaline and cortisol, our ‘flight or fight’ response.For those few minutes of physical workout, she wasn’t thinking about her divorce or her husband dating other people. The novel's protagonist is 28-year-old Grace Bernard, a young woman who kills off the family of her millionaire father as revenge for his abandonment of her dead mother and herself as a baby. Enjoy the beauty around you Your anxiety can make you introverted, forcing your brain to see negative, scary things instead of your surroundings.

Bella Mackie went on to pursue a career as an author, and in 2018 married BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James. I wouldn’t wonder if my husband was happy, or out on a great date, or just not thinking about me at all. However, if you’re a person who’s constantly avoided jogging, bear in mind that it’s never really late to begin. Cortisol is a stress hormone you’re your body produces when its fight or flight response is activated. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development.It fitted two important criteria: near enough to the safety of home, and quiet enough that nobody would laugh at me. Instead, I dropped out of uni, went to a psychiatrist and took the antidepressants that I was swiftly prescribed. And indeed, though the author's experiences of anxiety differ from my own, there was so much that I found myself agreeing with (and thinking 'thank goodness someone else knows how it feels!

Grace, who we meet in prison, is the sort of anti-heroine that's having a cultural moment in TV series like Killing Eve and movies such as Promising Young Woman. When Cosmopolitan magazine conducted a survey, they discovered that most women felt threatened by gyms and that some were afraid of being criticized by men. If, like me, you're a runner (ew, but Bella made me feel okay about saying this), or struggle with your mental health in some way, I'd really recommend this book. Quite a relatable read which will hopefully motivate me to create a healthy relationship with running. In Bella’s situation, at times, she felt as though she was close to dying during a particularly bad panic attack.As a very keen runner I was drawn to this book for that reason, however after reading it I felt it was better aimed at those struggling with their mental health than the hard core runner. However, going hard at the start can bring about injury or tiredness– and can make you stop running completely. You may feel anxious in certain circumstances such as ahead of a job interview, or even on the start line of a race, but crucially it is only temporary.