‘ONE run can change your day. Many runs can change your life’.

This is one of the motivational quotes Tania Stacey has hand-picked to express how her life has changed.

Before taking up running more seriously in April last year, anxiety and depression had a firm grip of her life.

Now she describes herself as a new person.

“I felt like I couldn’t achieve anything. I was crying all the time and it just got quite horrific,” she began.

“I’m quite a shy person and my confidence has been really badly knocked over the years.

“People would say I need to exercise and I’d always been an active person, but I didn’t want to go anywhere.

“It’s hard to do it when you’re feeling that down.”

There was no one life event which caused Tania’s mental health to decline.

Leaving her job as a school photographer to have her first child, aged 34, was a shock to the system.

The mum-of-two said: “I’d had most of my life being a single person without having to worry about a little being and it did knock me for six I think.

“For six years I didn’t go anywhere, I only managed to go out walking and then I had to leave my job.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

Harvey and Annamae Douglas pictured with their mum

“To go from that to suddenly being a mum and not having any time to yourself anymore, I struggled.

“Then I began eating and putting on weight and then you feel sorry for yourself and it’s a downwards spiral.

“It’s taken a long time but I’m getting better.”

Losing her grandmother, Violet Goodall, in 2009, still hurts, but it also kickstarted a deep love of sponsored runs which began with Race for Life.

Tania’s newfound self-belief and the support she has received from online forums such as Running Colchester on Facebook and Boxted Runners, which she joined last September, is why doing RED January for Mind is so important.

The initiative challenges people to get active each day this month covering just one mile to raise money for national Mind charity.

Some people like Tania, who already runs five times a week, are doing 100 miles for the month so roughly covering 5km a day.

The 40-year-old said: “January is a great time for a starting point and RED is a great idea so hopefully it does get people out.

“When I’m running on my own, it’s exhilarating.

“It just makes me feel that all my worries have gone away and I’m at peace with myself.

“I’m in my happy place and can conquer anything.”

Running outdoors is so enjoyable now, Tania could never go back to being on a treadmill.

Maldon and Burnham Standard:

One of the many photos Tania has taken while running

For people who feel overwhelmed or embarrassed by going to the gym, challenges like RED January are a mood-lifting alternative, said Jon West, 28.

The medical secretary, who works at Colchester General Hospital, is trying to raise £120 by running, cycling and swimming.

He said: “Part of the appeal is it’s free to take up – all you need are a pair of trainers and clothes for the weather.

“Joining a gym can be daunting and if you do have anxiety, being in a crowded place will be quite challenging.

“With running, it’s more or less lace up and start moving.

“The simplicity of it really helps a lot of people.”

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Working at the hospital’s rheumatology department means Jon encounters people each day whose mental health is impacted by chronic pain and joint problems.

High impact exercises like running are not usually recommended for people with severe joint concerns or conditions like arthritis, but they are still able to participate in RED by choosing another activity.

Jon said: “I felt I didn’t have enough activities going on outside of work so I took up running on a whim and joined the group run by the former Sweat Shop in High Street.

“The first few runs I came dead last and was wondering how people could actually enjoy this. I was completely out of breath and sweaty after each session, but I began to enjoy it more and more.

“My aunt volunteers for Mind so I know the charity does a really good job at supporting people.

“My own wellbeing has definitely improved since starting running so in a way, I want to give something back.”

  • All of the money raised for RED January goes to the national Mind charity.
  • If you would like your funds to go to Mid and North East Essex Mind, donate your money directly to justgiving.com/Colchestermind.

To sponsor Jon, click here.

To sponsor Tania, click here.

Maria Kernott is running too. Visit her Just Giving page here

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