My name is Julia Stradinger. I am a Senior at Jackson Preparatory School in Jackson, MS, where I am an honor roll student, serving as Student Body President. I have been running competitively since I was 11 years old. In addition to running cross country at Prep, I am also a member of the basketball, tennis and track teams. I currently serve as a Pathfinder (admissions ambassador) for Jackson Prep, and also as a City of Ridgeland Junior Diplomat.
Two of my dearest passions are running and mental health. The first is running, my pleasure through childhood, whether in competition or merely for exercise. As I’ve grown older, running has evolved into a way to take a break, to clear my head from everyday chaos. I never anticipated how much it could impact my mental health, how much of an outlet it would become.
Mental health is my second passion. Being a part of this generation, involved with everyone who utilizes technology, I see that no one actually rests from all the craziness! Rest time happens too little. Our minds aren’t allowed time necessary to de-stress. The pandemic offered clear evidence: people couldn’t visit loved ones, interact daily with others, or participate in social events like before. Stress increased. We all felt it.
So that’s why I decided to bring these two topics together. How? I have started a research project around running and mental health, which I will continue through college and beyond. In interviews so far with a variety of people–from a high school teammate to a college runner, from a local mom to the Olympic Champion Bianca Knight–my focus questions how running has impacted each individual’s mental state, whether they run/have run competitively or just for exercise. My goal is to convince others just how positively running influences mental health, to encourage others to run as an outlet to de-stress from that daily craziness. I pray that my research will provide an incentive to improve their physical and mental health.