"Running gives you a great opportunity to work stuff out in your head"
About this Quote
The phrase “work stuff out” matters because it’s not “think” or “meditate.” It’s casual, even a little messy, implying unfinished business: arguments you replay, decisions you dread, grief you keep tamping down. Running doesn’t magically solve those, but it gives them a container. The steady cadence, the forced forward movement, the mild discomfort you choose on purpose - all of it turns rumination into something closer to processing. Your thoughts stop being a knot you stare at and become something you can tug, one loop at a time.
Coming from an actress, the subtext lands differently than it would from, say, a self-help guru. Performance work is public, evaluated, and emotionally extractive; your instrument is your nervous system. Running becomes a private rehearsal space with no audience, a way to clear the residue of roles, auditions, and scrutiny. It’s also culturally legible: a low-cost ritual that reads as discipline without the moralizing “hustle” vibe.
The intent feels practical, not mystical: here’s a tool that doesn’t require perfect conditions. Just shoes, air, and enough distance for your thoughts to finally tell the truth.
Quote Details
| Topic | Mental Health |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Hennessy, Jill. (2026, January 15). Running gives you a great opportunity to work stuff out in your head. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/running-gives-you-a-great-opportunity-to-work-173088/
Chicago Style
Hennessy, Jill. "Running gives you a great opportunity to work stuff out in your head." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/running-gives-you-a-great-opportunity-to-work-173088/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"Running gives you a great opportunity to work stuff out in your head." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/running-gives-you-a-great-opportunity-to-work-173088/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.









