Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running With My Dog Brought Me Back From the Brink (Depression and Anxiety Therapy, Bipolar)

Visit nitasweeney.com for Nita's free eBook, Three Tools for a Happier, Healthier Mind.

Nita Sweeney is an award-winning wellness author, mindfulness meditation teacher and coach, ultramarathoner, and dog-mom. After a decade of legal practice (and a major depressive episode), Nita turned in her shingle for a fast writing pen. People still ask legal questions, but she's done her best to forget the answers. Instead of negotiating labor contracts for public agencies, she writes, and shares what she's learned.

Nita’s articles, essays, and poems have appeared in Men's Health, Buddhist America, Dog World, Dog Fancy, Writer’s Journal, Country Living, Pitkin Review, Spring Street, The Taos News, WNBA-SF blog, Pencil Storm, The Writing Cooperative, It’s Not Your Journey, Wide Open Writing, and other newspapers and newsletters. She blogs and publishes the monthly email, Write Now Columbus.

Her poem “Memorial” won the Dublin Arts Council’s Poet’s Choice Award and an early draft of her memoir, Depression Hates a Moving Target: How Running with My Dog Brought Me Back from the Brink, (previously titled Twenty-Six Point Freaking Two) was short-listed for the William Faulkner – William Wisdom Creative Writing Competition Award. The book was awarded a Maxwell Medal in the Human Animal Bond category of the Dog Writers Association of America writing competition. It is a #1 Amazon Bestseller in the “mood disorders,” “bipolar disorder,” "depression," and "running & jogging" categories. The book was selected by Ohioana Library to be included in the 2020 Ohioana Festival. The Greater Columbus Arts Council and Ohio Arts Council have awarded her grant funding for her work.

Nita coauthored the popular writing journal, You Should Be Writing: A Journal of Inspiration and Instruction to Keep Your Pen Moving, with Brenda Knight (Women of the Beat Generation.) The Ohioana Library selected it to be included in the 2021 Ohioana Festival.

Her third book, Make Every Move a Meditation, was an award-winning finalist in the Health: Diet & Exercise category of the International Book Awards and was also selected for the 2023 Ohioana Book Festival.

Nita has been featured on AARP.com, Health.com, Healthline.com, Livestrong.com, Fupping.com, PsychCentral.com, bpHope.com, Bustle.com, NextAvenue.com, UpJourney.com, Medium.com, Pawstruck.com, Thrive Global, WGRN, Sweatpants & Coffee, Authority Magazine, Intergenerational Inspiration, 2014 and Beyond, and Pretty Progressive, and in Woman's Day, First for Women, bp Magazine, and Epoch Times, on the Word Carver, Running Dad, My Brain on Endorphins, and Diz Runs podcasts, and nominated for the Ohio Arts Council Governor’s Award.

Nita earned a journalism degree from The E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University with a certificate in women's studies, a law degree from The Ohio State University, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing from Goddard College, and certification to lead Buddhist meditation from Sage Institute for Creativity and Consciousness.

She served on the boards of the Women's National Book Association of San Francisco and of Still I Run: Runners for Mental Health Awareness where she edited the Still I Run blog.

For ten years, Nita studied with and assisted best-selling author Natalie Goldberg (Writing Down the Bones) at week-long writing workshops teaching the “rules of writing practice” and leading participants in sitting and walking meditation. Goldberg authorized Nita to teach “writing practice” and Nita has taught for nearly twenty years.

When she’s not writing and teaching, Nita runs. She has completed three ultramarathons, three full marathons, thirty-two half marathons (in twenty-three states), and more than one hundred shorter races. Nita lives in central Ohio with her husband and biggest fan, Ed, and her yellow Labrador running partner, Scarlet, the #ninetyninepercentgooddog.