It’s fair to say, with a certain degree of understatement, that it hadn’t been a good year.
I won’t bore you with the details. But when newsreaders in distant London TV studios make reference to ‘Banking Crisis’, ‘Credit Crunches’ and ‘Fiscal Re-alighnment’ these phrases can take on something of an abstract, surreal air. Unless you suddenly find yourself on the pointy end of one, or all of them (where does one end and the other begin? Are they all the same?). Then, there’s not much abstract about them. Unfortunately. Suddenly they are ALL your reality comprises.
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Riding my bike has always been my go to therapy.
The hardest part is getting out the door.
Depression is a serious illness indeed.
It’s great that ‘riding therapy’ helped you pull through.
From a number of encounters I’d suggest that ‘pull yourself together’ is not necessarily an effective treatment regimen.
See a psychiatrist and listen hard to what they say and advise.
derrill29er identifies a salient point: if you’re depressed nothing might seem to matter.
http://youtu.be/UrfN8zG2Yog
As above. Depression does not have logic. little luck too. Expert help can often show obvious things so hidden with depression. The smallest positive things do have major meaning after great lows.
Enjoy the ride! 🙂
After my wife died of cancer, I took to my bike and it did wonders for my equilibrium. As a non-athlete I too surprised myself with some good results. Now I am remarried, and my new wife is a fast mountain biker, it has taken me some time to beat her on the hills…
I totally understand that a bleak outlook can be put into perspective by a good ride and that’s one of the fantastic things about our sport.
Welcome back from the dark side. It’s experiences like this, mine and others here, which make me wish more people would ride bikes. No prozac here, but buckets of other stuff which almost killed me, and a shed full of disasters, too big to want to remember anymore. Getting on a bike, one of the best mind, body and soul savers ever. Hope the writer inspires others.
Great article Binners. Riding with good friends can help a lot when things go pear-shaped.
What he said ^
Good article.
Binners for PM
Now that’s a real uplifting story..
thanks for giving me the push I needed to get back out there.
Remarkably similar scenario going on 3 years ago: Business cash flow issues, shit accountant – inadequate tax provisions, divorce, sale of home I’d spent 4 years renovating, loss of 2 beloved dogs, etc etc. I wasn’t depressed, I can’t say that (despite the GP wanting to shove drugs down my neck as I was ‘at risk’ because I was 37, male, NE Scots).
I remember vividly a Sunday morning ride with some old friends, the sun shone and the riding was good. It dawned on me – THIS is what matters; fresh air, the craic, the post ride buzz, your faithful friends and family – everything else is just padding. He’s right – that remedy, it’s in the shed, and it wants you to take it to the woods and make you feel all better.
My story was…alchy wife, resultant money and marriage meltdowns, followed by single-parenthood (almost-I had loads of help from my family) and full-time shitty and stressful job………. and riding was the thing that kept me going too.
Thanks for posting Binners