[Closed] good cure for depression - Cycling, thats what

She clearly had another guy coming round to "sort her out".

It's great isn't it. I love to get away from everyday life and stress, Having time to myself away from work and even the family is essential for my sanity.

I was exactly the same until I got some really (no, [i]really[/i]) bad news when I was on a bike and everything got poisoned. I think something had to give somewhere, and I simply didn't get what I used to out of riding for about seven years.

I think the Mojo is coming back though: dragged myself round the original Afan trail on Saturday getting dehydrated in the process. My fitness and stamina may have gone, but the skills haven't... time to have fun again.

Definitely agree. I've been trying to cycle to work as much as possible lately as the ride in and the promise of the ride home at the end of the day lifts me up all day. End up getting a lot more done and leaving a lot earlier when I've got the bike sitting there waiting to be ridden home.
It cures a lot of the despondency that can otherwise set in during the day.

I ruptured my spleen skiing a year ago and was fed up waiting for things to heal - first proper ride 6 months later was 24hr Mountain mayhem and came off - shook me up. I luve getting out and riding - give me a high and I can stay slim - taken me a year however to get my mojo back - only now feeling confident in descending but wouldn't give it up unless I had to!

Oooooh those endorphins! Yeah baby! 😆

I wouldn't so much describe it as a cure as a distraction. Although wonderful, it does not address the underlying problems. However, if there's a cure for being hopelessly addicted to biking, I don't wanna know about it :o)

simonfbarnes - Member
I wouldn't so much describe it as a cure as a distraction.

Exercise can help with mild-to-moderate depression, but if there are bigger underlying problems, you'll eventually need to sort yourself out some other way.

That's what happened to me: I used biking as a distraction for about 12 years until circumstances meant that everything came crashing down around my feet. Took me seven years to get over it, and another two to want to get back on a bike.

Bottom line: if you're using cycling as a crutch to get you through, it's probably better to look at ways to heal the underlying problems rather than just masking the symptoms.

Barnes and Rad you both hit hit nail on the head so well

Been using biking and climbing as crutches or uppers or however you want to see it all my life and whilst it keeps the demons from the door it doesn't make them go away!

Just hopefully now coming to the end of a long period of quite difficult (borderline psychotic and the relevant interventions and therapies) experiences due to very severe PTSD and I can say how awesome it is to get back on the bike with a much clearer happier head. It's like extra bonus happiness, never knew it could be like this.

Next steps include finding a job, getting some kind of routine back, and losing the fat I've built up over the last six months although it was nice to be warm in winter for the first time in my life.

Barnes I think we are not hopelessly addicted to cycling but to joy, freedom and thrill? And you're never gonna find a cure for that thankfully

I think we are not hopelessly addicted to cycling but to joy, freedom and thrill?

except that I spend most of my free time working on photos of rides and ride reports and software for displaying routes and looking for new routes and ...

although it was nice to be warm in winter for the first time in my life

I have a theory fat people suffer the cold worse because it's the skin that feels cold, and they have more of it and it's insulated from the warm bits inside by the blubber...

In support of this theory I'm quite thin and seem to feel the cold less than most people :o)