kevindsingleton 

Hard to know, for sure, which advice to follow.

wphamilton

About 10 years ago I suffered a sudden, personal loss. Depression, maybe I don't know but I did realize that there were a lot of things I had to fix. Cycling was one of the few opportunities or resources that I had at the time to improve anything, and I threw myself into it. Getting stronger, with more energy, and I'm convinced reversing some of the decay of age. Some things, priorities, goals, became more clear. Perhaps just thinking things through during those hours, or the habit of always improving, but somehow everything started working out right, just one thing after another, and I am convinced that bicycling played a huge role in that.

Stucky

Both!

Physical activity/exertion/exercise does do the mind and body good, generally. It keeps us feeling good. But when one exhibits signs of depression -mental and or physical, I think it's just more stressing to tax the body. Sometimes, just being quiet and still, and embracing whatever you're feeling, can help you get over it MUCH quicker.

REDMASTA

Everyone works different, for me getting off my arse and going to the gym or riding my bike apparently releases endorphins since afterwards I feel great, like I did something good for myself, and the feeling carries through the day.

lorr1e1

Hi liz your words resonated with me.I agree with everything you said I got into biking because if a situation that caused severe depression and I thankfully got out of it, the bike means a lot to me, as it means I have freedom to get away from the issues that bothered me at the time it gave me a sense of achievement and accomplishment. I haven't regularly used my. Bike for 9 years but working to get back on it in the next few weeks.

cxwrench

Since she started this thread 6 years ago and hasn't been around for 4 years at all I'm pretty sure your reply won't get to her.

lorr1e1

Yh that's fine just giving my thoughts

cyclezen

Hi lorr1e1
Yes, cycling is one of those great things we can do. Great, because it's essence is 'all about you'. It can include others, but is always 'all about you'.
It allows us to learn about and know ourselves, honestly; with only the expectations we can place on ourselves. Not an easy thing and sometimes not a gold star, but always honest.
There are other things, and other ways to learn and know, but cycling can ride with you for most of your life.
Welcome, and we all hope you can find here what you're looking for, and continue to make cycling a strong part of your ride through life.
Ride On
Yuri

koala logs

Same here. There was a time I fell into depression driven by many traumatic events in my life, I felt cornered and tried to kill myself. At the same time, I'm starting having very pleasant dreams of riding bike or driving a certain classic car whenever I'm depressed.

Few years later, I started riding a bike. The depression is still there but riding helped me cope with depression better. I've had this "sense of achievement" feelings for a while. Sadly those feelings did not stick. I'm still depressed, the situation did not change, HOWEVER I'm coping with the situation better. Would have been MUCH NICER if I had the classic car instead!

rsbob 

Hang in there and you are doing the right thing. Several studies have shown that getting out in nature (hiking, cycling, skiing, going to a lake/ocean/river) have positive and restorative effects. Achievement is nice but it is not the end-all be-all of being outdoors. It’s just getting out there, moving and enjoying nature.

Your dreams are helping you and showing you there are some real positives. When it comes to classic cars, take it from me, it is far better (and far less expensive) to dream than to own. The chase is always the most exciting part anyway. So keep dreaming and keep living the bicycle dream and you will be alright.

Paul Barnard

Bicycling is incredibly therapeutic for me. In fact, I am not far off when I quip that bicycling and dogs help me salvage my sanity.

Entropy_S

Depression is nothing new to a lot of folks, it’s the method you employ to work your way out of it that is different for each individual. While not prone to depression myself, I do find myself ruminating about the past a lot, living with regrets, etc.

The one thing I’ve found helpful is to be mindful of the Present, and to treat everything as if it’s the first time you’ve experienced it. I recommend the book “Only Don’t Know” by Seung Sahn. This book will literally transform your outlook on life and how you interact with it.

koala logs

Thanks! I acted on that dream and made it real. Except on the classic car for obvious reasons.

Achieving "A to B" on the bike, doing centuries. Felt great for a while. But still couldn't compare to achieving something in life like getting married, having kids, having a stable job, and a house of my own. I have none of those and drowning in debt on top of it. I have a bit of mental and psychological shortcomings from a traumatic injury to the head when I was a kid. I just couldn't perform as well as everyone, I couldn't keep friends and you probably need these just to get anywhere in life. I have so little incentive to go on living, the reason why I tried to kill myself over the years.

For now, cycling is an effective distraction and probably the best temporary solution I found. But the emptiness is still there. I've tried religion and faith, already, that didn't worked either and only made things worse.

jimb100

See a therapist. They may refer you to a psychiatrist for medication. If medication is not needed, they can help you set some goals that will make you happy and help you plan to reach those goals, within the scope of your abilities. Cycling will not change your life if what you need is medication or help from a medical professional. Cycling can help basically healthy people navigate life's little ups and downs. If your issues are more severe, and it sounds like they are, you will need more than cycling.

koala logs

I agree with everything you said here. Makes a lot of sense. I'll consider it, thanks.

Juan Foote

This zombie is 6 years old. The OP hasn't been active since 4 years ago.....

Somebody stab it in the brain.

bruce19

It sounds to me like your depression was brought on by an event and is not about body chemistry. So, with that assumption, it seems that you are framing whatever happened in a way that creates a "story" that is working against you. I suspect that being on the bike forces you to pay attention to the bike, the ride, the environment and that takes you out of that destructive story line. I have found that the more I connect with the natural world the better off I am. I think cycling can do that for you. Other things can too. My suggestion is to find all those other things and immerse yourself. You will find that you are creating a new "story." One that nurtures you. Good luck and thank you for your honesty and willingness to share.

jack pot 

...it seems that we are headed into a lot of long depressions .......................................................................... and to think OP was pre covid and pre everything else that repressed reality

rsbob 

A bike is good temporary therapy, but it is not enduring therapy for the pain you are suffering. I agree that you do need to find a counselor to discuss your past, try to resolve or come to peace and then make constructive inroads for your future. She/he can really help put life into perspective and show new pathways. This is a wonderful bike forum, but you need more. Your community may provide low-cost or no cost therapy. Do a little research. I wish you the very best. (I was a licensed counselor, now retired.).

mstateglfr 

Is the thread somehow not applicable or not relevant now just because it is older? Depression and the challenges around it certainly still exist. Riding to help quiet anxiety and improve outlook is certainly still a motivation for why some ride.
For many, this topic could actually be even more pertinent now than 6 years ago.

Juan Foote

It is considered good decorum to create a new and timely present thread instead of searching and bringing a zombie back.

mstateglfr 

Sure, when there is reason to.
a 'show me your Cannondale CAAD3' thread could go dormant for 4 years and be revived without missing a beat. Wht not add to the current thread in that instance?
Same here. Bringing the original thread back allowed many to read prior discussion on a topic and add to the conversation.


There are other times when reviving a thread makes little to no sense.

cyclezen

That this is a revived thread was noted before you posted.
In this case, revived by a New Member/poster, who reacted to the thread, without concern for age of the origin.
Some of us had decided to acknowledge this new member's post, regardless of the older part of the thread, on a topic which is elemental, continuing and applicable to the riding dimensions of cycling.
Decorum... in this case decorum might certainly be adding personal view and considerations of cycling in the realm of personal challenges. Especially for a New Member who might not be totally clued into 'convention'.
Are constant reappearing threads on resurfacing topics - "which saddle/bike/bar tape/fit/stem length... yadda yadda yadda... for me"... any more worthy than a revival of a topic which actually affects many and is well served by multiple views?
Decorum - might be ignoring threads which just don;t interest you?
Ride On
Yuri

PeteHski

A bit sensitive though in this case, given that we don't know how it turned out for the OP. I would have started a new thread on this kind of very personal subject matter.

beng1

Depression is very common in USA society, the proof is that Wall-Street has turned it into a multi-billion-dollar industry peddling drugs to millions of people. So you don't have to feel alone. I have had debilitating health problems over the last 60 years that made things very unattractive, but what goes down always goes back up. I have never resorted to seeing a shrink or taking any pharmacology, I always toughed it out, and I think that helped me grow up a little bit. One of the biggest things I discovered was that spending time trying to help others takes your mind off yourself. Every minute you are depressed about yourself, you are thinking about yourself, your losses, your health, your etc.. So if every minute you are thinking of someone else and their well-being, you are not thinking of yourself and it is impossible to be depressed. You can revel in the happiness of others. I just saved a working family $3000 of furnace repairs by discovering their furnace was in the last year of a 20-year warranty, I fixed another person's garage door so it worked much better than before, I got a 91 year-old friends lawnmower running by cleaning the spark-plug then mowed their lawn for them, and today I am going to help some very elderly relatives do some yard work, clean up some large branches that fell off a tree in their yard.

Also life is very short, the older you are the more you realize it. I and everyone I know will be dead very, very quickly, I probably know more dead people than living at this point if I count all my old school-friends and relatives that did not make this far. Life is short and beautiful, even the rainy days, the suffering, the cuts and bruises and tragedies, you will be able to experience none of that very quickly, so enjoy every second of the tragedy. Sometimes I make fun of it. Once I quit eating because of a period of depression and lost a LOT of weight, I got over it but it took a few years. I talked to another person who was going through the same thing and told them "don't worry, in a few years you will begin to feel a little better !" They got a laugh out of that and so did I.

I still get depressed when I think of all the things on my shoulders, but I don't worry about it so much any more because I know it will pass eventually, and it passes more quickly now because I remember to force myself to go help someone else with anything they possibly could need help with. It really helps to just remember to get up and start moving and get lost in what you are doing, anything besides yourself.

Of course I am not a doctor so anything I say only applies to my personal experience, but I know for sure I will never touch any of those things I call "brain drugs" that doctors have asked me to try before, and the reason for that is I have known LOTS of people who have been on anti-depressants and pills for anxiety, and not one of them has ever gotten anything out of it, in fact most of them ended up worse off in some way or dead. The people who did the best were the ones who quit the drugs and just figured out some change to make in their life and thinking, who grew up a bit, and found a way to enjoy life and stick around for it.

Good luck..........