Elmer Fudd
Miserable Old Bar Steward
- Location
- Durham, and I am the eejit
Cycling vs Anti Depressant drugs
- Thread starter Bigtallfatbloke
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
OP
OP
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
there is nothing strange about bird watching( although I tend to concentrate on the two legged blonde variety
)
Bill Oddie I believe has had real issues with depression in his life and he dealt with it (at least partially I heard) via bird watching.
His bird watching is my cycling...each to his own...whatever works .
...I say don't get annoyed if you don't feel like riding...just ride on your good (better) days...concentrate on the bird watching if thats what floats your boat...ride when you are in the mood...take it one step at a time. JMHO.
You mentioned getting off the pills...you proabablyknow already but that needs to be done very gradually. I have done it both ways (slow & Quick) and believe me slow is best.
)Bill Oddie I believe has had real issues with depression in his life and he dealt with it (at least partially I heard) via bird watching.
His bird watching is my cycling...each to his own...whatever works .
...I say don't get annoyed if you don't feel like riding...just ride on your good (better) days...concentrate on the bird watching if thats what floats your boat...ride when you are in the mood...take it one step at a time. JMHO.
You mentioned getting off the pills...you proabablyknow already but that needs to be done very gradually. I have done it both ways (slow & Quick) and believe me slow is best.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
Getting out on the bike certainly helps me too - not on tablets, but work's been driving me nuts, hence jacking it in last week - hit the bike most days since and keeping it up until something new turns up (should be in a new job within a week or so) - but want a job I can commute to - my last two have been too far away, so I've set a goal of a job within 12 miles - 30/40 minute commute is ideal. Sitting in traffic jams for 60-90 minutes each way is soul destroying !
Blonde
New Member
- Location
- Bury, Lancashire
I've watched this thread with interest as I had depression for many years on and off before I started cycling. I would say, in general, yes, exercise, especially outdoors is great for mental health, but, depending on the specifics of your mental and physical state at the time, it can take over and become just another factor which is not helping, especially if you use it as a crutch and become emotionally dependent on it. ie - That's when you get down if you can't get out on the bike because of poor weather or illness.
If you are competing, or aiming towards a specific goal, you can end up pushing higher and higher, and the cycling then becomes another source of anxiety or stress. The adrenal glands and other areas the endocrine system don't differentiate between physical stressors (cycling) and mental stressors such as work, home life, etc - you still produce the same stress hormones; adrenalin, cortisol, etc. in your body as a response. If you are under stress at home or work on top of intensive cycling/training, this really depletes your already depressed immune system, which in turn aggravates the depression - a vicious circle. Also, if you have any issues with eating disorders or self-image, cycling and the lifestyle that surrounds it, can be another aggravating factor. Of course if you do have this problem you'll probably think cycling is great, as you can use it as another tool to lose more weight or punish yourself further.
Finding a balance is the most important thing. There is more to life than cycling, and to become too focussed on one specific thing is not helpful for anyone, especially anyone with mental health problems. It is best to have several other things you can also turn to for enjoyment, as well as a really strong support network - another thing that seems to suffer if you spend too much time on the bike away from family and friends.
If you are competing, or aiming towards a specific goal, you can end up pushing higher and higher, and the cycling then becomes another source of anxiety or stress. The adrenal glands and other areas the endocrine system don't differentiate between physical stressors (cycling) and mental stressors such as work, home life, etc - you still produce the same stress hormones; adrenalin, cortisol, etc. in your body as a response. If you are under stress at home or work on top of intensive cycling/training, this really depletes your already depressed immune system, which in turn aggravates the depression - a vicious circle. Also, if you have any issues with eating disorders or self-image, cycling and the lifestyle that surrounds it, can be another aggravating factor. Of course if you do have this problem you'll probably think cycling is great, as you can use it as another tool to lose more weight or punish yourself further.
Finding a balance is the most important thing. There is more to life than cycling, and to become too focussed on one specific thing is not helpful for anyone, especially anyone with mental health problems. It is best to have several other things you can also turn to for enjoyment, as well as a really strong support network - another thing that seems to suffer if you spend too much time on the bike away from family and friends.
Blonde
New Member
- Location
- Bury, Lancashire
Laurence, you sound like you're finding some peace which is making you feel good, but cycling or walking on your own can be rather lonely. Being with others is a hugely important thing for all human beings, but especially if they struggle with depression. Are you in a cycling club? Is the WWT a club/group that actually meet? If not, maybe you could join a bird watching, walking or cycling club/group that does - that way you'd be mixing your interests with some social activity (away from home/work) and getting the best of both worlds.
OP
OP
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
..wise words Blonde.
I find that I tend to get really focused on one thing and blitz it. For years that was a high pressure sedatory job. Cycling is like a breath of fresh air and I am loving it. However I fear the winter and the long dark days without riding...that's when I will fall back on my other hobby ...home recording...which is unfortunatly not so energetic.
My experience (& please forgive me talking about myself so much...it's just that that is all I know about) has been that I actively avoided groups and socializing...I hated it. I avoid bright lights and loud noises as well...supermarkets etc. All I did was hide out in my cave...so to speak.
Cycling has broken that barrier...given me a reason to go out. I can avoid people still very easily if I want to still but more and more I find myself wanting to get more of a social life again...so i suppose a combination of pills, exercise, close support (my family are my rock) and fresh air and sunshine all play a huge part in recovery.
I was taught all about the flight and fight syndrome the human body goes through in stress factors....my natural reaction to stress is to panic, run then stop, turn around and fight....but there came a point when I did none o f those and simply lay down and gave up.
I think Cycling allows me to get those reactions out of myself....Fight the hills and the distance and the bonk etc....but I am also being given a chance to run away...sorry it's sounding weird...and deep...not ment to be...I think you point about not pinning all your hopes on one thing (i'e Cycling) is extremely valid.
..on th esubject of support...I found the internet very helpful in that respect. I hang out on a recording engineers forum as well and those guys have helped my through some dark periods.
I find that I tend to get really focused on one thing and blitz it. For years that was a high pressure sedatory job. Cycling is like a breath of fresh air and I am loving it. However I fear the winter and the long dark days without riding...that's when I will fall back on my other hobby ...home recording...which is unfortunatly not so energetic.
My experience (& please forgive me talking about myself so much...it's just that that is all I know about) has been that I actively avoided groups and socializing...I hated it. I avoid bright lights and loud noises as well...supermarkets etc. All I did was hide out in my cave...so to speak.
Cycling has broken that barrier...given me a reason to go out. I can avoid people still very easily if I want to still but more and more I find myself wanting to get more of a social life again...so i suppose a combination of pills, exercise, close support (my family are my rock) and fresh air and sunshine all play a huge part in recovery.
I was taught all about the flight and fight syndrome the human body goes through in stress factors....my natural reaction to stress is to panic, run then stop, turn around and fight....but there came a point when I did none o f those and simply lay down and gave up.
I think Cycling allows me to get those reactions out of myself....Fight the hills and the distance and the bonk etc....but I am also being given a chance to run away...sorry it's sounding weird...and deep...not ment to be...I think you point about not pinning all your hopes on one thing (i'e Cycling) is extremely valid.
..on th esubject of support...I found the internet very helpful in that respect. I hang out on a recording engineers forum as well and those guys have helped my through some dark periods.
giant man
New Member
- Location
- Essex innit?
Don't fear the winter man. Carry on riding throughout the year Bigtallfatbloke, get yourself an old winter hack and ride man! Some bib tights and suitable jacket and you're set. Better than not riding that's for sure.
OP
OP
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
absolutly ...I am looking for some winter gear at the moment (size is a problem though) ...I reckon that if I have th egear it will take away any excuse I have not to ride...
col
Legendary Member
My experience (& please forgive me talking about myself so much...it's just that that is all I know about) has been that I actively avoided groups and socializing...I hated it. I avoid bright lights and loud noises as well...supermarkets etc. All I did was hide out in my cave...so to speak.
What you said BTFB has hit the nail on the head for me too im afraid,ihad some bad periods where i wouldnt even go to our corner shop,my wife did all the time,but thankfully marie has been very understanding,this was mainly caused by a bad incident that happened some time ago.it comes and goes sometimes bad sometimes not,i was also on pills but found that exercise did help,but that was a few years ago and i found it too easy to hang out in my cave(as you put it)
Im now at the stage of preparing my long hidden away bike and making sure i have everything that i need ,so i can get on it,but i keep coming up with excuses of something else needed before i get going with it,ill get there though
What you said BTFB has hit the nail on the head for me too im afraid,ihad some bad periods where i wouldnt even go to our corner shop,my wife did all the time,but thankfully marie has been very understanding,this was mainly caused by a bad incident that happened some time ago.it comes and goes sometimes bad sometimes not,i was also on pills but found that exercise did help,but that was a few years ago and i found it too easy to hang out in my cave(as you put it)
Im now at the stage of preparing my long hidden away bike and making sure i have everything that i need ,so i can get on it,but i keep coming up with excuses of something else needed before i get going with it,ill get there though
laurence
Veteran
- Location
- in the aeroplane over the sea
Blonde said:
maybe, but i do have an incredibly low opinion of the human race... i'd rather be with birds, cats, deer, etc.
the riding is a release. out there it's just me, if i fail then I fail, no-one else and when i do well it's MY achievement.
thw WWT is the wildfowl and wetlands trust. i go there to relax, listen to the birds, watch them play, etc. i also go on members' walks. it's a bit like cycling - you might meet someone and strike up a conversation for a time, then go your own way. the brotherhood of the road, or the hide.
if there are people i like to be with, then i'll be with them, but after a day of being with people, talking to strangers on the phone, mixing with colleagues, i can do with the quiet.
one of my other 'hobbies' is going to gigs. there i am alone in a crowd. people come to watch the band and i can escape. it'a also a form of peace, the music blocks out the world and i can be lost in it.
the thought of mixing with people fills me with dread... not just because of the acute shyness, but because i will get fed up with people and want to escape even more. people tend to drive me away from people.
L
piedwagtail91
Guest
i have to agree. i'd been doing well and got off the medication, just riding and doing a season long ctc competition with my local group.then i started going out with a racing club as well and the rot set in.i'd not wanted to race but sort of drifted into the training, but found myself increasing the pils because of the stress of the bit and bit and the race getting nearer. it got to the stage where i was on the top dose and was too doped up to hold a wheel, so decided it was pretty pointless and gave up before things got out of hand again. i took the road bike apart and sold some of the bits to distance myself from racing to feel safe.within three weeks (which was all the time i had before the next ctc event which i wanted to do "clean") i'd got off the medication again and felt a lot better just in time for the ride.i wasn't brilliant and had cut down too quickly,but things were a lot better,especially after the event.
OP
OP
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
...I had no idea so many others were having issues as well..I wish you all well.
On the club/race thing...
...I have still not joined a club and there are several reasons:
1) It seems to be 90% racing/TT's etc...and that to me shouts "Pressure!" & pressure is not good for me anyway.
2) Organized rides are exactly that organized...on set dates & times etc they don't allow me to drift...do my thing at my pace....in my own way.
3) The social side of things is bound to involve alcohol, which is fun but I am making a serious effort to avoid it as part of my desire to be bigtallthinfitbloke, and because it does not mix well with the pills. I also feel 'out of sorts' in groups and would probably end up not going to the club nights anyway.
....Touring is therefore where it is 'at' for me. I get to do what i like when I like. There are no targets, no pressure, nobody to be judged against....just me, my bike a tent and a country lane.
On the club/race thing...
...I have still not joined a club and there are several reasons:
1) It seems to be 90% racing/TT's etc...and that to me shouts "Pressure!" & pressure is not good for me anyway.
2) Organized rides are exactly that organized...on set dates & times etc they don't allow me to drift...do my thing at my pace....in my own way.
3) The social side of things is bound to involve alcohol, which is fun but I am making a serious effort to avoid it as part of my desire to be bigtallthinfitbloke, and because it does not mix well with the pills. I also feel 'out of sorts' in groups and would probably end up not going to the club nights anyway.
....Touring is therefore where it is 'at' for me. I get to do what i like when I like. There are no targets, no pressure, nobody to be judged against....just me, my bike a tent and a country lane.
Blonde
New Member
- Location
- Bury, Lancashire
Yes, that was exacty my point - everything must be in balance and over focussing on one particular aspect of life and putting pressure on yourself about it, is a really bad thing for anyone with a history of stress, anxiety or depression and especially anyone with self-esteem issues.piedwagtail91 said:
I still think that one of the main reasons/causes or at least compounding factors associated with depression, is feeling alone or somehow removed from other people, and that to recover you need close human contact and a strong support network of people you can trust and maybe actually talk to about how you are feeling. This is of course why sometimes some kind of psychotherapy can be helpful, as you are unburdening yourself to another human being. People who live isolated lives are more likely to be depressed - it's why elderly single people can be particularly at risk and really benefit from social activity and particulaly from human touch, in the form of massage - hand massage is particularly good for older people as it is gentle and not at all invasive of privacy.
I have found that actively seeking out social activuty, cycling companions and joining CTC or other groups to cyle with has a helped a lot. I enjoy social cycling, not every single weekend - I need to do my own thing as well, but variety is important to keep you motivated and stop you becoming obsessed with one type of cycling or one aspect of life. My social life off the bike does not revolve around drinking and hasn't since my student days. I enjoy simply visting people in their homes, chatting and having them over to ours for meals and I go out to the theatre and concerts with my loved one and friends and chat about it afterwards. Maybe I am boring, but that's what I enjoy and I find it helps keep me from feeling isolated, lonely and depressed. I think that if you avoid social activity it's a real shame, because you are missing out on a hugely important aspect of human life. Our ability to communicate and share culture is what makes us uniquely human! I'm not knocking t'net as a useful tool for expression and for human contact, but there really is no subsititute for real life!
col
Legendary Member
...I had no idea so many others were having issues as well..I wish you all well
It is a surprise how many people are actually affected by this sort of thing to me too,i suppose its easier to talk more freely to the pc screen about something that isnt normally mentioned to your mates face to face?
It is a surprise how many people are actually affected by this sort of thing to me too,i suppose its easier to talk more freely to the pc screen about something that isnt normally mentioned to your mates face to face?
Blonde
New Member
- Location
- Bury, Lancashire
For me 'tis the opposite - that's why I waited a while and thought about it before saying anything on the internet. I have talked to friends and family about this very private matter, but a wider audience including possibly one's employers and future employers, is not the easiest place to talk about this IMO. However, because I think it should be discussed more and not a taboo subject, as it is so common, I think people should know about the condition and what they can do to help. Afterall, it's the employers that loose out when people go on sick, as they have to advertsie for temps or replacements, then train them etc, so they can't just ignore it. If depression and mental health was not such a hidden issue, perhaps employers could actually help people (by being more flexible about working hours, leave, job shares etc. and even having counselling available to staff like many Universities do) before it gets to that stage so that they don't have to quit work and then it will cost employers (and the NHS) less.
