Alex’s Blog: Mental Health and Cycling
Cycling has given me something to focus on and aim for and an increased sense of self-worth.
Hi, I’m Alex and I am writing this blog on mental health and hobbies in the hope that others who may be struggling feel inspired to deal with their anxiety effectively and better their lives.
I’ve struggled with hypochondriasis, generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) for the past 14 years. The intensity of these conditions varied over the years, but having discovered effective therapies, tools and techniques in the areas of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness and Philosophy for Life, I no longer suffer from hypochondriasis and my GAD, social anxiety and OCD are much less of an issue. My experience in finding answers in these aspects and fields of science and philosophy has made me passionate about helping others with anxiety.
One of the most effective ways of reducing anxiety levels that I learnt from CBT was to have a balanced structure to my day. Planning the day ahead so that the mind could focus on or divert to more positive things has since been an invaluable tool I’ve used to help myself throughout life. But in addition to this, I have learnt through experience that this structure is only as effective as it’s made to be, by you. The more balanced the structure is between work and leisure, and the more it involves hobbies and activities that you really enjoy, the better. I generally have one main hobby that helps me have this structure – cycling. Although built around this are other things I enjoy such as cooking, reading and gaming.
I started cycling towards the end of 2019 and joined Merthyr Cycling club on 1st January 2020. I decided to invest in an indoor smart bike and Zwift subscription (social cycling software) so that I could follow planned workouts and ride despite bad weather at a consistent rate. This would help me improve my fitness to a standard quickly so that I could keep up with the more advanced riders. Little did I know that the following weeks we would see a worldwide emergency with the outbreak of a virus unknown to science.
It’s uncanny how I decided to purchase an indoor smart bike weeks or even days before anyone had even heard of Covid-19. Lockdown placed restrictions on cyclists riding together, and we could only go a short distance. The indoor bike and (Zwift) meant I could still connect with my friends in the club and partake in group rides virtually. We could even chat in groups via an app called discord whilst we rode together. This contact and connection with others was and still is such a big support!
Without cycling, I think I would have found it a lot more difficult to structure my days in a way that was balanced and included activities I enjoyed doing, especially throughout a pandemic. I consider myself extremely lucky to be able to afford an indoor bike and can say that I’m definitely getting my money’s worth having rode roughly 2000 miles on it within 8 months and lost 2 and a half stone in the same amount of time.
Beyond the indoor bike, being a club member has been brilliant and has taken my cycling hobby to another level! I was fortunate that the cases of Covid-19 had reduced during the summer, enabling group rides to return. On Saturdays I rode alongside other club members to places I’d never been including Llyn Briane, Llandovery, Crickhowell, Hereford and many roads closer to Merthyr Tydfil (my home county) and surrounding counties which I’d never ventured up. Some of the best things about the group rides were the awesome views and café stops which never disappointed the taste buds. Towards the end of the cycling season I took part in time trials in Neath and a hill climb race up the Rhigos which were exhilarating! In addition to helping build the essential structure to my life, cycling has given me something to focus on and aim for and an increased sense of self-worth.
I had anxiety way before I started cycling, but I can say that it really has made a significant difference in reducing my anxious symptoms and improving my quality of life! I’d recommend to anyone suffering from anxiety to find a balanced structure and fill it with an activity that they naturally enjoy – but also to find others through a club to connect with who also enjoy that activity as this will enhance your enjoyment massively.
I’d also recommend finding ways to make it easier for yourself to take part in that activity – my indoor bike makes it convenient and easy for me to keep on top of my fitness levels and more importantly, enables me to continue riding with my friends in times of lockdown or terrible weather.
Finally I’d urge anyone who has anxiety to learn mindfulness – in addition to helping me recognise and dismiss anxious thoughts and sensations as old habits learned over time, connecting with the present moment throughout my day mysteriously brings more enjoyment to it. The simple choice of paying close attention to the contents of consciousness has been just as crucial in my own recovery as has building a balanced structure. But I will leave my experience with mindfulness for another blog.
#DoOneThing #WorldMentalHealthDay
Find out more about the #DoOneThing campaign, and what you can do to support your mental health and wellbeing this World Mental Health Day: https://www.mind.org.uk/get-involved/world-mental-health-day-2020/