Help! Totally Demotivated!

[Plax]

If you've cycled 240 miles so far this year, that's nearly more that I cycled the entire 2012. I have completely lost my cycling mojo. You are at least doing something so don't beat yourself up about it.

I've cycled about 6 miles so far this year and that was just because I had to get the van from the garage!

Try something different to cycling for a bit. My fix was to join the gym and get a personal trainer so now I have to go to the gym and complete my training plan each week to get my moneys worth.

 

[Grizzly]

Change your relationship with the bike. Stop thinking of it as a method to get to work and use it as a method of de-stressing on your days off. Get out on your days off and go for a run in the country, take food and fluid and have a day away. I used to use running in this way, I'd drive to the countryside and run (at a slow pace) for hours, have a spot of lunch and run back to the car. I loved doing this, and I didn't mind working as it paid for my running. If your employer is like mine (and I assume it is as all public services are the same) then you have to put up with crap that no one could understand, a day away on your bike with the wind in your face blows the stress away and gives you energy to face the next day. In the bad weather get on a mountain bike and go off road, mud is most of the fun and a hot bath at the end just feels awesome. Take care and I hope things pick up for you.

 

[Arjimlad]

Sorry to hear you're not well.

Is there any way you could vary your route to work to make it more interesting/pleasant ?

Give yourself more time, look over the hedges as you pass by, and reward yourself with a bun or something when you get there?

Do you have a cycling pal you could book up to ride with ? Explore some National Cycle Network routes ? We will have sunny days in the months to come to look forward to.

Failing all that, hide the car keys..

I hope riding can play a part in making you better.

 

[Biker Joe]

Hi Vikeonabike,
I'm very sorry to hear that you are suffering from depression. It is a very unpleasant condition and you have my full sympathy.
As you see from the other posts, it is quite a common occurrence and people suffer in various degrees, from light to heavy depression.
When we suffer from depression we seem to lose the ability of rational thought and our ability to reason properly is compromised.
We find ourselves in a vicious circle with, seemingly, no way out of the situation.
In the majority of cases, the depression will lift of its own accord but, occasionally we become entrenched and can find no way out.
I would like you to try something that helped me out of a particularly nasty bout of depression a few years back that a nice neighbour showed me.

I want you to play a little game.

Pick a time when you're not doing anything in particular. At that time I want you to pretend that, at that moment, you are not suffering from depression.That everything is normal. Just pretend.
You stated that you want to ride. OK. Just pretend, just for a while, that you are in a normal state of mind. You want to ride so, get your bike out and cycle down the road. Nowhere in particular. Just round the block? A couple of miles down the road? It doesn't matter. After all its only pretend. You can go back to being depressed afterwards if you like. But , right now, it's just a game so have a bit of fun.
Go on try it out. Have a go. You've got nothing to lose. Right?
Perhaps later on you can play that game again. You only have to pick a time.

Just for a little while, you will experience what it is like not to be depressed. The more you play the game, the less time you will have to be depressed.
Before you know it you will be playing the game all the time and you can carry on being a happy person.
Don't expect anything. Don't have expectations. Just play the game. Once today. Again tomorrow. A few times next week. Don't think about it. Pick a time and play the game. It's just pretend anyway. Just a bit of fun.
Enjoy.
I did.

 

[Saluki]

Having a slump here too, we both suffer with S.A.D. We have cycled about 25 miles this year, which is shocking. What with the snow, high winds and the general misery of January, neither of us have felt motivated enough to go out on our bikes, even to the post office for a pint of milk. Its bad enough motivating ourselves to get out and walk the dogs!
However, I reckon that one ride (waiting for a calm and not too freezing day) and I will be more motivated. Sometimes just getting on the bike, however much I don't feel like doing it, can be the key.
I have been looking at my trainers and thinking 'I need a jog' and looking at my cycling shoes and thinking 'I need to get out for a ride' but the January blues is keeping me from doing it.

Maybe, as others have said, don't commute by bike if you don't have to. Just pick a nice day and go for a bimble whether it be 3 miles, 10 miles or however many you fancy. If miles are daunting to you (they are to us), go for a 20 minute ride, or a half an hour ride or whatever. Just doing the thing will often re-motivate you.

Biker-Joe's advice is really good. Depression is just so horrible. I suffer with it myself but try to keep it at bay. Cycling generally does it for me, not always. But that advice is excellent!

 

[Biker Joe]

Having a slump here too, we both suffer with S.A.D. We have cycled about 25 miles this year, which is shocking. What with the snow, high winds and the general misery of January, neither of us have felt motivated enough to go out on our bikes, even to the post office for a pint of milk. Its bad enough motivating ourselves to get out and walk the dogs!
However, I reckon that one ride (waiting for a calm and not too freezing day) and I will be more motivated. Sometimes just getting on the bike, however much I don't feel like doing it, can be the key.
I have been looking at my trainers and thinking 'I need a jog' and looking at my cycling shoes and thinking 'I need to get out for a ride' but the January blues is keeping me from doing it.

Maybe, as others have said, don't commute by bike if you don't have to. Just pick a nice day and go for a bimble whether it be 3 miles, 10 miles or however many you fancy. If miles are daunting to you (they are to us), go for a 20 minute ride, or a half an hour ride or whatever. Just doing the thing will often re-motivate you.

Biker-Joe's advice is really good. Depression is just so horrible. I suffer with it myself but try to keep it at bay. Cycling generally does it for me, not always. But that advice is excellent!

Thanks for the complement. I just thought I should share some positive experience.
I too suffer from SAD. This year ,however, I have managed the condition by taking Vit D supplements, eating plenty of oily fish and , dare I say it, drinking lots of Ovaltine. A good source of Vit D . And trying, in vain sometimes, to catch as much sun as I can. It all seems to have had some positive effect.

 

[Tribanite]

happens to all of us at some point or another. My plan was to go for a 10 mile pootle today, as the weather prediction was dry sunny and windy. it was instead wet & windy. i stayed indoors :-(

 

[Dave 123]

Vike
Dayvo has supplied a good answer should you have the cash & time. I was in Tenerife at christmas and it was great to see colour for the first time in months. Even without depression this bloody weather is taxing, warmth & colour!
Go and have day rides, not just commuting, and promise yourself that when you get to the teashop you'll have the BIGGEST creamiest cake there!
Go out and get absolutely knackered on your bike. I know when I've had bouts of "down" giving myself a good old physical spanking (??? bloody pervert!) once or twice a week helps alot.
Hope you start to feel better as the days get longer.

 

[Dave 123]

Have you tried hypericum tablets?

 

[Biker Joe]

happens to all of us at some point or another. My plan was to go for a 10 mile pootle today, as the weather prediction was dry sunny and windy. it was instead wet & windy. i stayed indoors :-(

Then what did you do?

 

[Tribanite]

Then what did you do?

badgered the wife for some knooky ......

ended up on CC and doing some work admin :-(

 

[paulw1969]

Sorry to hear that Vike......try to take it easy on yourself and not beat yourself up......240 miles reckon thats more than i have done this month and i a hell of a lot more than those who only commute in summer .....as others have said the weather has been particularly bad...if its bad and you dont fancy it so what? theres always another day and Spring is just around the corner.
I know what its like with depression i have been there myself.....things will get better!! Just take each day at a time and if you can get out for pleasure rides on nice weather days with mates all the better.

I wish you well.

 

[HLaB]

For the first time in 4 years of returning to biking I appear to have lost my mojo! I think I know why. A combination of a loss of fitness caused by 3 months off with depression which means that I don't seem to be able to commute more than 2 days on the trot. The weather isn't helping, but that hasn't stopped me before. Even my Paddywagon is sitting there waiting for a complete rebuild and I can't be ar$$ed to get it done! Really fed up at the moment! I want to ride, it seems the slightest excuse means I can't swing my leg over the saddle.

Try commuting by another means, a day on the bus/ stuck in a jam usually works for me. I was round your way yesterday, Bourne seems like a good cycling spot.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Try commuting by another means, a day on the bus/ stuck in a jam usually works for me. I was round your way yesterday, Bourne seems like a good cycling spot.

Guys Thanks for the words. Decided to stay off the bike for a a week longer. Then start again. Shall try and get the Fixed Gear sorted this week. Something new to play with will help.
HLaB, That road is awsome from Melton too Bourne. You missed my front door by about 100meteres. We will have to meet up for a brew and a ride at some point!

 

[Alan57]

I`m prone to depression , had psychiatric counselling in the past and don`t really cope well with setbacks in my life .I`m also a difficult person to those I care about ,which is pretty destructive sometimes. My own mantra for coping is the pain lasts for a little while , giving up lasts forever , and by that I mean push past the way you feel and try to fight it because you can never let that crap blackness take over .I find the days I don`t want to ride I enjoy the more when I get out , because i`m winning the fight. Even if you don`t want to ride on your shoot days , do something you like , listen to the music you love , watch a film that makes you laugh or reflect on things that are really important to you , but don`t give in ,it`s a battle and you must always win it . Take it easy and ride mate.