I think you are not alone in dealing with certain kinds of depression which perhaps relates to existential woes, and all I can say is that you are doing the right thing to go out and enjoy, when you can. I've personally found that throttling back to more reasonable expectations is in my case a better answer than the "blitzkrieg" kind of recreation which, in my opinion, after a certain personal threshold of how much activity we try to jam in, for me turns out to have the opposite effect. Wishing you balance, peace and a tranquil ride!
To me, a sight of beautiful nature is depressing because it won't be here in a hundred years or less. We, humans, are killing the planet. We know about it, but continue doing so with accelerating pace. Earth will become as barren as Mars, and all that will be left is Planet Earth docos in 4K.
Thank you; I try to stay positive on my rides. The good news is that the rides do make me feel better and happier than I would feel if I didn't go on the rides.
Thank you for the encouragement!
We were lost in the desert for several hours and our group was depressed and angry. One of the Outward Bound guides had shown me how to read topographic maps, but the large and in-charge types had ignored my navigation recommendations and our guides were shadowing us out of sight.
We were on our own and failing miserably and people were turning on each other. Throughout all this, I was ridiculously calm. Before I could get caught up in their downward spiral or perseveration of despondency, I physically separated myself from the group by walking ahead of them. And I started to repeat silently, “The mind is king or it is conquered.”
Two hours or so later of repeating this mantra while hiking, our guides caught up to us because we were heading towards a restricted wildlife area that we were specifically told under no circumstances to enter. I looked at my traveling companions and they were all emotionally wrecked while I was more than ready for the several hours of night hiking ahead of us that our “detour” now required.
Life is a mind game.
Thank God you know. I was a geophysicist for 16 years involved in water testing, among other things, and when you can see what we’re actually doing, it’s so hard to fathom.
But I ride like @zorxique , 3 times a week, and run in the hills 3 others, and keep myself positive by thinking “At least I get to witness it here and now, when it’s still miraculously gorgeous.” And I drink in its beauty, the flowers, birds, trees, mountains, squirrels.
Exploring space like we do highlights what a rare jewel we live on.
my friend has 5 kids and a busy clinic he runs as a doctor. He is busy to put it mildly. He rides his bike to work to get around the too busy problem. Making time to be healthy will add time and vigor to your life. Make it happen.
Trust me, riding to work has been suggested and considered before, but it just isn't possible. I would love to be able to do it, but circumstances don't allow it.
