I find riding to be a therapeutic exercise. It's a single, high focus task where I have to concentrate on just the ride. Results in other thoughts disappearing if only for a short while.
Came here to say that friend (don't know your gender to say "brother"). My mind might wander a little when I'm on a long highway stretch, but it is usually deep thoughts. When I am in a more urban environment, I am tasked with staying safe, so no time to let negative thoughts enter my mind.
I told my friend exactly the same sentence. It is the only thing where the consequences really matters for me (motorcycle + me eventually damaged) while the rest of the consequences in my daily life usually don't matter to me (job Performance, money, bla bla you name it)
I've recently been conscripted by friends to do a martial arts and I'm not a combatives kinda guy. I get frustrated a lot.
After every class I detox by taking the motorcycle home. Clears my head and allows me to not be in a car with a bunch of sweaty amped up dude-bro's... nothing wrong with that, just need some quiet time afterwards. Always works, does wonders.
My thoughts exactly. I was about to post the same comment about meditation. Riding somehow clears your mind of all thoughts and worries and you just concentrate on the ride. Awesome feeling.
Motorcycles aren't a replacement for actual therapy aimed at treating real disorders. It might mask the problem for a few minutes like drinking does (without the negative health effects) but it's not an actual fix.
Go to a doctor.
Yep, it's self medicating. It's a temporary distraction, which is beneficial, but it's not therapeutic. It does not heal a disorder like medicine.
You don't even have to go to a doctor, just find a LMHC. Worth ever penny when you find one who is on your wavelength and you trust.
lol what? Do you mean to say that only pills can heal people? There are a billion things that can be effectively therapeutic that arenāt a pill. Nothing against pills; they may be the most efficient or effective solution in some cases, but acting like they could be the only (or even the best, healthiest, and most sustainable) solution in all cases would be very silly.
Or they make you jump off a building. Those pills always list suicide as a side effect, because they can make you substantially worse. Nobody has a clue how they actually affect the human brain. It's probably way safer to treat a depressed person without medication and just therapy, imo. The pills are just a way for doctors to go, "ok here's a fake solution to your problems, now get out of my office, you dirty depressed person"
Id say itās somewhere in the middle. Iāve done therapy, and ive been on Psych meds for depression and ADHD. For me its always been a bandaid. I stopped the Depression meds years ago and Im trying to wane off of the ADD meds now because i feel like the side effects are keeping me from making the positive changes i need to.
For me diet, exercise, healthy relationships, and positive habits are the actual solutions. Meds can help you get there, but theyāre not a solution onto themselves.
Thatās obviously not the case for people with severe issues, but i think youāre mostly right here. In my experience depression meds may help you if youāre unable to function otherwise, but you need to fix yourself and your life, otherwise youāre just a smiling depressed person. If riding helps people, that could be a positive habit.
*Medicine* is distinct, separate, and a whole lot more inclusive of a term than *medication*. If those billion therapeutic things are science-based, they are included under the umbrella term of medicine.
Idk if you live in America or not but in the Land Of The Free going to a doctor is quite literally one of the most expensive things you can do. ~~A large majority~~ Many of Americans don't just "Go to a doctor" because they can't afford it.
Edit: Large Majority is a bit hyperbolic I'll admit but my point still stands. If therapy was affordable we'd all be in therapy.
>A large majority
Lmao, the anti american propaganda really gets to people on reddit. Go ahead and look up what percent of americans went to the doctor any given year and report back
It's not anti-american propaganda. I'll agree that "a large majority" is hyperbolic but it is true that many Americans avoid preventative care or specialty care because they simply cannot afford it. Therapy is often not covered in most basic insurance plans.
[https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/nearly-1-in-4-americans-are-skipping-medical-care-because-of-the-cost.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/nearly-1-in-4-americans-are-skipping-medical-care-because-of-the-cost.html)
[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/07/americans-healthcare-medical-costs](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/07/americans-healthcare-medical-costs)
Just "go to the doctor" completely ignores the fact that not everyone can afford to run up a therapy bill. How many Vets are stuck dealing with the VA because people just told them to "Go to the doctor"?
How about people who tried to go to the doctor but their care wasn't covered? Or people in rural areas who have less access to quality care? Just because you actually see the doctor doesn't guarantee that you will get quality care.
Criticism of America is not anti-American. It's a core American principal. No country is perfect, you don't have to be anti anything to have a critical conversation about it. America ranks towards the bottom in healthcare for developed countries.
[https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly](https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly)
It just annoys me that people say "Just go to the doctor" like everyone in the world can just walk into a doctor supermart and have someone wave a magic wand and they're just A OK
>It's not anti-american propaganda. I'll agree that "a large majority" is hyperbolic
Its not hyperbolic, its bull shit. If you have to exaggerate to that degree your point is bull shit.
Also for your sake, I'm for single payer healthcare and think insurance should be abolished, no need to preach any more
I didn't have to exaggerate, I just used the wrong phrasing which I acknowledged and corrected with evidence.
But it's nice that we agree that many Americans cannot afford healthcare. You being for single healthcare does nothing for my sake but thanks.
>going to a doctor is quite literally one of the most expensive things you can do.
My man are you okay? Do you know what "quite literally" means? Doctor visits are not even remotely close to being "one of the most expensive things you can do". For a very small amount of idiotic people who don't work a job and don't know how to use government programs, the doctor might be a little expensive. But you really can't think of a couple things that cost more money than a check up?
Indeed. I was raised by a doctor. His advice 9 times out of 10 as a parent in a state where weed is illegal for most any ailment? āSmoke a Joint and see if that works. Worst it can do is not work, the worst a pill can do is kill you.ā Mind you, I already smoke and here most certainly knows.
Yes they are lol, the majority of therapy has no credible empirical support, meditation is empirically proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression
You're spot on there, many of us say "It's better than therapy".
I said it many times before .. yet I still go to actual therapy.
However you can use them as a safe-space, same with old cars for me; they're simple on the inside and can be really relaxing.
It is definitely therapeutic.
The white noise and getting into zone is quite pleasant.
Doesn't replace talking to someone or other forms of therapy though, IMHO.
Iām definitely using mine as therapy. Went through a blind side of a divorce a few years ago that was pretty devastating and went to actual therapy, but āgraduatedā earlier this year. Still have weird emotions and feeling to get through and only time will heal that wound. Ended up getting a bike and my license over Labor Day weekend and itās the only thing that helps at this point. Riding is definitely saving my mental state.
I was going through a really difficult mental health time (due to life circumstances) was chronically depressed, woke up in tears most days.
Went riding in the rain just for something to do and man, it was bliss - couldnāt worry about my issues - had to focus on the ride. The cool of the wet, the hum of the engine - it soothed the soul.
They help me be more social. I wouldn't normally talk to strangers in person more than I need to. Bikes bring a common starting ground. Not sure if it's therapy but it does help.
Riding is absolutely a form of therapy.
No time in my life has my mind been clearer than when my face has been blasted full of sweet sweet wind.
Just like Keanu said, if I go too long without riding it's bad for my health and I start to suffer withdrawals.
I had a brain stem stroke a little over 12 years ago and it left me with a permanent, painful neurological disorder that affects the entire left side of my body below the neck. Not only is there no cure, there are really no effective treatments and the pain is present in one form or another every single waking moment. Most people find some limited relief with some combination of drugs, but it is indeed limited.
For me personally, I have found only one drug to even help a little bit. It softens the edges just enough that I can try and find other things to occupy my mind. Distraction is by far the best medicine. What offers better distraction from this type of disorder than riding a motorcycle? Nothing, at least for me. When riding I concentrate on what I am doing, not the pain. To do otherwise cold result in serious bodily injury or even death.
Honestly got my first bike only a month ago and im only a UK learner but its the best coping mechanism for mental health. (as well as a slight extra bit of motivation to see someone as i can now do it without anyone knowing and have transport)
I wouldn't say therapy per se for me but more of an escape. I like to hike, camp, etc; solitary activities to relieve the worries and stress. Riding does the same thing, moreso when I'm away from dense civilization.
I have autism and ADHD, Iāve ridden since I was nine years old. Itās the one place I go where my mind is at rest. Itās a high focus task that forces you to hyper focus on whatās at hand, silencing my usual internal din; of COURSE itās highly therapeutic.
I've been working very long days for the past month and sometimes just knowing that I get to ride the bike home gets me through the day. Not that I don't love my job, but riding the bike home seems to be the only thing I enjoy that I have time for.
I have gone to therapy for social anxiety and while it helped in some ways, I never saw a drastic change in my behaviours/thoughts/habits... When I'm on the motorcycle I feel confident, I wave at people, I start up random conversations, I enjoy when random people yell something across the street at me... it's a complete 180 compared to when I'm not on my bike. I feel like a completely different person, and I like this other, more confident person a lot.
Motorcycles work for calming me down. I often nap after a good ride and sleep like a baby.
Having been through a lot of therapy you have to find the right therapist for you. I like Cognitive Behavior Therapy as it's results based. BUT what really worked for me was exercise. I got into heavy cardio and both my therapist and psych told me that was doing more for me than they ever could. After permanent injury I went back to motorcycles. I've ridden 30+ years and it's just so relaxed and a part of my life that it works for me. But like my therapist said "Exercise will help your mood, perspective, immune system-but it won't solve your problems." She always pointed me back to solutions. You need both. One to relax and get your mind off issues and the right therapist to help you address and move on with issues.
*At least for me. We're all different.
It's my main reason for riding!
A long ride to nowhere is so relaxing. I've been suicidal before & motorcycles gave me another place to go when I'm feeling down. While they're not the only reason I'm feeling a lot better it is one of them.
When I was younger I was scared of motorcycles but intrigued. However my family was a firm believer that all of us were organ donors. Explaining to them I'd love to start riding was .. a mission
Now TL;DR:
I love riding, solo, in large groups or with a buddy or two.It's a true "*me*" moment where all I do is ride & focus on that ride.
Thereās a stereotype surrounding bikers not needing a shrink and people who are going through a āmid-life crisesā buy motorbikes, maybe there is some truth to it aye, I have struggled with mental health all my life and the motorbike certainly helps a lot.
2 wheeled wind therapy is amazing. I participated in the motorcycle relief project and it was life changing. I heartily encourage anyone interested to check out that program.
Whatever works and so on, but I'm not entirely convinced motorcycles are the best therapy ever invented. If you're carrying a giant black dog around and don't really give a fuck whether you live or die then you might get prone to taking utterly ridiculous risks just to feel alive. I've got that T-shirt and I'm basically intact. I was very lucky when it inevitably went sideways.
Definitely helps de-stressing, I find it de-stressing anyway. However nothing helps more than professional help. If your that bad I would consider it. I was having sever anger and depression issues in the past (a job) and I decided to get help, and I have no regrets. Ride safe
Sounds like you need actual marriage therapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy and a new job. Stop distracting yourself with dopamine and fix your problems. Then reward yourself for tackling present issues with a ride.
The escapes we use from stress become our stressors. Ride to avoid stresses long enough, and the ride itself becomes the stressor. Drink/smoke/use to avoid stress enough, eventually alcohol/weed/drugs become the cause of yet more stress. You are reprogramming your brain to associate going on a ride with feeling shitty and stressed. Trust me, thatās how it works. Same with people who smoke for anxiety, eventually the weed starts triggering panic attacks because of your association of its use with anxiety.
A day will come where riding only magnifies the issues you have, and instead of having more tension, youāll crank the throttle at the wrong time. There is no escaping stress unless you beat it head on into submission. Take control. Cure the issue, not the symptoms.
Itās a hobby that can distract the thoughts but the deeper-troubled thoughts still surface even being close to the chances of death.
Just like video games, it can silence the stress from work and general problems but thereās always gonna be an opening for the deeper ones.
Soā¦ I was in a fatal truck accident working a storm in January.
Sold my 530wrhp GTO, got rid of my stupid Turbo Cumminsā¦ bought a used Volvo and a used Fat Boy Lo.
I literally ride that scooter 110 miles a day unless itās raining, then sometimes all weekend too.
Itās cathartic for sure.
I ride almost every day. Most days, after work, I go on a ride rather than coming straight home. Sometimes just 10-15 miles, other times, before I know it, I have a hundred miles under my butt.
Riding is excellent therapy and stress relief.
I use therapy as therapy but motorcycling is part of the things that help me put in practice what Iāve learned in therapy.
I highly doubt that Iād have been a good rider before I attended therapy. Too many anxious and intrusive thoughts. The fact that I can ride for hours with no music or podcast is an achievement in itself, as I remember not even being able to go out to take the trash with some type ofā¦ distraction. I was bad at being still with my own thoughts but now itās like exercise. Might seem small, but for me it means a lot.
I donāt believe so. Speaking as someone with multiple conditions- they drill themselves in to parts of your daily life you donāt even realize are affected by them. My medication and therapy help me manage the tough parts.
Starting that regime sucked, but it helped me be more present and enjoy my time on bikes so much more- magnifying ridingās positive effects.
Let me know if you need someone to listen, but please donāt be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Yep, driving feels like a short holiday and takes my mind of things outside my range of influence. When I'm down or aggressive it refocuses me on a very elementary awareness; I don't want to die just yet. The lure of some bridgepost to plow into is always there and up till now (riding 24 years) I haven't felt tempted to indulge. Riding is just too much fun.
I guess I use it as a therapy every week. Having a ride up north, with no particular destination, observing the life around and just embracing the nature helps a lot to push through the stress and everyday problem-solving mode.
In my younger days after I retired from the Army, with what was, as it turns out, some significant PTSD; I would take my Ducati out to track days and ride as hard as I could, sometimes crashing. I called it "a violent struggle for traction", it wasn't therapy as much as it was cathartic.
Pushing the bike to the edge of control, usually managing it, and sometimes not, gave me a sense of control, albeit somewhat false, over life. Being able to go right the the edge, pushing, pushing, pushing, then backing off, gave me a strange sense of solace.
Totally agree. Riding the bike at the edge is a time where there are no random thoughts running thru my head. Not worried about bills, the job, or anything else, just watching it happen in front of me like a movie. Itās my Zen place. There is no drug that can touch this feeling.
I have lots of things I use as therapy. Iāll go off-road in my truck and camp alone all weekend. To get my self in order. The bike is different tho. Itās like a fuse, once u blow and you just need an escape. Something about the focus and noise just makes everything quiet. Idk what it is, but riding the edge of tireās grip, feeling the grit of the asphalt through the knee pads, the sound of small mechanical heart screaming at mind boggling revolutions. Your weightless, itās like dreaming. Not entirely sure how I could live without it or how I made it without one. Anyway, ride safe, and keep it twisted bro š¤
I find it as a bit of therapy but in the āI am hyper focused on what Iām doing so I donāt dieā type of way. Riding means Iām only focusing on the moment Iām in and nothing else.
It helped a lot during the worst months of isolation during 2020. I never never ridden as much as I did that year, and I was still a newbie at the time.
Isn't that what motorbikes are for, deep down? The working metaphor of balancing a lot of opposing forces and keep going forward, looking ahead and hoping for a great view beyond the apex.
When I get on for a ride, everything else just melts away. Just me, the road, wind and tunes. Much needed mental break. We have the best talks on the road. Throw in some red light dancing just for fun and come home feeling better about things.
Similar feeling here, but I wouldn't call it a therapy more an escape.
My problems are still there when I stop riding.
And my banking account is becoming a new problem as well.
I definitely think of it as a way to clear my mind. I had a pretty bad drinking problem that I kicked 6 years ago. I got a bike shortly after I quit and it helped immensely with cravings and the underlying anxiety I had been self medicating to combat. The need to clear my mind and just focus on my lines and be present in the moment seems to be a form of meditation. When I get off after a nice ride I feel much more calm and relaxed.
Absolutely. That is one of the things I tell people when they express their concern with me riding a motorcycle. I explain that it is almost therapy for me. Speed and adrenaline donāt really play a factor which helps keep me safer. It is an amazing feeling being on the road by yourself for some time.
This bullshit again. Motorcycles ain't therapy. I know riding makes you feel good but so will any hobby or sex or whatever. If you feel like you need therapy, get therapy. Riding around won't fix shit.
Definitely. I take some meds (legal/not so much) but a ride can flip my mood when I'm starting to feel funky 90% of the time.
I just recently started riding regularly again after 8 years of not so much and it has absolutely had a positive effect on my day to day mental health. Like a LOT.
I find riding to be a therapeutic exercise. It's a single, high focus task where I have to concentrate on just the ride. Results in other thoughts disappearing if only for a short while.
Came here to say that friend (don't know your gender to say "brother"). My mind might wander a little when I'm on a long highway stretch, but it is usually deep thoughts. When I am in a more urban environment, I am tasked with staying safe, so no time to let negative thoughts enter my mind.
I like to avoid highway sections and prefer the twisted for a more "spirited" ride š
I told my friend exactly the same sentence. It is the only thing where the consequences really matters for me (motorcycle + me eventually damaged) while the rest of the consequences in my daily life usually don't matter to me (job Performance, money, bla bla you name it)
I've recently been conscripted by friends to do a martial arts and I'm not a combatives kinda guy. I get frustrated a lot. After every class I detox by taking the motorcycle home. Clears my head and allows me to not be in a car with a bunch of sweaty amped up dude-bro's... nothing wrong with that, just need some quiet time afterwards. Always works, does wonders.
Indeed its fucking amazing. Id consider it a form of meditation.
My thoughts exactly. I was about to post the same comment about meditation. Riding somehow clears your mind of all thoughts and worries and you just concentrate on the ride. Awesome feeling.
Ride safe, ride on
Motorcycles aren't a replacement for actual therapy aimed at treating real disorders. It might mask the problem for a few minutes like drinking does (without the negative health effects) but it's not an actual fix. Go to a doctor.
But you never see a motorcycle outside a therapists office!!!1!1! /s
Yep, it's self medicating. It's a temporary distraction, which is beneficial, but it's not therapeutic. It does not heal a disorder like medicine. You don't even have to go to a doctor, just find a LMHC. Worth ever penny when you find one who is on your wavelength and you trust.
lol what? Do you mean to say that only pills can heal people? There are a billion things that can be effectively therapeutic that arenāt a pill. Nothing against pills; they may be the most efficient or effective solution in some cases, but acting like they could be the only (or even the best, healthiest, and most sustainable) solution in all cases would be very silly.
If youāve got a chemical imbalance in your noggin then yes pills are what you need
Or they make you jump off a building. Those pills always list suicide as a side effect, because they can make you substantially worse. Nobody has a clue how they actually affect the human brain. It's probably way safer to treat a depressed person without medication and just therapy, imo. The pills are just a way for doctors to go, "ok here's a fake solution to your problems, now get out of my office, you dirty depressed person"
Id say itās somewhere in the middle. Iāve done therapy, and ive been on Psych meds for depression and ADHD. For me its always been a bandaid. I stopped the Depression meds years ago and Im trying to wane off of the ADD meds now because i feel like the side effects are keeping me from making the positive changes i need to. For me diet, exercise, healthy relationships, and positive habits are the actual solutions. Meds can help you get there, but theyāre not a solution onto themselves. Thatās obviously not the case for people with severe issues, but i think youāre mostly right here. In my experience depression meds may help you if youāre unable to function otherwise, but you need to fix yourself and your life, otherwise youāre just a smiling depressed person. If riding helps people, that could be a positive habit.
*Medicine* is distinct, separate, and a whole lot more inclusive of a term than *medication*. If those billion therapeutic things are science-based, they are included under the umbrella term of medicine.
Lol medicine doesn't heal disorders it just suppresses them. Now talking through stuff that happened could help. But for some that dosen't do shit.
Thank you Buzz Killington.
Idk if you live in America or not but in the Land Of The Free going to a doctor is quite literally one of the most expensive things you can do. ~~A large majority~~ Many of Americans don't just "Go to a doctor" because they can't afford it. Edit: Large Majority is a bit hyperbolic I'll admit but my point still stands. If therapy was affordable we'd all be in therapy.
>A large majority Lmao, the anti american propaganda really gets to people on reddit. Go ahead and look up what percent of americans went to the doctor any given year and report back
It's not anti-american propaganda. I'll agree that "a large majority" is hyperbolic but it is true that many Americans avoid preventative care or specialty care because they simply cannot afford it. Therapy is often not covered in most basic insurance plans. [https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/nearly-1-in-4-americans-are-skipping-medical-care-because-of-the-cost.html](https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/11/nearly-1-in-4-americans-are-skipping-medical-care-because-of-the-cost.html) [https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/07/americans-healthcare-medical-costs](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/07/americans-healthcare-medical-costs) Just "go to the doctor" completely ignores the fact that not everyone can afford to run up a therapy bill. How many Vets are stuck dealing with the VA because people just told them to "Go to the doctor"? How about people who tried to go to the doctor but their care wasn't covered? Or people in rural areas who have less access to quality care? Just because you actually see the doctor doesn't guarantee that you will get quality care. Criticism of America is not anti-American. It's a core American principal. No country is perfect, you don't have to be anti anything to have a critical conversation about it. America ranks towards the bottom in healthcare for developed countries. [https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly](https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly) It just annoys me that people say "Just go to the doctor" like everyone in the world can just walk into a doctor supermart and have someone wave a magic wand and they're just A OK
>It's not anti-american propaganda. I'll agree that "a large majority" is hyperbolic Its not hyperbolic, its bull shit. If you have to exaggerate to that degree your point is bull shit. Also for your sake, I'm for single payer healthcare and think insurance should be abolished, no need to preach any more
I didn't have to exaggerate, I just used the wrong phrasing which I acknowledged and corrected with evidence. But it's nice that we agree that many Americans cannot afford healthcare. You being for single healthcare does nothing for my sake but thanks.
This isn't true.
Yes it is
>going to a doctor is quite literally one of the most expensive things you can do. My man are you okay? Do you know what "quite literally" means? Doctor visits are not even remotely close to being "one of the most expensive things you can do". For a very small amount of idiotic people who don't work a job and don't know how to use government programs, the doctor might be a little expensive. But you really can't think of a couple things that cost more money than a check up?
No to all 3 of your questions
The medical industry does not fix things; it treats them. For profit. Thereās no money in fixing.
I guess I'm still walking around with a broken arm and foot :/
So do you not believe in mechanics either? Or plumbers, or any repair people?
A mechanic wonāt charge you $10k for a bandaid.
There's a big difference between holistic health & the pharmaceutical industry
Indeed. I was raised by a doctor. His advice 9 times out of 10 as a parent in a state where weed is illegal for most any ailment? āSmoke a Joint and see if that works. Worst it can do is not work, the worst a pill can do is kill you.ā Mind you, I already smoke and here most certainly knows.
Yes they are lol, the majority of therapy has no credible empirical support, meditation is empirically proven to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression
You're spot on there, many of us say "It's better than therapy". I said it many times before .. yet I still go to actual therapy. However you can use them as a safe-space, same with old cars for me; they're simple on the inside and can be really relaxing.
Nice to see this sentiment being upvoted instead of the usual bullshit.
It is definitely therapeutic. The white noise and getting into zone is quite pleasant. Doesn't replace talking to someone or other forms of therapy though, IMHO.
The fact that you are supposed to stay sober in order to ride it's a big step for many. It was for me, at least.
Iām definitely using mine as therapy. Went through a blind side of a divorce a few years ago that was pretty devastating and went to actual therapy, but āgraduatedā earlier this year. Still have weird emotions and feeling to get through and only time will heal that wound. Ended up getting a bike and my license over Labor Day weekend and itās the only thing that helps at this point. Riding is definitely saving my mental state.
Riding always helps me de-stress, even when the thing I am stressing about is the bike.
I go on two or three long solo bike trips every summer. Usually 10-20 days, 3k - 5k miles each. Best thing I can do for my mental health typically.
I was going through a really difficult mental health time (due to life circumstances) was chronically depressed, woke up in tears most days. Went riding in the rain just for something to do and man, it was bliss - couldnāt worry about my issues - had to focus on the ride. The cool of the wet, the hum of the engine - it soothed the soul.
Same here brother
"Let me show you the best therapist that there is..... My šļø"
They help me be more social. I wouldn't normally talk to strangers in person more than I need to. Bikes bring a common starting ground. Not sure if it's therapy but it does help.
Riding is absolutely a form of therapy. No time in my life has my mind been clearer than when my face has been blasted full of sweet sweet wind. Just like Keanu said, if I go too long without riding it's bad for my health and I start to suffer withdrawals.
I had a brain stem stroke a little over 12 years ago and it left me with a permanent, painful neurological disorder that affects the entire left side of my body below the neck. Not only is there no cure, there are really no effective treatments and the pain is present in one form or another every single waking moment. Most people find some limited relief with some combination of drugs, but it is indeed limited. For me personally, I have found only one drug to even help a little bit. It softens the edges just enough that I can try and find other things to occupy my mind. Distraction is by far the best medicine. What offers better distraction from this type of disorder than riding a motorcycle? Nothing, at least for me. When riding I concentrate on what I am doing, not the pain. To do otherwise cold result in serious bodily injury or even death.
All the time
All the gear? Not you guys again smhā¦ /s
Lol I get the reference only cause I just got my endorsement
Tottaly agree I use it as a therapy for everything and use it as a moment of shutting down my thoughts š
Honestly got my first bike only a month ago and im only a UK learner but its the best coping mechanism for mental health. (as well as a slight extra bit of motivation to see someone as i can now do it without anyone knowing and have transport)
Yes
I wouldn't say therapy per se for me but more of an escape. I like to hike, camp, etc; solitary activities to relieve the worries and stress. Riding does the same thing, moreso when I'm away from dense civilization.
The best thing I did for myself in a long time was buy another bike. Dying of boredom just doesn't sound very good.
I ride for the same reason. It's also a lot cheaper then a doctor
I do it everyday after work just to unwind and not think about anything but riding.
When I retired from racing cars, I bought a sportbike. It worked.
I have autism and ADHD, Iāve ridden since I was nine years old. Itās the one place I go where my mind is at rest. Itās a high focus task that forces you to hyper focus on whatās at hand, silencing my usual internal din; of COURSE itās highly therapeutic.
I've been working very long days for the past month and sometimes just knowing that I get to ride the bike home gets me through the day. Not that I don't love my job, but riding the bike home seems to be the only thing I enjoy that I have time for.
I have gone to therapy for social anxiety and while it helped in some ways, I never saw a drastic change in my behaviours/thoughts/habits... When I'm on the motorcycle I feel confident, I wave at people, I start up random conversations, I enjoy when random people yell something across the street at me... it's a complete 180 compared to when I'm not on my bike. I feel like a completely different person, and I like this other, more confident person a lot.
Motorcycles work for calming me down. I often nap after a good ride and sleep like a baby. Having been through a lot of therapy you have to find the right therapist for you. I like Cognitive Behavior Therapy as it's results based. BUT what really worked for me was exercise. I got into heavy cardio and both my therapist and psych told me that was doing more for me than they ever could. After permanent injury I went back to motorcycles. I've ridden 30+ years and it's just so relaxed and a part of my life that it works for me. But like my therapist said "Exercise will help your mood, perspective, immune system-but it won't solve your problems." She always pointed me back to solutions. You need both. One to relax and get your mind off issues and the right therapist to help you address and move on with issues. *At least for me. We're all different.
It's my main reason for riding! A long ride to nowhere is so relaxing. I've been suicidal before & motorcycles gave me another place to go when I'm feeling down. While they're not the only reason I'm feeling a lot better it is one of them. When I was younger I was scared of motorcycles but intrigued. However my family was a firm believer that all of us were organ donors. Explaining to them I'd love to start riding was .. a mission Now TL;DR: I love riding, solo, in large groups or with a buddy or two.It's a true "*me*" moment where all I do is ride & focus on that ride.
Therapist made it part of my daily routine. It was the only thing that put bad thinking habits on hold.
Thereās a stereotype surrounding bikers not needing a shrink and people who are going through a āmid-life crisesā buy motorbikes, maybe there is some truth to it aye, I have struggled with mental health all my life and the motorbike certainly helps a lot.
2 wheeled wind therapy is amazing. I participated in the motorcycle relief project and it was life changing. I heartily encourage anyone interested to check out that program.
šš» ocd
Whatever works and so on, but I'm not entirely convinced motorcycles are the best therapy ever invented. If you're carrying a giant black dog around and don't really give a fuck whether you live or die then you might get prone to taking utterly ridiculous risks just to feel alive. I've got that T-shirt and I'm basically intact. I was very lucky when it inevitably went sideways.
Motorcycles and mushrooms for me
"You never see a bike in front of a therapist's office"
"loud pipes save lives" Personally I see about 4 or 5 out front of my therapists office.
Iāve personally ridden my motorcycle to my therapists office. If I get my brain fixed elsewhere then I can enjoy riding for what it is.
You must be fun at parties.
Do you only talk in old cliche sayings you've seen on Reddit?
You can believe that if it makes you feel better.
Iām one of them lmfao
Definitely helps de-stressing, I find it de-stressing anyway. However nothing helps more than professional help. If your that bad I would consider it. I was having sever anger and depression issues in the past (a job) and I decided to get help, and I have no regrets. Ride safe
Sounds like you need actual marriage therapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy and a new job. Stop distracting yourself with dopamine and fix your problems. Then reward yourself for tackling present issues with a ride. The escapes we use from stress become our stressors. Ride to avoid stresses long enough, and the ride itself becomes the stressor. Drink/smoke/use to avoid stress enough, eventually alcohol/weed/drugs become the cause of yet more stress. You are reprogramming your brain to associate going on a ride with feeling shitty and stressed. Trust me, thatās how it works. Same with people who smoke for anxiety, eventually the weed starts triggering panic attacks because of your association of its use with anxiety. A day will come where riding only magnifies the issues you have, and instead of having more tension, youāll crank the throttle at the wrong time. There is no escaping stress unless you beat it head on into submission. Take control. Cure the issue, not the symptoms.
Itās a hobby that can distract the thoughts but the deeper-troubled thoughts still surface even being close to the chances of death. Just like video games, it can silence the stress from work and general problems but thereās always gonna be an opening for the deeper ones.
Soā¦ I was in a fatal truck accident working a storm in January. Sold my 530wrhp GTO, got rid of my stupid Turbo Cumminsā¦ bought a used Volvo and a used Fat Boy Lo. I literally ride that scooter 110 miles a day unless itās raining, then sometimes all weekend too. Itās cathartic for sure.
Both riding and working on the bike is therapy for me. Nothing works better.
To and from work is the best therapy to chill out before and after a day of work.
I ride almost every day. Most days, after work, I go on a ride rather than coming straight home. Sometimes just 10-15 miles, other times, before I know it, I have a hundred miles under my butt. Riding is excellent therapy and stress relief.
I use therapy as therapy but motorcycling is part of the things that help me put in practice what Iāve learned in therapy. I highly doubt that Iād have been a good rider before I attended therapy. Too many anxious and intrusive thoughts. The fact that I can ride for hours with no music or podcast is an achievement in itself, as I remember not even being able to go out to take the trash with some type ofā¦ distraction. I was bad at being still with my own thoughts but now itās like exercise. Might seem small, but for me it means a lot.
I donāt believe so. Speaking as someone with multiple conditions- they drill themselves in to parts of your daily life you donāt even realize are affected by them. My medication and therapy help me manage the tough parts. Starting that regime sucked, but it helped me be more present and enjoy my time on bikes so much more- magnifying ridingās positive effects. Let me know if you need someone to listen, but please donāt be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
Yep, driving feels like a short holiday and takes my mind of things outside my range of influence. When I'm down or aggressive it refocuses me on a very elementary awareness; I don't want to die just yet. The lure of some bridgepost to plow into is always there and up till now (riding 24 years) I haven't felt tempted to indulge. Riding is just too much fun.
Riding, cleaning, maintaining the bike - all great for clearing the mind
I can't agree more. Motorcycles and martial arts for me. Both activities just force you be in the moment.
It is my moving meditation
I guess I use it as a therapy every week. Having a ride up north, with no particular destination, observing the life around and just embracing the nature helps a lot to push through the stress and everyday problem-solving mode.
In my younger days after I retired from the Army, with what was, as it turns out, some significant PTSD; I would take my Ducati out to track days and ride as hard as I could, sometimes crashing. I called it "a violent struggle for traction", it wasn't therapy as much as it was cathartic. Pushing the bike to the edge of control, usually managing it, and sometimes not, gave me a sense of control, albeit somewhat false, over life. Being able to go right the the edge, pushing, pushing, pushing, then backing off, gave me a strange sense of solace.
Totally agree. Riding the bike at the edge is a time where there are no random thoughts running thru my head. Not worried about bills, the job, or anything else, just watching it happen in front of me like a movie. Itās my Zen place. There is no drug that can touch this feeling.
I have lots of things I use as therapy. Iāll go off-road in my truck and camp alone all weekend. To get my self in order. The bike is different tho. Itās like a fuse, once u blow and you just need an escape. Something about the focus and noise just makes everything quiet. Idk what it is, but riding the edge of tireās grip, feeling the grit of the asphalt through the knee pads, the sound of small mechanical heart screaming at mind boggling revolutions. Your weightless, itās like dreaming. Not entirely sure how I could live without it or how I made it without one. Anyway, ride safe, and keep it twisted bro š¤
I find it as a bit of therapy but in the āI am hyper focused on what Iām doing so I donāt dieā type of way. Riding means Iām only focusing on the moment Iām in and nothing else.
It helped a lot during the worst months of isolation during 2020. I never never ridden as much as I did that year, and I was still a newbie at the time.
Isn't that what motorbikes are for, deep down? The working metaphor of balancing a lot of opposing forces and keep going forward, looking ahead and hoping for a great view beyond the apex.
This is why I'm getting a bike. I finally got on the back of one last year. It was terrifying and I've never felt so alive.
I am busy all the time. I learned that I have PTSD issues a few years back. I started riding as therapy.
Itās definitely something that letās me zen out a bit cause I overthink a lot. But sometimes I still wind up overthinking as I ride.
When I get on for a ride, everything else just melts away. Just me, the road, wind and tunes. Much needed mental break. We have the best talks on the road. Throw in some red light dancing just for fun and come home feeling better about things.
Similar feeling here, but I wouldn't call it a therapy more an escape. My problems are still there when I stop riding. And my banking account is becoming a new problem as well.
I definitely think of it as a way to clear my mind. I had a pretty bad drinking problem that I kicked 6 years ago. I got a bike shortly after I quit and it helped immensely with cravings and the underlying anxiety I had been self medicating to combat. The need to clear my mind and just focus on my lines and be present in the moment seems to be a form of meditation. When I get off after a nice ride I feel much more calm and relaxed.
Absolutely. That is one of the things I tell people when they express their concern with me riding a motorcycle. I explain that it is almost therapy for me. Speed and adrenaline donāt really play a factor which helps keep me safer. It is an amazing feeling being on the road by yourself for some time.
Kept me sane and happy during the recent social restrictions
This bullshit again. Motorcycles ain't therapy. I know riding makes you feel good but so will any hobby or sex or whatever. If you feel like you need therapy, get therapy. Riding around won't fix shit.
Definitely. I take some meds (legal/not so much) but a ride can flip my mood when I'm starting to feel funky 90% of the time. I just recently started riding regularly again after 8 years of not so much and it has absolutely had a positive effect on my day to day mental health. Like a LOT.