Living Car Free - Another argument for biking to work: Better than psychotherapy!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/ethicallivingblog/2009/aug/07/bike-blog-cycle-for-health



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The guidance from the U.K. government's chief medical officer says "Physical activity is effective in the treatment of clinical depression, and can be as successful as psychotherapy or medication, particularly in the long term."

It can actually be more successful, say the mental health professionals who work with us, as cycling has almost no negative side effects. And apart from being arguably more fun than psychotherapy, riding a bike happens to help treat many of the conditions that may go along with mental health problems, like high blood pressure and being overweight.
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A finding that that I've known, probably by a lot of persons at BF, for a long time.

From my observations made of my co-workers, by the time I reach the level that I want to jump off the ledge at work, my co-workers have long since made the plunge.
Also in the workplace, numerous persons are having to use meds, alcohol, and illicit drugs to cope with the stress load, whereas bicycling is my stress reliever of choice without the side effects of the previous choices.

If it has been a very stressful day at the workplace, instead of popping more pills, or having a few more rounds at the favorite watering hole, I'll just add a few more miles to the homeward commute, maybe through a slower, more scenic route.

Whatever route I choose to take after work, my stress level has diminished considerably by the time I walk through the front door at home, and I'm able greet everyone cheerfully.

what? car centric lifestyle contributes to mental health problems? Or are you saying that car-free lifestyle is only suitable for nut cases?

A finding that that I've known, probably by a lot of persons at BF, for a long time.

If it has been a very stressful day at the workplace, instead of popping more pills, or having a few more rounds at the favorite watering hole, I'll just add a few more miles to the homeward commute, maybe through a slower, more scenic route.

Whatever route I choose to take after work, my stress level has diminished considerably by the time I walk through the front door at home, and I'm able greet everyone cheerfully.
I have to admit the same. As soon as I get through the door at my workplace and start heading out on bicycle, whatever stress accumulated over the day is all left behind. For some reason, I don't get quite the same feeling if I have to head home in a car.

I have to admit the same. As soon as I get through the door at my workplace and start heading out on bicycle, whatever stress accumulated over the day is all left behind. For some reason, I don't get quite the same feeling if I have to head home in a car.

Hey! How about that? I've figured out how to quote someone........

Anyway, I can't agree more. The bike ride makes going to work something to look forward to. Especially the ride home.

I can't really claim to know how my co-workers view their commute. But I've seen no evidence that they look forward to it the way that I do.

what? car centric lifestyle contributes to mental health problems? Or are you saying that car-centric lifestyle is only suitable for nut cases?Hmmm... Chicken or Egg?

Edit: I misread your post originally, so had to modify it, to make it, and my response, make more sense.

Hmmm... Chicken or Egg?

Edit: I misread your post originally, so had to modify it, to make it, and my response, make more sense.

I meant the original. Maybe we're crazy and need the therapy and we're misreading the bliss and joy of our car dependent neighbors as anger and frustration.

I meant the original. Maybe we're crazy and need the therapy and we're misreading the bliss and joy of our car dependent neighbors as anger and frustration.Oh, I understood your original intent once I reread it, just disagreed with it. I think the car drivers ARE crazy.

Hey! How about that? I've figured out how to quote someone........

Anyway, I can't agree more. The bike ride makes going to work something to look forward to. Especially the ride home.

I can't really claim to know how my co-workers view their commute. But I've seen no evidence that they look forward to it the way that I do.

Glad you found the quote feature :)

It's kind of funny at my workplace. Quite a few co-workers are cyclists, but not all of them commute. Some are weekend cyclists. Other do the RAGBRAI tour every year. The thing is, even those who never commute, even those who never cycle much, seem to understand what fun it is to walk out the door and hop on your bike.

It's just that quite a few of them don't have the nerve to try it. Often they are afraid of traffic. Other seem to be daunted by the logistics (like devoting an extra half hour for showering, changing,etc.).

Of course, seeing a few of us who are "hooked" must make them wonder...

Glad you found the quote feature :)

It's kind of funny at my workplace. Quite a few co-workers are cyclists, but not all of them commute. Some are weekend cyclists. Other do the RAGBRAI tour every year. The thing is, even those who never commute, even those who never cycle much, seem to understand what fun it is to walk out the door and hop on your bike.

It's just that quite a few of them don't have the nerve to try it. Often they are afraid of traffic. Other seem to be daunted by the logistics (like devoting an extra half hour for showering, changing,etc.).

Of course, seeing a few of us who are "hooked" must make them wonder...

I never thought about it until I read this post, but some of my coworkers do seem a little envious of me sometimes. We start our shift in report, and they sometimes ask me how my ride to work was. Even my stupid experiences, like stopping the other day to watch a squirrel chew gum, seem to interest them. One lady said, "How come you're the only one who ever saw a squirrel chewing gum?" I told her it's because I'm not zipping past all the squirrels in a car. Another guy said I was pretty goofy, but he really needed to get his bike out more.

And what's strange to me is that watching the squirrel chew gum actually was therapeutic, even for the coworkers that I told about it. We'd all been involved in a horrible experience the previous night, and it did us some good to laugh about the silly squirrel. So it's not just riding the bike that's therapeutic, it's also the little experiences that you have on the ride, that you would probably never have if you were in a car.

it's the tempo/pace factor of riding a bike. cars just go too fast to be a comfortable ride. it adds stress to one's life. on a bike you are regulating your speed based on your own comfort zone.
it seems pretty self evident to me i don't understand why it doesn't seem self evident to others. very few people in my area use cars even thought i'm sure they are only going a short distance for a java run or to get a sandwich or newspaper.

Cars can be therapeutic, but you need lots of money for that too be possible. Thus is why most of us find them stressful. I actually love working on cars, going to autoshows, and watching autoraces. Someday I wanna do amateur road course racing, if I can afford it. The problem comes with affordability. If you "need" your car to get to work, can barely afford it, and risk huge debt every time the thing breaks down, it's not difficult to see why so many of us find cars too stressful to own. Then add to that how boring it usually is to drive on most public roads.

My wife will testify that I'm much more pleasant on days that I ride to work.

Then add to that how boring it usually is to drive on most public roads.

For many people in major cities, "stressful" would be a more accurate description than "boring".

The problem comes with affordability. If you "need" your car to get to work, can barely afford it, and risk huge debt every time the thing breaks down, it's not difficult to see why so many of us find cars too stressful to own. Then add to that how boring it usually is to drive on most public roads.

:thumb: I can speak to suffering through some of this. You base your life around a motor vehicle, then discover that it eats up to 25-30% of your income. The car breaks down. The kids can't get to school on the other side of town. You have to walk 2 miles to the grocery store.

That sort of stress.

Cars can be therapeutic, but you need lots of money for that too be possible. Thus is why most of us find them stressful. I actually love working on cars, going to autoshows, and watching autoraces. Someday I wanna do amateur road course racing, if I can afford it. The problem comes with affordability. If you "need" your car to get to work, can barely afford it, and risk huge debt every time the thing breaks down, it's not difficult to see why so many of us find cars too stressful to own. Then add to that how boring it usually is to drive on most public roads.

Personally, after being involved in auto racing for many years, I wouldn't really call it "therapeutic", more like "addictive". I stopped being actively involved in racing since it started to take up far too much of my time and money, whereas bicycling comes at a lower cost, slower pace, and I find it easier to control how much time I want to spend doing it.

That's interesting, dynodonn. What kind of racing were you involved in, and what did you do?

What kind of racing were you involved in, and what did you do?

Saturday night circle burning warrior, aka: stockcar.