veggie_lover

I started cycling two years ago and have logged around 5000 miles commuting. The problem is each commute is always a stressful situation for me. Each time I get butterflies in my stomach which forces me to relieve myself before every evening commute. Thankfully nothing bad has ever happened to me, but I know it is just a matter of time before something does. Hence the stress and need for vigilance.

I put up with it because the benefits seem to outweighs costs. But I fear if I keep doing this, I will eventually get burned out by all this stress and fear. One day I will say forget it all when the straw breaks the camels back. Has this ever happened to anyone else?

MrRamonG

I've been hit a couple times and have had some other mishaps, but nothing truly bad or lasting happened. Maybe the butterflies will disappear once something bad happens, if that is indeed truly inevitable, and you find that you survived. I ride with a lot of confidence, ie. very little stress, and I think that is a by-product of mountain biking. You can develop a lot of good riding skills, including learning how to crash and ride away, from mountain biking. Once you eat dirt a number of times, and find out the worst thing that happened was some gravel rash, you become less worrisome about taking a digger.

aMull

Ride and enjoy it. Stress is the last thing on my mind when i'm out biking. You seem to be worrying about the worst rather than just biking and not thinking about stuff that may or may not happen.

apricissimus 

I've been hit only once, and I was a little nervous the next time out, but I got over it quickly. I just have fun riding my bike. I actually like the constant vigilance I need to ride in traffic. It's like a heightened sense of awareness.

10 Wheels

You might need to take a couple of weeks away from the bike.

vaticdart

I used to get stressed when I'd have a close call or confrontation with a motorist. I'd get home or to work and be all annoyed and agitated. Then I started working on a different thought structure: I pay attention to those motorists who actually obey the laws, use their turn signals, are conscientious and so on. That way, when I'm approaching a questionable situation (hmmmm, I wonder if that car is going to stop at that stop sign?), I'm preparing myself to react emotionally if, and only if, the motorist does the right thing. If they do the wrong thing, I react physically, but my emotions are much more distant.

When a motorist does do something nice, I give them a nod, salute, or just a smile. I found this brought my stress level way down.

BA Commuter

I don't think your question is the same as being stressed or having a fear of getting hit.

Every so often, if I feel a little tired, I do take a day off and recharge. However,I don't stress over things that I can't fully control. I try to be safe, well seen and earn the respect of drivers around me. It has worked for me.

Eventually we're all going to die; it could be tomorrow or many years from now, but we shouldn't stress over it.

Take some time off if you're burned out, but try and enjoy the ride!

Artkansas 

I think you need to get counseling. Find out why you are creating this stress within yourself and explore ways that you can eliminate it.

I've been commuting for 49 years, and most of these years have been pleasant and stress free. The only times I have felt stress on the level you mention was after being mugged by two gangs at one time while commuting to college one night. In that case, I knew that I must keep riding and ride through the fear. But even after this, my fears abated faster than yours have. I have had other close encounters, and of course they temporarily provoke an increase in my paranoia, but it subsides back to non-fearful awareness.

But your paranoia is different because it is not provoked by real events, which makes it harder to deal with. Get some professional help and investigate what is bugging you. Good luck.

You might also want to take a look into Road One courses by LAB. This may provide you with reassurance of your skills and training in situations that may come up.

bhop

What are you doing that's making you so afraid? Personally, I get stressed out when I'm not able to ride. When I get on my bike, i'm a happy guy.

I think I agree with Artkansas

Catgrrl70

Some of us who ride motorcycles say that if you entirely get over the butterflies, you become complacent and more likely to get into an accident. That probably goes for bicycling too for some extent. You need to be on edge in some way - a little hypervigilant in order to pay attention to the multiple tasks involved. More often nervousness goes away after some time. There is also the thought that if you remain too nervous it's not a good sign and that it should be given up. Your nerves could create a bad situation if you aren't vigilant/relaxed simultaneously. Personally, I only enjoy and look forward to my rides. Nerves don't come into it but a different mindset does.

10 Wheels

I rode motorcycles in rush hour highway traffic ( Houston) for 28 years.
Too do that one has to be Fully Alert 100% of the time.
Every-once-in -a while a little voice would say be carefull.
Then I would take a break for a day or two.

OP might do the same?
No Accidents in 28 years.

Spanky-G-Master

I like the butterflies, that's why I ride mountain bikes. The thrill is part of the reason I ride in general, even after nearly biting it after hitting a smashed pumpkin at 30+ mph at first I was amazed I landed the biggest nose wheelie I've ever, but after I kinda liked the adrenaline rush. The next couple of days the bike was needing repairs and I drove and I hated every mile in the truck. My commute is a stress reliever, it certainly doesn't add stress.

veggie lover where do you ride (urban, countryside, etc..)? have you changed your route recently?

tjspiel

These are good questions. Is the stress traffic related? Sometimes just changing a little can help avoid the worst places. If it adds a little time, so what? Better than an anxiety attack.

I can relate some. The roads near my house for most of winter were just terrible. Snow on top of uneven ice. The rest of my commute wasn't bad. The studded tires I started the year with weren't up to the task and I was sliding all over the place. I crashed a few times too. One night a bus was following me and I immediately tensed up. I thought: "Great, people talk about getting run over by a bus but it figures I'd be the one it would actually happen to."

That was the last ride on those tires. I switched to a different bike with different tires. Sometimes I still had trouble and when I did I said: "F**ck it, I'm riding on the sidewalk". I don't mind crashing. I do mind getting run over. I've got kids that I plan to be around for.

So my advice is to try and figure out what is causing the stress and see if you can mitigate it. Has it been stressful from day 1? If it's something that's just started to bother you lately then maybe all you need is a break.

Hey Spanky! How's the weather in Duluth? I'm supposed to drive up there tomorrow and I heard there was an ice storm.

darkmanx2g

Like most of the BF members here, I ride because I enjoy commuting. Commuting for me relieves stress rather than create stress. I think when it comes down to it you have to handle your fear and not let it get to you. Fear is good that's what keeps us alive, however, if you feel like that all the time its best you not to commute.

What was your sole purpose to commute? Commuting suppose to be fun. Not create stress, thats what cars are for! Hehe

Artkansas 

Maybe, but your voice was only occasional. His has been going for 2 years non-stop. I'm not a doctor, but I'm not sure that a few days off would do anything but allow the irrational fear a bit more power.

Your "Fully Alert 100% of the time" sounds similar to my non-fearful awareness. In either case, his thoughts may be distracting him, which might lead to problems. We want him to enjoy commuting. But only he can really find the answer.

Spanky-G-Master

There was a fair amount of ice earlier, but currently it's warm enough that it has melted, at least by the harbor where I live.

Doohickie

Bah. I had a mishap my second time out... no car involved, just dopey ol' me and a crack in the sidewalk... and since then I haven't had any problems. If I was that nervous about commuting, I wouldn't ride at all.

So.... I guess my advice to you is to stop riding.

If you want to keep riding, then, just try to put the bad stuff out of your mind. I actually enjoy being out in the traffic, as crazy as that sounds.... although most of the commute is on low-traffic side streets. Maybe you can adjust your route to find streets that don't make you nervous.

veggie_lover

The stress has greatly reduced as I get more mileage under my belt. Initially I would start getting butterflies several hours before my evening commute home. Now they come just half hour before I get ready to leave, and are hardly noticeable.

My question was really more philosophical in nature. Cycling does take physical, mental and emotional stress toll on you. Once you start doing it so much, don't you begin to question is it all worth it? For what higher purpose am I putting myself through all that stress accumulated over the years?

tjspiel

I think what everyone is saying is that if cycling is taking a physical, mental, and emotional toll on you then something is wrong. It shouldn't or at least it doesn't have to.

Of course there is physical exertion involved but if managed that is a benefit, not a toll. Slow down. Drive part of the way, take some days off, and/or change your equipment if the ride is taking too much of a physical toll. If there's a mental and/or emotional toll, what is causing it? Can you change something to fix it?

I don't enjoy each and every moment of every single ride. Sometimes I just get through it like I would running or anything else I do to get exercise. But for the most part I like it.

If you can't answer your question as to whether it's all worth it, then maybe it's not and something needs to change.

To answer the original question, - can you get burned out?. Yes you can. Take some days off or change your route. It sounds like the problems you're experiencing run deeper than that.

mijome07

Hey veggie lover. Maybe I was a bit harsh (or not) in my comment in your previous thread. Now I see this thread that has a misleading title. I'm glad that you're commuting via bike, but it sounds like your riding is making you more stressed as opposed to riding/commuting to relieve stress.

Better yet, it sounds like anxiety to me. I've been there before (not when I rode or prior), and it's not good. If it's really that bad, then you shouldn't be commuting via bike. I don't have fears, but I have my concerns. Mind over matter. If you don't mind, then it won't matter.

agarose2000

Actually, you might try your commute earlier in the morning. I HATE run or bike commuting in LA in the primetime hours - I can go faster than the "parked" cars stuck in traffic, but everyone's really aggressive during those hours, and it's hard to ride comfortably.

One hour makes a HUGE difference in the morning - AM rides are usually fine here, but the PM rides are invariably a drag.

ken cummings

I've come close to burn-out. Then I started combining bus with bike and cutting back on my club riding.

Artkansas 

I think that's the point. Most of us aren't accumulating stress over the years. Rather, commuting is a stress releaser.

For me personally, bicycling to get around seems like the only proper way to get around and that going by car only happens when I must.

narr33

I have been commuting full time year round for over three years and I still get nervous before each commute. Once I am on the road it totally disappears and I enjoy the ride. I think the extra bit of nervous energy helps me be a little more vigilent. The potential for injury with a few seconds laps of judgement is very real and I think being apprehensive is the sensible reaction. I would be a little worried if I wasn't. I have also been hit twice with one serious injury. But having it cut into your enjoyment may be not as useful. I see it as a good thing and use the extra bit of energy.

Big_e

Veggie_lover, I think your stressing may be unfounded. Sure a bad thing may happen but you stay alert to be ahead of everyone and avoid it. I too get these stressful feelings, right before the ride home but as soon as I get on the bike, it all goes away. It's just me on the bike just as it always has been. When I ask myself why I do it, I think back a year ago when I weighed 200 lbs and had that potbelly that I couldn't get rid of.
Maybe you need to get back to basics and ride close to places around your neighborhood. Not just to work but to different spots near the house and realize once again that bicycleing can be fun and not just a means to get to work. Theres not much for me to see around my poor neighborhood but I'll go to different parks just to get a feel of the area and get used to the traffic movement at different parts of town.
I get that stress too, especially when I get no morale support from co-workers and family. Everyone thinks I'm crazy. It affects me until I get out on weekends to bicycle and remember why I do this for. Go find your mojo.
Ernest

PS: By your handle, I take it that you may watch what you eat. If not, then do so. High salt intake, too much of bad eating and too much coffee can lead to feeling stressful too.