Me and my bike

[esoxlucius]

In modern day life mental health is a huge problem for a lot of people. We all worry and become anxious from time to time and dealing with those feelings isn't always straight forward.

Me? Yes I worry on occasion about day to day life things, but generally speaking my head is in a good place. I put a lot of that down to my hobbies. Fishkeeping is my number one hobby, and being on a fish keeping forum I don't think I really need to delve into the (usually, lol) relaxing vibe which goes with this great hobby of ours.

I do a bit of artwork now and again too, which is also relaxing. I've posted many pictures of my work on the forum, though not for a while!

But I think my number one escape has to be when I go out on my bike. Not my road bike because that can be quite stressful at times, whether it be during a treacherous fast descent or amidst traffic, I have to constantly be on my toes.

But my mountain bike on the other hand allows me to escape the roads and the hustle and bustle of traffic, and explore more serene and tranquil areas, often not that far from where I live either. And of course the added benefit with biking is overall well-being regarding fitness too. It's win win for me.

The pictures below were taken yesterday evening. They all have one thing in common. Each one was taken during complete silence. Not a murmur, other than birdsong, the babbling brook, and those sheep bleating occasionally. Going out on my bike is a fantastic escape for me and really keeps my head in shape.

Other than fish keeping how do you guys like to relax and maintain a good state of mental health?

 

[ken31cay]

Sheep! Nice. I've lived in the tropics for near half my life now and I do appreciate the good points, but have always preferred a temperate climate for the ambient temperature. Here the temperature rarely drops below 80F so it is difficult for me to enjoy 'outdoor activities' most of the time. So I want to say that it looks beautiful where you are and I hope you enjoy the good points it has to offer.

Things I do to relax and maintain a good state of mental health:

1. Work hard at the things I do: my job, my fish tanks, my relationships, etc. Without the hard work there is no satisfaction/peace/appreciation to be enjoyed afterward.

2. Excercise: what I'm able to do in this area is less than what I could do even 10 years ago but I still put in my effort at the gym and my stationary bike at home. Physical excercise does wonders for one's state of mind.

3. Spirituality: I'll separate this from 'religion' for the sake of this post, though my spiritual life still follows all the precepts of said religion, while trying to mitigate the trap many fall in (including myself) of the human factor; I'm sorry to say this but some of the worst people are found in religion.

4. Appreciation: just stopping regularly to appreciate the good things in my life that surround me. It doesn't matter the material things, but of course I can appreciate what I have in that area as well.

Thanks for the post. I notice you have an absurdly high Reaction Score-to-Messages ratio.

 

[esoxlucius]

I notice you have an absurdly high Reaction Score-to-Messages ratio

I know, I can't work it out! Most of the time I just talk rubbish, I guess people must like that about me, lol.

Sheep

You sound a little surprised by the sheep, lol. But I guess living in the tropics you don't have too many sheep about?

 

[Matth05]

I truly believe that hiking and fishing are a form of therapy for me. Takes my mind off of school and work, even if it’s for as little as an hour during the day.
Don’t worry this picture was taken behind a fence .

I also get to see my fair share of nature which I always love.

 

[jjohnwm]

Merely living in a rural area and avoiding excessive contact with crowds does wonders for my frame of mind, especially now that I have retired. I'm always working on some type of projects around the house; I spent most of yesterday "playing the banjo", i.e. wielding a shovel, digging a trench and laying Big-O drainage pipe to carry waste water further from my house and into the adjacent pasture. I also split a lot of firewood as we heat largely with it during the cold months; we had our hopefully last fire of the season just two days ago, so we use a lot of wood. I enjoy doing this kind of work manually, believe it or not; or, more accurately, I enjoy having done it that way. Last week I chopped down my first tree using only an axe rather than a chainsaw; sounds unbelievably trivial, but was an incredibly satisfying experience.

If I have some nagging outside concern nibbling around the edges of my mind, I find that target shooting (casual, not competitive) does a wonderful job of forcing a single-minded focus and concentration that simply leaves no room for the other stuff while engaged in the activity. I also love hunting and fishing, especially the more sedentary forms of those activities that encourage long periods of quiet isolation, allowing for a great deal of introspection and thought. I also usually go for a walk of at least several kilometers early each morning with my dog, ostensibly for birding but really, the walk is its own goal.

I'm a firm proponent of the old saying that "The more people I meet, the more I love my dog".

My wife says that I am "stopping to smell the roses". I would agree, with the proviso that I prefer to be far enough away to keep everybody else from even finding my roses...

 

[PhishMon84]

I grew up in the woods and nature to me is home, there is something very unnatural and uncomfortable about cities to me. it's like a sense doom. I live in Massachusetts a small but beautiful state, about 8 years ago i moved from the western 1/3 to the eastern 1/3. what a difference, yes, we have nature but it's just not home, too many ppl, too many cars.

I routinely drive west to escape the drudgery of the suburbs of Boston and will move back there, with more than my tiny half acre to keep me sane.

By no means am I a religious person, I have found the poem by Emily Dickinson to resonate with me:

Some keep the Sabbath going to Church –I keep it, staying at Home –With a Bobolink for a Chorister –And an Orchard, for a Dome –


Some keep the Sabbath in Surplice –I, just wear my Wings –And instead of tolling the Bell, for Church,Our little Sexton – sings.


God preaches, a noted Clergyman –And the sermon is never long,So instead of getting to Heaven, at last –I’m going, all along.

To say that nature and home is where divinity lives.

(I hope that's not an inappropriate extension to the topic)

 

[ken31cay]

I truly believe that hiking and fishing are a form of therapy for me. Takes my mind off of school and work, even if it’s for as little as an hour during the day.View attachment 1519154View attachment 1519155View attachment 1519156
Don’t worry this picture was taken behind a fence .

I also get to see my fair share of nature which I always love.
View attachment 1519157View attachment 1519158View attachment 1519159

Those pictures. Just wow.

 

[ken31cay]

Merely living in a rural area and avoiding excessive contact with crowds does wonders for my frame of mind, especially now that I have retired. I'm always working on some type of projects around the house; I spent most of yesterday "playing the banjo", i.e. wielding a shovel, digging a trench and laying Big-O drainage pipe to carry waste water further from my house and into the adjacent pasture. I also split a lot of firewood as we heat largely with it during the cold months; we had our hopefully last fire of the season just two days ago, so we use a lot of wood. I enjoy doing this kind of work manually, believe it or not; or, more accurately, I enjoy having done it that way. Last week I chopped down my first tree using only an axe rather than a chainsaw; sounds unbelievably trivial, but was an incredibly satisfying experience.

If I have some nagging outside concern nibbling around the edges of my mind, I find that target shooting (casual, not competitive) does a wonderful job of forcing a single-minded focus and concentration that simply leaves no room for the other stuff while engaged in the activity. I also love hunting and fishing, especially the more sedentary forms of those activities that encourage long periods of quiet isolation, allowing for a great deal of introspection and thought. I also usually go for a walk of at least several kilometers early each morning with my dog, ostensibly for birding but really, the walk is its own goal.

I'm a firm proponent of the old saying that "The more people I meet, the more I love my dog".

My wife says that I am "stopping to smell the roses". I would agree, with the proviso that I prefer to be far enough away to keep everybody else from even finding my roses...

Sounds awesome. There's alot to appreciate there.

 

[Kelly_Aquatics]

Fishing is my #1 hobby at the moment. Hopefully I’ll get back into fish keeping when everything lines back up.

 

[esoxlucius]

Merely living in a rural area and avoiding excessive contact with crowds does wonders for my frame of mind, especially now that I have retired. I'm always working on some type of projects around the house; I spent most of yesterday "playing the banjo", i.e. wielding a shovel, digging a trench and laying Big-O drainage pipe to carry waste water further from my house and into the adjacent pasture. I also split a lot of firewood as we heat largely with it during the cold months; we had our hopefully last fire of the season just two days ago, so we use a lot of wood. I enjoy doing this kind of work manually, believe it or not; or, more accurately, I enjoy having done it that way. Last week I chopped down my first tree using only an axe rather than a chainsaw; sounds unbelievably trivial, but was an incredibly satisfying experience.

If I have some nagging outside concern nibbling around the edges of my mind, I find that target shooting (casual, not competitive) does a wonderful job of forcing a single-minded focus and concentration that simply leaves no room for the other stuff while engaged in the activity. I also love hunting and fishing, especially the more sedentary forms of those activities that encourage long periods of quiet isolation, allowing for a great deal of introspection and thought. I also usually go for a walk of at least several kilometers early each morning with my dog, ostensibly for birding but really, the walk is its own goal.

I'm a firm proponent of the old saying that "The more people I meet, the more I love my dog".

My wife says that I am "stopping to smell the roses". I would agree, with the proviso that I prefer to be far enough away to keep everybody else from even finding my roses...

There are some "jobs" in your post that most wouldn't find relaxing at all, such as chopping wood and digging ditches, but I'm completely with you on that. I love chopping kindling in my back yard. There's something almost therapeutic about chopping wood, and burning it in my woodburner is extremely satisfactory too, especially when it's freezing outside. I challenge myself to get all the sticks as uniform as possible, like soldiers lined up, lol.

I suppose it doesn't matter what floats your boat relaxation wise. It's all about taking your mind away and focusing on something else that matters.

I think we all have a good blend here. Keep sane guys!!

Here's a picture of my wood, just for you jjohnwm !! Lol.