I was diagnosed with depression a lot of years ago. I was never sure the diagnosis was quite right and I always struggled to manage my mental health, especially hypomanic episodes. Finally last year I was diagnosed with bi-polar and my medication changed to reflect that. The hypomania has stopped, but I put a lot of that down to being unemployed for 18 months and the various stages of lockdowns. The issue is I have been struggling with the depressive side for all that time and the lack of motivation to do anything that brings. The other side effect of all this has been 3 stone weight gain which I am desperate to lose again. How do others who struggle with mental health get motivated to get out and do stuff? Any tips on how best to force myself to get out on the trails, either on 2 wheels or on foot?

Honestly, to do list tombola.

Every single thing I need, like or should do is on a little post it note.

If I pick it, got to do it.

Made a 4ft x 8ft sandpit for a mate’s kid and had to use stuff I had to source for free.
Got me out and I felt like riding as a result.

I have and do struggle with exactly this.

Aside from just biting down and riding even if I don’t enjoy it initially.

Get up in the morning and get dressed in your riding gear which you put out the night before.

Tinkering, go to the garage and work on your bike and build up some excitement.

Get friends to drag you out.

And what I use tovget myself out of slump in any case..

Get your house in order, tidy, clean whatever.

Eat properly.

Go outside walk, run, ride or sit just get outside.

Sleep, get better quality sleep, set a bed time and more importantly set an alarm to get up and actually get up.

Eating properly is a big thing, I’ve found. Been eating lots of carby crap lately as it’s easy and comforting, but it makes me feel rubbish, so I eat more out of comfort, and so it continues. It’s all too easy to do though!

Forcing myself back onto the WFPB (whole foods, plant-based) path as of today as I know I always feel better when I do.

Get outside, in any way you can. I’m struggling as usual, but the sunshine and longer days is helping. I’m going to ride my HT tonight, but were I would normally try and do a certain distance/climbing/technical/speed type ride, I’m just going out to ride along the Mersey paths. Just to be out, because that can help lift the mood, and in turn fill you with a little bit of motivation.

Echo what others say about making the effort to leave the house. Start small and get confidence from that. If you’re on Strava (or not even) maybe plan some routes you’ve not ridden or run yet. Make lists – include columns with milestones and dream end goals for each task.

Edit: Stick at the exercise for a few weeks and hopefully it’ll become habit and a part of your day that you look forward to.

Write yourself some goals. What do you want to achieve; what can you realistically achieve in the next hour, the rest of today, tomorrow… and in 6 weeks. Write them down or they won’t happen.

Start your goals list right now. Then go and achieve one of them… could be a walk around the block, to clean your teeth, pump the bike’s tyres up, prepare a meal for later… it doesn’t matter, it’s about doing something.
Keep ticking of these little achievements; keep on achieving; these achievements will build and build.

Any tips on how best to force myself to get out on the trails, either on 2 wheels or on foot?

The easy way I find to do this is to agree to meet someone to go out riding. It makes it harder to cancell it

Nothing to do with depression but as far as overcoming reluctance to do things is concerned I employ two methods.
First is a spreadsheet on the screen of my laptop. It’s called “You never don’t feel better after a bike ride.xlsx” It lists past rides, temperature, weather, type of ride, distance, length. How I felt to start (usually reluctant or very reluctant) how I felt at the end (usually great). I can always find a ride where the weather was worse than today and reassure myself that I’ll end up feeling great.
The other technique is “one bit at a time”. Today was the first time I’ve been able to windsurf in months. For 2 reasons; the usual end of lockdown but added into that is the major spinal surgery I had at the end of October and I wasn’t certain whether my back would stand up to it.
So, I knew the water would be absolutely freezing and the wind was gusty and flaky at my local lake.
Therefore the order is
Pack the van then decide what to do. I’m not committed yet.
Drive to the lake then decide what to do. I’m not committed yet.
Rig up and get into the wetsuit then decide what to do. I’m not committed yet.
Get the gear to the water’s edge then decide what to do. I’m not committed yet.
Go in upto my waist then decide what to do. I’m not committed yet.
Have a quick go, making sure its just 20 yards back to shore then decide what to do. I’m not committed yet.
Then (after feeling more apprehensive than I ever remember) spend the next couple of hours having a fantastic time.
It works for me.

Right… running kit laid out for tonight. Going to do a run/walk/run session to the woods (about 2 miles from my door) and then test out my headtorch on trails I know well. Means I will be alone as the car park will be closed so no feeling self conscious about my lockdown tea gut

Tomorrow’s plan is a night ride at the same place. Lights are charged ready for that already.

Fantastic!! I’m sure you’ll enjoy getting out – especially given the weather we seem to be having.

Best Wishes!

I prefer going out at night, trails are usually deserted, traffic of all kinds is usually light, and darkness brings an extra level of excitement to even the tamest trails.

The only thing that gets me out is my dog. I used to run and ride regularly but I don’t have the motivation anymore. Even if I do manage to start again, it never lasts.
Hopefully you will do better than me, especially if they’ve got your medication right. I took SSRIs for a while and they helped but it gave me really bad bruxism – I grind my teeth anyway – so had to stop.
Anyhow, dogs aren’t for everyone obviously but just an idea. Even if not your own dog, there are ways to borrow doggos. I always feel better when we come back from a walk and obviously it’s an everyday twice a day thing which really helps.
Good luck with it, the Black Dog, and variations on it, really is one dog I am sure many of us could do without.

I make excuses to get out and walk.

‘We’re out of peanut butter’
‘I’ll walk to the supermarket and get some’
‘Don’t be silly it’s 8pm, get it next time you do a shop’
‘But they’re open until 9, I walk 2 miles in less than a hour’
‘It’s drizzling’
‘I have a peaked cap. See you later!’

I nearly always do the shopping and local chores either by foot or by bike. I never feel worse for it (and usually much better)

ymmv, but find excuses to go somewhere.

When I first had trouble riding via injury and weight gain I was getting more depressed and need to figure something out. So I bought a too-small single-speed for £35 from ebay. V brakes, knackered balding tyres. But it rode like a BMX and that was perfect for me because I couldn’t climb seated without reinjuring (athletic pubalgia) so standing and pedalling was the key to keeping active by bike. Baby steps. I needed a 4 mile round trip. Turned out there was a red phone box that had been converted into a book exchange. So I ran reading material errands for Mrs P and I. Take a ride. Leave a book. Take a book.

Last year post-lockdown I was cycling to neighbouring villages to fetch eggs from honesty boxes. Not ‘trails’, but bridleways, back lanes, common land, farm tracks etc. Some days I’d wind up going 6 miles for eggs but then carrying on, exploring, following nose and doing over 20 miles

Night-time urban/extra-urban riding is also something I’ve done for decades now. Much safer and more enjoyable than the same riding by day IMO.

Today I’ll be working indoors but will take 40 mins at lunchtime to walk to DIY shop as I need to buy a paint-roller.

‘Own’ locomotion under yr own steam as ‘you’ time. It soon becomes addictive.

I bought a lightweight medium sized rucksack from Lidl and it perfect to stow a raincoat and a small grocery shop. Bigger shops go by bike and in panniers. Riding = endorphines.

OTOH, I find that grabbing the rucksack + walking is more methodical and meditative. I breathe more slowly and deeply while striding out. Eventually found that I unconsciously was making efforts to breathe more deeply and fully as it felt better. Walked with chin up. Looked around. Enjoyed seeing things. Walls, cats, plants, houses. Architecture. People. Buses. Satellite blinking overhead. Fox! Smell of rain on tarmac.

Found that depression puts my chin down and tightens my chest with shallow breathing. But walking (even strolling) opens my chest and lifts my chin up. Simple stuff. But I feel my spirits lift with those actions.

Own your space. Breathe deeply. Move. Rinse. Repeat.

I’ve long been convinced that cycing + walking are both magical ways to move around. Walking especially as we evolved to do it. Even a mile around the block makes me feel better either way.

Haven’t ridden my mountain bike since August 2019. Various excuses. I have managed to kill few bad habits and develop a couple of good ones. Anything that involves leaving the house is a major mental battle.

Reading with interest.

allanoleary

The issue is I have been struggling with the depressive side for all that time and the lack of motivation to do anything that brings.

Make some commitments to others who will push you to get out… where are you, any others close?
Keep it up and the issue becomes a bit self healing… you push the endorphins and stuff and it feels good and its less daunting to get out.

The other side effect of all this has been 3 stone weight gain which I am desperate to lose again.

That should take care of itself with the above. Some of the weight might just stay as muscle but I’d assume that’s acceptable rather than “weight”.

Last year post-lockdown I was cycling to neighbouring villages to fetch eggs from honesty boxes. Not ‘trails’, but bridleways, back lanes, common land, farm tracks etc. Some days I’d wind up going 6 miles for eggs but then carrying on, exploring, following nose and doing over 20 miles

This is where lockdown really hit me.
I’m trapped in a very small area trying to respect the wishes of others. I’m not really sure what is legal and not (polite requests) as (for my mental health) I don’t watch/read the news etc.

For example I’d always cycle to my GP but Surrey Hills residents are requesting people don’t cycle to Surrey Hills on bikes and to respect that I can’t cycle many places south or east from my house (like my GP where I’d cross in/out of Surrey Hills AONB 5 times between home and the surgery) so instead I drive. (Neither I or the surgery are actually in Surrey Hills but getting there crosses)

It’s the same in the other direction, I’m asked to cycle around Swinley (as I’m apparently not local enough) not through it so effectively all my local riding has stopped as the point of riding was to ride TO Swinley then around then home.

Back then I was motivated to ride either by myself or with others but lockdown stopped meeting others and not riding led to me feeling like Allan with lack of motivation (except I lose weight).

I think I probably left the house 10-20 times over the last year with almost all of those being a visit to the GP or hospital and a couple of trips to screwfix or wickes or click and collect.

I’m hoping to get to see some mates now … and get back into the swing of going out then I’ll be motivated to get out myself when these local restrictions/requests end.

where are you, any others close?

I’m reasonably close to Woburn so good riding options nearby.

Bollox… I’d have ridden with you TODAY as I have to go past later.

I’m seeing my daughter today now so riding isn’t happening.

My OH has a bi-polar diagnosis amongst others.

We make up lists of easy win tasks, some nice to dos and some goals. Always include some stuff to get out the house as well as some in the safety of home.

Sometimes a few easy wins escalates and by the time I get home from work and we’re committed to some massive group adventure as the bi-polar bounces the other way.

It’s also good to have friends that understand and know that 10am enthusiasm doesn’t always relate to turning up after lunch and don’t make a big deal of it.

Lastly, some of the medication isn’t great for weight gain, this bothers my OH but it allows her to function and is beyond her control, so can mostly let go of it.

Clinical depression not to be confused with being fed up and brassed off. A few years ago I was a pretty contented guy, got everything going for me, no money worries life was pukka. Then one morning I woke up and the World was a different place, I couldn’t see the point in even being alive, even a £100 million lottery win wouldn’t have made a scrap of difference.
I still occasionally battle the black dog, but never want to go to that place again, I’m lucky to be here tbh.
What I’m trying to say is motivation is something you either have or not.

@ twinw4ll
I’m there now. I see no point in being alive. Apart from I want to take care of this dog. Was the same re the Lottery win until recently. Now I’d take it but only to give it away.
I’d actually feel lucky not to be here right now. Maybe that will change. Sounds like it did for you which is great.
Agree completely about clinical depression though. There’s no point telling someone who is that ill to go to ride their bike, they just can’t do it.