I am well known amongst family and friends for being very laid back. I find I’m constantly telling my wife and other family members to relax and not worry about things so much, which more often than not makes MRs UTMT less relaxed! However, despite my laid back exterior I am prone to a little bit of stress just like anyone.
I believe it’s perfectly normal to worry/stress about things. It’s a natural instinct we all have that helps us to protect ourselves. Worry is what made our ancestors start cultivating crops, build mud huts to live in and invent things like piggy banks. If I had never felt any primal concern for mine or my families future well being the money tree would never have been planted.
Facing Facts
Recognising and understanding your concerns and worries is key to dealing with them effectively. Over the years I’ve tried to hone the things I worry about and only allow myself to stress about things I can influence. Worrying about things outside of my direct control of influence is a fruitless exercise.
I have a very close family member with a terminal illness. It’s horrible not being able to help or do something to make it better. When we first leant this new I worried myself sick about their suffering, my inability to help, what life would be like without them and a million other things.
After much soul searching I finally realised that this was just crazy behaviour which achieved nothing. Instead I should have been focussing my energies on enjoying my time with them, seeing them more, making them laugh, creating good memories and not worrying about the certainty that lie ahead.
By eliminating “uncontrollable” worries (as much as possible) I’ve found that I’m left with a lot less stress. Now most of the worries that creep into my mind seem to be connected to things I want, things I’m aiming for, my goals. Financial independence for my family is a big one. Things that prevent this from happening yesterday tend to be the sole focus of my stress these days.
I’ve talked before about suffering from investment fatigue, a general impatience towards reaching my financial goals and the pain work inflicts on my soul. I don’t consider this kind of worry to necessarily be a bad thing as it keeps me focussed on my goals and spurs me to take action to get closer to reaching them.
Clarity of Mind = Productivity
In order to operate efficiently I need to have a clear mind.
When things get manic at work and a crucial deadline gets bestowed upon me, more often than not my first reaction is to tidy my desk, recycle the stack of papers/notes that accumulates next to my keyboard and close down all the applications open on my PC.
To deliver results I need to reboot myself and my environment.
I’ve used various meditation techniques over the years in a bid to find that trigger that I can use to defuse stress, stay happy and keep productive.
After some reading around the subject I tried some traditional style meditation like Leo’s techniques but found I never really got much out of it. I have a friend that swears my headspace but again I never got past the first couple of freebie sessions. I flirted with the meditation podcast but found myself getting annoyed by it and more stressed by the end than when I started.
My Meditation
The most effective method I’ve found to de-clutter my mind and reboot my soul is through exercise. While I dabble with a bit of running and yoga (and find they both leave me feeling refreshed) there is only one thing that truly allows me to meditate. Cycling.
Last night I cycled home from the train station after work, taking a route of roughly 25km. It was dark, wet (light drizzle) and cold (5 degrees Celsius) yet I loved every second of it. I left work grumpy, stressed and generally pretty miserable, worn down by a day of battling nonsensical bureaucracy and I arrived home with a huge grin on my face, feeling at peace with the world and thankful to be me.
After the first kilometre I didn’t encounter a car the whole journey as the route I took was entirely on deserted, pitch black country lanes. I wasn’t worried about how fast I was going, which way was the shortest, how tired I was, if my legs were aching from yesterday run, I was just riding. I was just alone in the silence. Pedalling. Breathing. Moving through the darkness.
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When I ride I often have periods of a few kilometres where I suddenly realise I’ve not been ‘conscious’ that I was riding. I’m so absorbed in the rhythm of riding that my mind de-tunes itself of any distractions. I can only describe this as a meditative state. Sure there are endorphins at play and the physical effort gives me a boost but the benefit I get is greater than the sum of those two parts.
Over the last couple of years I’ve ridden my fixed gear bike more and more. Essentially a fixed gear bike is one with no gears or freewheel. This means I can’t coast, free wheel or rest. If the bike is moving my legs are turning, my speed becomes more constant, muscle memory takes over, I become more conscious of my bike and I moving together. I find the fixed wheel adds a constant rhythm and repetition to my riding that only encourages this meditative like state.
image credit
Sure, some days it’s a struggle to get motivated to ride or my body complains. It’s not always perfect. However usually I get these magic moments when the brain stops thinking, I get lost in my mind, the pedals seem to turn themselves and the bike just carries me forward. I don’t hear the wind, the birds, the traffic, just the sound of rubber humming along on tarmac and the breath between my ears.
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Mrs UTMT strongly recognises the mental benefits I get from cycling and will from time to time send me out to ride for an hour or two if I’m getting restless or grouchy. I regularly rise at 5am on a Saturday or Sunday to squeeze a ride in and fix my brain so I can get the most from the weekend.
Being financially independent at some point in the future will ultimately give me more time to cycle. I can’t begin to imagine how good I’ll feel when I no longer have the work related meh preying on my mind and I can dedicate more time to my meditation.
What do you do to get you mind right?
hey that s interesting – i was signed up for stoic week a few days ago but didn’t have time to do all the meditation type exercises. I have a 30 mile daily commute on the push-bike and just a couple of days ago had a revelation while riding that my commute would be ideal meditation time, best part of two hours per day, plenty of time after all. I find sometimes I also have sections or entire rides where I have no real recollection of having done anything, i set off and i arrive – what happened in between i have no idea. other days i think about stuff, solve problems, make plans, philosophize and all that sort of stuff. I think you could be on to something – bike meditation is the future. Coincidentally I have also been thinking about getting a fixy of late as i change gear less and less on my commute plus it would be great to have something i could put a proper set of mudguards on – was thinking a genesis flyer, what have you got?
the rhino,
I can thoroughly recommend a fixie for many reasons: I have an old steel frame Peugeot (dating from the late 70s making it roughly the same age as me!) that a friend gave me which I converted to a fixie a few years ago. It’s the ideal commuting machine – very low maintenance, full mudguards fitted, a really comfortable ride and not attractive to thieves. It’s a bit cliche but riding fixed just feels more natural to me now. When i ride with others on geared machines I notice how often they stop pedalling or change speeds.
Riding fixed definitely encourages me to focus less on things like average speeds. Before switching I used to obsess about speed, heart rate, cadence etc. The fixie just makes me enjoy riding for ridings sake much more, which adds to the meditative benefits I get. It sounds like you’re already using your rides to reboot your mind!
Hi UTMT,
I love this topic. I’ve attended a local mindfulness course which opened my mind up to meditation and being present. Meditation can be done at any time and doing many things, it just relies on the person focusing on where they are and what they’re doing. It sounds like your experience on your bike has some forms of meditation within it but it’s also includes you not necessarily being present, and allowing your thoughts to wander. There isn’t anything wrong with that either, it’s one of the most natural things for every human being to experience. We can’t help ourselves. The practice of meditation is about being aware of when you’re mind is starting to drift and bringing it back. My interpretation of what you’re writing about is allowing your mind to wander and solving problems etc.
I’m not sure what your describing is meditation, but it certainly sounds like it has some similar benefits to it. I think the benefits to what you and Rhino are explaining are from prolonged exercise, isolation, being at one with nature, which are all awesome. I believe people can get all of these qualities from cycling, walking, running, yoga, swimming etc too.
In our busy lives we have a natural build up of stresses, and to remain mentally strong we need to empty these stores. Exercise, socialising, experiencing mother-nature can all help with that. If you’re doing it on a daily basis or 5+ times a week, then you’re going to be helping yourself achieve that on a regular basis.
I too commute to work (only 2.5 miles one way), and I exercise 5+ times a week. I’ve recently had surgery and I’m not doing either, so my mental health isn’t as great as it has been. I need to make up for my lack of physical efforts by doing others things. What I love about meditation is that it doesn’t matter how bashed up I am physically, I can always sit and be with myself, meditate and feel fantastic. Even for 5-10 mins. I can’t imagine this ever replacing exercise because it’s such a big part of my life, but it’s nice to have, especially now!
Sorry for the long post. What I’m saying in a round about way is – what you do is brilliant and the whole population could benefit from doing it. I don’t think it’s meditation, but it does offer the same benefits. Keep up the good work, and thank you for sharing your experience, as some people won’t ever be open to do what you do as they think it’s horrible, but it truly isn’t when you try it. (maybe I should have just written that last paragraph, oh well!)
Cheers
Huw
Hi Huw,
Thanks for your comments. I’m no expert in “traditional” meditation so can’t say for sure if what i experience on the bike is the same thing. Sometimes my mind wanders and solves problems but at other times it’s just focussed entirely on my breathing/pedalling. Maybe the latter is closer to true meditation. Whatever it is it’s good for me!
Another aspiring FI-er here! Using a folding bike I quit the Tube in 2007, & then finally pushed myself more in Spring 2013 & then quit the overland too: i now cycle around 11 miles each way, & save myself about a grand a year.
I’m fitter & have even lost some weight as a result, & I find the time on the bike very relaxing too compared to taking the overland train. Quite meditative as you suggest.
I say to friends at work that quitting the overland was the biggest pay-rise i could have given myself!
living cheap in london,
Great work. 11 miles each way is a nice distance – not too short and not too long. The tube in London is a truly miserable place to spend your time so I’m not surprised you’re upgraded your commute over time. Hopefully Boris will keep promoting cycling and start introducing some ‘proper’ cycle lanes on London roads to make the experience a bit safer.
Ride safely amigo.