I ride my bike everyday to get to school and back and I’ve begun to take note of the range of emotions and thoughts I feel every time I ride. Most are good, some, not so much!
Below are my top 5 most common emotions and thoughts I feel whilst riding! See how many you agree with and if you can relate to any on your daily commute, whether yours is by bike, car or foot.
1) Happiness
The best feeling on the bike; when you have a tail wind (whatever that is), all the lights are changing green as you arrive, you don’t have to unclip once, the junctions are clear and the roundabouts are empty. These rides happen once in a blue moon, but when they do they are amazing. You don’t need all of these factors to alline for the perfect ride; to be honest even one of them will make my day!
2) Anger
Mainly toward other road users when I feel I have been put in danger through their driving. Over the last few years I have learnt to try and let that anger go as soon as possible, not letting it spoil the rest of my ride. In the past a close encounter with a car could have ruined my whole day!
3) Mindfulness/Awareness
Those easy rides when you have no need to try and put in a new PB, the weather is perfect and you’re able to just cruise and enjoy the ride from start to finish. Often I can get to work and not even remember half the ride as it was so relaxed.
4) Exhaustion/Stress
This is normally when I have woken up late! This will leave me rushing to get ready, then needing to cycle harder than I would like to. Cycling hard is fine if that’s what I want to do, but not so much when it’s forced. These feelings can also occur when it’s getting late into a term and my body is saying, “I need a break from this cycling thing now”.
5) Empowered/Healthy
You’re winning at life right now, you might be overtaking all of the cars stuck in traffic or you might be out the door ahead of schedule and your journey is calmer than normal. This is the feeling I enjoy the most, you know you have gone the extra mile and you have been able to build exercise into your commute. When you arrive at school you’re allowed to enjoy that smug feeling for a while knowing that you rode your bike there, possibly further than lots of your colleagues drove…
Cycling to school and back each day is my time, I know that no matter the weather or traffic the next 40 minutes or so are mine to just ride and and enjoy the time in my own head. It’s often where I come up with my best or most creative ideas. No music, no podcast, just time with my inner monologue.
I would love to hear about what your commute does for you, and feel free to share any emotions and thoughts that you think could make the list!
Schools' Active Community Coach 