P120
CN
III LOWSIDE
B
efore I begin, I must say
the words and opinions in
this text are solely my own.
I have no qualifications in any
form of medicine, let alone that
which concerns the inner work-
ings of the mind. They are simply
a mirror of my thoughts on the
subject of mental health, why it
is so important, and how motor-
cycling can impact one's general
well-being.
Since becoming a father a
few years ago, I've given more
thought to what makes me
mentally happy than ever before.
Mental health is by far the most
pressing concern in my life,
because what I think generally re-
flects in how I act, and how I act
has a guaranteed effect on those
around me.
For me, mental health and
motorcycling are inexorably linked.
Perhaps it has something to do
with the physical activity of riding a
motorcycle, as opposed to being
in a car, for example. The act of
riding a motorcycle is dependent
on a link between machine, body
and mind—stresses from the
motorcycle move onto the body
and translate to stresses on the
mind, and when the three meet
at that glorious intersection, the
experience is one of the great joys
of nature. Human meets machine,
interconnects, and becomes one.
It's a beautiful thing.
Perhaps I'm being a little philo-
sophical for this column, which
usually is dependent on things
that annoy me. After all, there's no
news like bad news and bad news
generally (but not always) comes
MOTORCYCLING AND MENTAL HEALTH
Life's got you down? Go for a ride!
BY RENNIE SCAYSBROOK
