Beating the black dog! Depression versus motorbikes︱Cross Training Enduro

From http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com Sometimes life is a beach. And when things get you down, a beach is a great place to clear your head especially if you throw a motorbike between your legs. Winston Churchill struggled with depression and he called it his black dog. An Australian guy called John Skinner has a black dog called Scrambles, and in 2008 he rode across Australia with his black dog and since then has been raising money and awareness of depression through the Black Dog rides. Many of us will struggle with depression or anxiety at some point in life. And I don t mean fretting or crying because you scratched your new bike, I mean serious conditions that can really fuck your life up. Cross Training Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJAvmhgP0h1AEKY8vTEJPJg Cross Training Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cross.training.enduro.skills/?ref=ts Our enduro vlog series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlur54ugvzNJlUO0y6D10jVOGMLI4Raci Cross Training website: http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com Like to support our vids? http://www.crosstrainingenduro.com/cross-training-support-donations.htm Music: www.playonloop.com Have a look at some of the best extreme Enduro riders in action like Graham Jarvis, Jonny Walker, Chris Birch and Taddy Blazusiak. I m one of the lucky ones when it comes to anxiety or depression. A very low IQ has given me a mindless optimism so I have rarely struggled with depression or anxiety, but I ve had quite a few good mates who battle long and hard with the black dog, and we talk a lot when the dog has them by the neck and is trying to choke the life out of them. Some people would say these guys are weak, or just need to snap out of it. These people are either dickheads, or have never dealth with serious depression or anxiety issues before. I have an immense respect for these guys who keep soldiering on when there seems to be no point, and it s a privilege if they open up to me about it. Cross training is the application of Trials-based skills to Dirt riding, and it s got solid backing from the world s top riders. They tell me about how depression (and anxiety) can get so bad, and go for so long, that suicide just makes more and more sense. I ask them what eventually pulls them out of the black hole and it can be thinking about their kids. Or good friends and family who rally around them. Learning to open up and talk instead of bottling everything up. Seeing their doctor and getting onto anti depressants. Initially, cross training slows you right down (even to a stand still!) so that you can relearn key Dirt Riding skills then gradually build up your speed again. So if you know someone struggling with the black dog of depression, ask them how they are going. And don t tell them to snap out of it. And don t jump straight in with solutions and advice, just shut up for a while and listen and be there for them. And if the black dog of depression has you by the throat at the moment, see your doctor. Medication doesn t always work but when it does it can be a lifesaver. Open up and talk with friends and family members you can trust. And remember no matter how bad it gets things do get better eventually. And above all, get your arse on a motorbike and head for the beach regularly if you are depressed. That s an order. A key part of moves like this is the use of body positioning and weighting - choosing when to exert pressure on the pegs and when to de-weight or lift the bike up. Cross training means you will almost always be standing on the pegs and learning how to use your body weight and positioning to maximum effect. "Sometimes even to live is an act of courage" Seneca “Sleep isn t just sleep anymore - it s an escape” anon "Yes I have depression, no I can t just fucking get over it" Steve Wiley "It s so difficult to describe depression to someone who s never been there because it s not sadness" JK Rowling "Why did I try to kill myself? You told me to be happy" Anonymous "You are allowed to feel messed up and inside out. It doesn t mean you re defective - it just means you re human." B. Johnson "Hope is being able to see the light despite the darkness" Desmond Tutu 200TH ENDURO VLOG BITE ME DISCLAIMER Instead of celebrating I decided to depress everyone with this video. And anyway there are now 370 vids on this channel. Then 120 on the adventure riding channel. And 48 vids on the trials training channel. Yeesh. Anyway this vid says very little about dirt bikes and as usual if you have a problem with that then find another channel. There s more to life than dirt bikes - let s assume that dirt bikes take up around 90% of your life that leaves a full 10% for other stuff so occasionally I ll do vids that show dirt bikes, but actually say bugger all about them. So bite me. Metaphorically of course. As always, a huge thanks to the small number of viewers who have supported these vids and made this 200th dodgy enduro vlog vid possible!