{"id":6796,"date":"2025-02-12T14:32:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-12T14:32:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/?post_type=moa_podcasts&#038;p=6796"},"modified":"2025-03-17T14:38:26","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T14:38:26","slug":"navigating-the-doldrums","status":"publish","type":"moa_podcasts","link":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/moa_podcasts\/navigating-the-doldrums\/","title":{"rendered":"Navigating the doldrums"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"6796\" class=\"elementor elementor-6796\" data-elementor-post-type=\"moa_podcasts\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-54e7c58e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"54e7c58e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-21632778 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"21632778\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Back when ships were powered by wind, an equatorial region known as the doldrums posed a grave threat because of its peculiar lack of air movement. Sailors could be stranded for weeks, running out of food and fresh water before catching a vital breeze. The term \u201cdoldrums\u201d has come to mean a state of depressed inactivity and listlessness, reflecting not only the paucity of life-sustaining wind in this region of the ocean, but also the psychological state of the sailors trapped there. It seems a fitting word to describe the experience of riding deprivation, too.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6786 lazyload\" style=\"width: 300px;\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"right\" \/><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" class=\"wp-image-6786 lazyload\" style=\"width: 300px;\" src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide.jpg\" alt=\"\" align=\"right\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Mark-Barnes-w-RS-wide-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript>As I write this in midwinter, I\u2019m suffering from exactly such a malady. I\u2019m fortunate to live in an area typically sprinkled with occasional days of mild weather this time of year. We get snow and single-digit temps, but the usual cold, wet, gray days of January and February are reliably punctuated by sunny days and highs in the 50s here and there, which feels downright balmy! Such moments offer a welcome reprieve from the season\u2019s bleak misery and provide relatively inviting conditions for two-wheeled excursions. This winter, however, has so far been uncharacteristically devoid of such exceptions, and I\u2019ve had to contend with what motorcyclists further north must endure every year\u2014relentlessly inhospitable conditions and an uninterrupted months-long hiatus from riding. I\u2019ll ride in the 40s and I\u2019ll ride in the rain, but not both at once if I don\u2019t absolutely have to\u2014and certainly not 20s or 30s, even if they\u2019re drenched in sunshine; I\u2019m just not that hardcore anymore! Of course, we can all be deprived of our beloved avocation during any season, depending on many variables apart from the meteorological. Work demands and family obligations, illness or injury, mechanical repairs that take forever, etc. can conspire to block our access to saddle time, with a commensurate negative impact on our mood.<\/p>\n<p>When I started on this essay, I wanted to get into words the murky dysphoria associated with riding deprivation, but this is proving harder than I expected. I\u2019ve experienced this numerous times over the years and I\u2019m feeling it right now; surely I can articulate something beyond what I\u2019ve come up with so far\u2014the vague, categorical pronouncement, \u201cThis sucks!\u201d After all, it\u2019s a big part of my job as a psychologist to help bring into sharper focus emotions others struggle to define with any specificity. We can all know something feels bad, yet lack clarity about exactly what flavor of badness is plaguing us. Without that knowledge, it\u2019s harder to figure out what to do about our dissatisfaction or distress. We might try to distract ourselves from it, which is sometimes the best we can do, but we need to understand the nature of our discomfort if we\u2019re to have any hope of addressing it directly and effectively. In many cases, part of the difficulty is we tend to look for a single cause when there are actually several converging contributors. We might even be able to name one or two of these, but then we dismiss those explanations because we realize they don\u2019t fully account for what\u2019s going on. <!-- \/wp:paragraph --> <iframe class=\"lazyload\" style=\"border: none;\" title=\"Embed Player\" data-src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/35176015\/height\/192\/theme\/modern\/size\/large\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/f2cb9f\/time-start\/00:00:00\/hide-playlist\/yes\/download\/yes\/font-color\/000000\" width=\"100%\" height=\"192\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe> <!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>In psychotherapy, it\u2019s extremely common for people to ask\u2014of me or of themselves\u2014whether this or that is really the problem. In most cases, it\u2019s not either\/or; it\u2019s this and that\u2014and maybe something else, too. Much time can be wasted laboring over a false dichotomy. People can also stop at the \u201cheadline level,\u201d rather than drilling down into the rest of the story, where important details await discovery. In my present dilemma, I can easily identify the basis of my malaise as lack of riding, but that only points toward a singular solution: resume riding! I can\u2019t do that at the moment. If I explore this issue in a bit more depth, maybe other possibilities will become apparent.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":6797,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6797 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearybridgecrop-1024x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"800\" class=\"wp-image-6797 lazyload\" src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearybridgecrop-1024x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearybridgecrop-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearybridgecrop-300x235.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearybridgecrop-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearybridgecrop.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>First is what I can discern about the feeling, itself. This is the question of \u201cphenomenology,\u201d and its concern is description, not explanation or resolution. We need to establish what we feel before moving on to why we feel it or how to change it. Phenomenology is the study of an individual\u2019s conscious, subjective experience, without regard to any objective assessment of their situation or what anyone else would feel in it. Such experience may be highly idiosyncratic or quite commonplace, overlapping with that of most other people. Perhaps your experience of riding deprivation differs substantially from mine, so don\u2019t take what follows as necessarily applicable to all motorcyclists. Instead, use it as a prompt to freely consider a broader range of possibilities than you may have already noticed and then draw your own conclusions. The trick is opening up your mind to whatever bubbles up, with as little judgment and preconceived expectation as possible.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:separator --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><!-- \/wp:separator --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":6782,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6782 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-1200-1024x115.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"115\" class=\"wp-image-6782 lazyload\" src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-1200-1024x115.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-1200-1024x115.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-1200-300x34.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-1200-768x86.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/MOA-Foundation-Logo-1200.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><em>The Ride Inside with Mark Barnes<\/em> is brought to you by the <a href=\"https:\/\/bmwmoaf.org\/fundraising\/safemiles-endowment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">MOA Foundation<\/a>. You can <a href=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/page\/membertypes\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">join the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America<\/a> quickly and easily to better take advantage of the Paul B Grant and Clark Luster programs mentioned in this episode.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:separator --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><!-- \/wp:separator --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>As I relax and peer more closely into my experience of riding deprivation, the first thing I find apparent is a sense of wilting. That word hadn\u2019t occurred to me before, but it rings true now and even more so as I reflect on it. Plants wilt when they lack enough moisture to pump through their vascular systems and create the hydraulic pressure needed to resist gravity. In a metaphorical sense, this is one of the functions riding serves: It allows me to maintain a sort of psychological tumescence in opposition to the gravitational forces of routine existence. In other words, it helps me resist the downward pull of sad, weighty, discouraging aspects of my life and the lives of those around me. Without this resource, I\u2019m more susceptible to glum negativity and ennui, and I end up languishing, even when there\u2019s no new, additional reason to do so. Just as we\u2019re all perpetually covered in myriad germs only affecting our health when our immune system is compromised, I\u2019m always immersed to some extent in difficult, depressing, frustrating, tedious and onerous aspects of living, just like everyone else. Riding somehow helps me cope with these ever-present challenges, and limits their ability to infect my mood; it perks me up, just like watering a thirsty houseplant.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The second thing I notice as I ponder my recent state is a sense of chafing. I\u2019m not only less buoyant, as I just described, but I feel put upon more easily, frequently and intensely. Little things I\u2019d normally take in stride\u2014or maybe ignore altogether\u2014annoy me. I\u2019m more irritable and reactive, more apt to grouse and grumble about minor inconveniences, and quicker to criticize myself and others. I don\u2019t mean I\u2019m constantly angry; it\u2019s just that the threshold for disgruntlement is lower, in large part because of a chronic background sense of helplessness and confinement. Without the joys of riding to counterbalance them, small impingements get under my skin instead of gliding across the surface, leaving behind more wear and tear from ordinary circumstances. It feels like the oil film that\u2019s supposed to cushion and lubricate is missing and the moving parts of life are grinding against each other. If I don\u2019t deliberately correct myself, I can take things personally that have nothing to do with me. For instance, I catch myself feeling persecuted by this weather that \u201crefuses to give me a break.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:image {\"id\":6798,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-6798 lazyload\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearywoodsresize-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-image-6798 lazyload\" src=\"http:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearywoodsresize-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearywoodsresize-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearywoodsresize-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearywoodsresize-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/drearywoodsresize.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll keep exploring this topic on my own, but these two examples will suffice for the purpose of illustration. Identifying the experiences of wilting and chafing helps me imagine potential remedies beyond the simple solution of resumed riding. If I think about motorcycling as a kind of lifeblood that keeps me from drooping\u2014that is, energizes me and supports my mood\u2014I can look for riding-adjacent sources of excitement and inspiration. For example, I might begin planning a spring trip with some riding buddies, knowing this will generate eagerness and motivation. It won\u2019t feel like a chore to map out a route, explore lodging options, take inventory of what I\u2019ll need to carry, and tend to any other preparations needed before launching such an adventure. It\u2019s a strange paradox that getting active can yield an increase in energy, rather than the depletion we typically associate with exertion. Taking initiative on tasks that are intrinsically enjoyable, or are closely connected to something we look forward to, can lift our spirits and pump enthusiasm back into our daily mindset. Remember, the pleasures of riding aren\u2019t confined to the time we spend with wheels turning. The fun of a future event begins as soon as we start anticipating it.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Now I\u2019ve got something to help offset feeling wilted, but what about feeling chafed? This isn\u2019t about being weighed down, it\u2019s about being crowded\u2014imprisoned is a better word. I can\u2019t move without being blocked or scraped. I need some insulation and I need to feel a sense of efficacy, like I can make something happen\u2014the inverse of helpless frustration. What motorcycle-related activities, short of riding itself, might provide such experiences? Escaping the restrictions of winter can be accomplished with some aptly named escapism. Moto-entertainment transports me to another realm. I can watch racing, travelogues and how-to videos, read motorcycle books, magazines and e-zines, and visit shops and dealerships to see the new bikes and gear being rolled out for the coming year. Just as a good ride allows us to leave all our other concerns behind, any of these activities temporarily eclipses everything else occupying our attention, relieving us of our mental shackles, at least for a while. To boost my sense of freedom and power, I can accomplish a mechanical project or work through an online riding skills course to help me jumpstart my rust-shedding efforts, come spring. I might also invest in some enhancement of my physical fitness to a) improve my safety, stamina and enjoyment of future rides, and b) get more concrete, visceral experiences of being strong and flexible, and of making progress on personal goals\u2014victory where there had been a sense of defeat.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>The words \u201cinspiration\u201d and \u201centhusiasm\u201d have their roots in concepts of moving air and being moved by spirit. They are the opposite of being stuck in the doldrums. Unlike the sailors of yore, we have the ability to stir up our own wind if we know which sails need filling.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><!-- wp:separator --><\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><!-- \/wp:separator --><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><em>Mark Barnes is a clinical psychologist and motojournalist. To read more of his writings, check out his book <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Why-Ride-Psychologist-Motorcyclists-Relationship\/dp\/1620082284\/ref=sr_1_1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Why We Ride: A Psychologist Explains the Motorcyclist\u2019s Mind and the Love Affair Between Rider, Bike and Road<\/a>,<em> currently available in paperback through Amazon and other retailers.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back when ships were powered by wind, an equatorial region known as the doldrums posed a grave threat because of its peculiar lack of air movement. Sailors could be stranded for weeks, running out of food and fresh water before catching a vital breeze. The term \u201cdoldrums\u201d has come to mean a state of depressed [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":6797,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"podcast":[81],"class_list":["post-6796","moa_podcasts","type-moa_podcasts","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","podcast-the-ride-inside"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts\/6796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/moa_podcasts"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/moa_podcasts\/6796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"podcast","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bmwmoa.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast?post=6796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}