A ‘Thank You’

I came on here a while back to whinge talk about mental health issues, and about how I was working from home all the time and getting depressed.  Well, my company sort of ‘noticed’ that I’d not been in the office for three months, and I got my knuckles rapped.  Fair enough – working from home was always supposed to be ‘occasional’, rather than routine, even if in the grand scheme of things, nobody seemed to notice for much of those three months.

Anyway, they told me that I had to be on the premises at least four days, so I’ve been cycling into the office (actually working from home this week with managerial permission, as I have a slight chest infection). 

It was tough at first.  I had lost so much strength, so started off with two days a week, and worked up.  Whenever I’m off the bike for any length of time, there is a ‘pattern’ that I go through, until it stops being hell.  The first two weeks are torture, and by half-way through the commute, my legs are screaming blue murder.  My heart and lungs never seem to suffer – just my legs.    Then there’s a fortnight where I sort of ‘break even’ and it’s not fun, but at least not hell either.  Then the fun comes after that, and that’s where I’m at now.

To make it even harder on myself, I bought a Genesis Flyer on the Cycle to Work Scheme, and have been commuting on that – it’s a single speed, for those who didn’t know.  Utterly brilliant bike, I love it.   The ‘connection’ between me and the bike, it feels like a train when it accelerates.   And now, my thighs have visible muscles again, albeit fairly indistinct ones.  And I can keep up with younger men on their carbon racers.

Anyway, I’m a lot better.   The effect on my mental state, from being in the office every day, has been very positive.   My wife has noticed that I’m a lot happier, and less ‘morose’ and ‘introverted’.

All good.  Thanks to all of you who offered support and advice.