Life has a way of throwing uncertainty at us, whether it’s global events, personal struggles, or just the relentless pace of modern living. It’s easy to get caught up in the noise—doomscrolling through bad news, worrying about the future, feeling overwhelmed by things out of my control. But I’ve found one thing that cuts through all of that: movement. More specifically, riding my bike.
When I’m pedaling down an open gravel road, everything that seemed so urgent and all-consuming just fades into the background. The simple rhythm of pushing the pedals, the feel of the wind against my face, the sound of my tires humming on the pavement—it’s like a reset button for my mind. Exercise has always been a way for me to tune out the chaos, but biking, in particular, gives me a sense of control when the world feels unpredictable.
As a realist, I understand we can’t exercise 24/7, 365 (even though that would be pretty cool). So keep the following in mind:
Marcus Aurelius, the famous Roman Emperor, reminds us that the human soul degrades itself “when it does its best to become an abscess, a kind of detached growth on the world; to be disgruntled at anything that happens is a kind of secession from Nature, which composes all things” (Meditations 2.16). It is not the actions of others that truly cause discomfort, but rather our internal response to them.
It’s not just about distraction; it’s about perspective. When I ride, I realize that the things I was stressing about—deadlines, worries about the future, even the latest round of bad news (which is hourly)—aren’t as massive as they seemed. They shrink in the rearview as I focus on the road ahead. The movement forces me to be present, to exist in the moment rather than get lost in spirals of worry. Those same techniques can be applied both on and off the bike.
There’s something powerful about the way physical effort clears mental clutter. It reminds me that not everything demands my immediate attention and that I don’t have to carry the weight of every uncertainty all at once. In Meditations, Marcus even talks about carrying on our lives in constant chaos, being pulled in all different directions: “enough of this miserable, whining life. Stop monkeying around! Why are you troubled? What’s new here? What’s so confounding? The one responsible? Take a good look.”
In a world where so much is out of my hands, choosing to move—choosing to ride—is something I can control. Sometimes, that’s enough to bring a little clarity to the chaos. I think that perspective also plays a pivotal role. On days when it’s hard to get active, I remind myself to practice mindfulness and recognize that the real harm comes not from external events but from the way we perceive them.
Oh, and don’t forget to pack snacks and a spare tire!
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