What Does "Self Help" Mean?

Take our Self-Esteem Test

Find a therapist near me

Biking supports psychological, social, affective, and cognitive wellbeing.

Cognitive consonance is when your behavior aligns with your thoughts, feelings, values and beliefs.

Biking elicits awe, joy, wonder, gratitude, and curiosity by awakening your senses.

As beautiful as autumn in California is, for me the season is also bittersweet. The red and gold leaves and brisk air whisper to me gently, reminding me that for the next five months, I will be car commuting rather than bike riding to work. I have to drive from now until the sun remains high enough in the sky again to light my path home.

On my bike, I feel as free as a child.

As I fly down the hill where we live, the cool San Francisco Bay winds jostle my cheeks. I dodge a handful of clucking wild turkeys, turn a hard left at a schoolyard filled with delighted shrieks, and hum past the fragrant jasmine bush that nearly pokes me in the face each time. Then I pause, finally, at a traffic light, where the other day I shared a smile with a young woman walking her yapping white terrier.

After about 45 minutes, in a delicious whoosh, I pull up in front of my office building and lock up my bike. I feel accomplished, proud, and calm. If ever I'm ready to start my day as a therapist listening to people's weary troubles, it's then.

I'm not a diehard cyclist. I’m just a woman commuting 12 miles a day from her home to her office a couple of times a week on an e-bike. (An e-bike works best for me because I can't arrive at my office too sweaty. It also shaves considerable time off the commute,........

© Psychology Today