Bikes and Emotional Breakdowns: What Motorcycling Taught Me About Resilience
- Michelle Hatcher
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
There was a moment once — helmet on, gloves trembling, heart in my throat — when I parked up the Ninja, walked into a café, fighting back tears. The bike wasn’t broken.
I was.
But the truth is, we all break sometimes. It’s part of the human ride on this planet. Not just on a motorcycle but moments of utter disillusionment at some point.
Motorcycling has a funny way of mirroring our own lives. You stall, you panic. You drop one thing or another, you cry, or just hold back tears. You wobble, you question everything.
And sometimes, like that day in the cafe, your spirit just… sputters to a halt. Rather like leaving the bike in gear with the kickstand down.
But then… you just, breathe.
Fasten your chin strap, stretch on the gloves, feel the bars again.
And you start it back up again. Because that’s what we do.
Because the ride isn’t over. It’s never over until you say it is. It’s just paused.
And resilience? You know something? It’s not about speed — it’s about starting again, and again, and again.
What Motorcycling Taught Me About Falling Apart (and Getting Back Up)
When life hits you hard — be it grief, trauma, anxiety, or just the bone-deep exhaustion of keeping it all together , juggling rent, bills, kids, job— motorcycling becomes more than just a machine we ride when the suns out — or not. It becomes a mirror of our own thoughts, our heads, and of where we think we are in life.
Every stall is a lesson in humility. You do it. You overcome it. You learn not to do it so often again. Every corner taken too wide is a lesson in focus, concentration and planning ahead. Every breakdown — be it mechanical or otherwise is a reminder: You are still capable of moving forward. We all are.
And every mile becomes an act of healing. Every corner, roundabout, hill start, dual carriageway. Whether you’re new on your L’s or have been riding for decades.
I used to think strength meant pretending everything was fine. You know when people say, ‘are you ok?’ and you just respond, ‘yeah, sure.’ But you’re not. Far from it.
So this is what I learned from my bike — it taught me that strength isn’t a plastic face, a forced smile or a tinted lid down to the rest of the world. It’s really about:
Pulling over when you’re overwhelmed.
Letting the tears fall without shame.
Asking for help when you’re stuck.
And then… turning the key. One more time.
That’s why Make Your MARK exists.
Because not everyone talks about the tears behind the visor. Or the battles behind the bravado. But the Make Your MARK team does. They understand that motorcycling and mental health are intimately connected. They offer:
Mental Health First Aid for riders
Wellbeing hubs in biker cafés across Wales
Dave’s Defib campaign bringing life-saving equipment to rural cafés
And now… the incredible Bike n Brew Passport
What is Bike n Brew?
For me, this could never be a race or even a contest, although there is a prize. No. More importantly, it’s an invitation:
To ride.
To connect
To heal.
Visit biker cafés across the South West, Wales, Cotswolds and MidlandsShare a brew. A smile. Maybe a story.Support local cafés. Support your mental health.And raise money for others to do the same.
This is about building something bigger than ourselves — one brew, one biker, one kind moment at a time.
Why This Matters Right Now
Because it’s Mental Health Awareness Week.Because May is Motorcycle Awareness Month.Because someone you love — maybe even you — needs a reason to keep going.
And maybe, just maybe…That reason has two wheels and a heartbeat.
If you’ve ever broken down…
Physically. Mentally. Spiritually.
And the ride isn’t over.
“Sometimes the bravest thing you can do… is simply start the engine.”
From my heart to yours,
Michelle x
Author of Full Throttle Full Heart(Available now on Amazon Kindle or paperback — £1 from every book goes to Make Your MARK)
What I intend to do next:
If you believe in the healing power of motorcycles, community, and compassion, please consider supporting the Full Throttle Full Heart JustGiving campaign.
I’m intending to riding from the Forest of Dean to the Houses of Parliament with a letter in hand — a plea for safer roads, better awareness, and a national conversation around motorcyclist visibility and mental health.
I just need 5 signatures for this to go live:
Enhance UK road safety measures and driver awareness to protect motorcyclists
Motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable road users. Often, we are unseen and forgotten in public safety campaigns and driver training. We need a national strategy that prioritises motorcycle awareness for all road users, improves driving education and an infrastructure making roads safer.
For many riders, the motorcycle is not just a mode of transport—it’s a lifeline or support. Riding is a proven tool for emotional resilience, yet this connection is rarely acknowledged or supported.
We want: A national campaign focused on motorcyclist safety and visibility. Update the UK driving test to better educate motorists about motorcycles. Recognise motorcycling as a valid mental health support tool. Engage with charities like Make Your MARK, who lead this work at community level.
Every donation will go directly to Make Your MARK, the much talked about mental health charity helping riders find connection, purpose, and hope.
This isn’t just a journey on two wheels — it’s a movement for change.
Please donate, share, or simply follow the ride at justgiving.com/page/full-throttle-full-heart.
Because together, we can make every mile matter.
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