metal detecting and me

[mike90199]

hey guys gonna try not make this post to long .just wanted to share a short story with you .im a 30 yr old guy who suffers from mild anxiety and depression I don't take meds or anything like that but its been something I have constantly had to battle for about 5 yrs .people usually say to me why don't you take a medication or something like that and to be honest with what I know about the medications growing up with a doctor as a family friend I try to stay clear of them and take other approaches like mental positive thinking and excersice which has slowly been bringing me back to who I once was .

anyway when I was younger my father used to go metal detecting a lot just around parks and beaches and when I went with him I always had this funny feeling like I belonged or calm kinda .sorry may sound weird but I just always got this feeling not to mention that you never know what you would find .well as you guys know I recently purchased a minelab xterra 705 and im a pretty confident 30 yr old whos a bit of a ladys man and I told my mates I brought a metal detector and they kinda laughed at me making a few jokes like (theres gold out in them parks) and stuff like that lol.

and even tho im this guy who has been boxing for many yrs and kinda sporty I never get the same feeling when I box as I do metal detecting .when im boxing I always feel like im in a constant race always having to anticipate my opponents next move and feel like I went towards boxing cause I didn't feel like a man inside or good enough to say .

anyway I got this metal detector a few days ago and went out on the field and again that same feeling returned of calmness and like I am apart of something more .even tho I know some of my grandfathers friends who are like 70+ if I go out with them also I just feel as if im accepted and apart of something .

sorry if I seem to be rambling but I guess what im trying to say is metal detecting has always created a nice feeling for me and seemed to push all my troubles away even if I don't find anything the people who I meet in this forum and out of it all seem to have one passion in mind and that's metal detecting not to mention they all seem very nice and you get out into the sun which has numerous health benefits also . anyway thx for reading .

 

[Jaros]

G'day Mike, its good to relaxed and likin' what your doin. Its contagious like potato crisps.
Keep that feelin mate and you can't go wrong. By the way we all have a bit of depression but most of us don't talk about as it's not blokey.
Cheers

 

[Sandta]

Cheers to you Mike strong and positive cognitive powers

 

[Taipan]

I think many people try and jam so much in life to the point of stress. Maybe it's the concentration on the tone, you block everything out to listen to a very simple tone, shuting down a lot of senses, I find this relaxing too.
And occasionally get a nice reward .

 

[mike90199]

thx so much guys for support .totally agree .

 

[user 1769]

I totally agree. I find detecting to be kind of like a meditation.

 

[Wally69]

I know what you mean Mike. Detecting, fishing, hunting, fossicking are a mentally relaxing pursuit for me. I think they have a primitive connection with my soul and they encourage a single-minded pursuit-style focus that removes everything else.

They are my drugs of choice and I am addicted !!

If it becomes a problem I may be inclined to start a local branch of Detectors Anonymous

 

[MJB]

My hat goes off to you Mike,

It takes a brave man to admit to thousands of unknown people your problems and how you find a bit of peace and quiet to relieve the stress.

Panning, hunting , riding my motorbike are all ways that I try and do the same thing. Whenever I'm out doing them. nothing else in the world matters and I am totally focused on the moment.

Good on you and I hope the detecting gods smile down upon you.

Cheers,

 

[slipped disc]

Onya MIKE. detecting can be relaxing and therapeutical by taking our minds off of everyday problems,and focusing on
finding coins and relics etc. the 705 is a good choice and will serve you well. your mates will change their attitude once you start finding decs and gold rings etc. go well.

 

[mike90199]

My hat goes off to you Mike,

It takes a brave man to admit to thousands of unknown people your problems and how you find a bit of peace and quiet to relieve the stress.

Panning, hunting , riding my motorbike are all ways that I try and do the same thing. Whenever I'm out doing them. nothing else in the world matters and I am totally focused on the moment.

Good on you and I hope the detecting gods smile down upon you.

Cheers,

I hope so to man haha .I only found beer cans today but im not giving up .love it so far and got a pinpointer today all I can say is wow saves so much time .

 

[mike90199]

G'day Mike, its good to relaxed and likin' what your doin. Its contagious like potato crisps.
Keep that feelin mate and you can't go wrong. By the way we all have a bit of depression but most of us don't talk about as it's not blokey.
Cheers

very true I think the way the economy is going and petrol prices etc etc its hard not to get a bit down sometimes .money seems to be a major cause of depression these days and with a prime minister who runs around in buggie smugglers all day I think its only gonna get worse lol .

 

[tricast]

Welcome mike

From one newbie to another
Great thinking it's not always about what you find
Just being able to be out there is half the fun the rest is a bonus

Cheers M 8.( mark

 

[Westaus]

It is my form of meditation, listening to the beeps and buzz, don't know how many times hours have just slipped by. Glad you find some peace as well, hopefully you can find more pieces too

 

[mike90199]

It is my form of meditation, listening to the beeps and buzz, don't know how many times hours have just slipped by. Glad you find some peace as well, hopefully you can find more pieces too

yeh know what you mean man .time just flys when your metal detecting .I was in the sun for 4 hrs today and if I was doing anything else I wouldn't of tolerated it but something about metal detecting just calms my mind and make me happy hey .it truly is a great hobbie and one I think I will do for the rest of my life .lets just hope they don't start putting restrictions on metal detecting .I heard some places in America where your actually not allowed to detect apparently .I really hope they don't do that in Australia .I don't really know the metal detecting laws as of yet but hope they not that strict .

 

[Decado]

Hi Mike

Full points for courage and for what it's worth I am sure you are doing the right thing. Too many people just go to the Doc, fill the perscriptions and pop the pills and of course that is the right thing to do as far as it goes for many but you still have to take the initiative to find your own best medicine sometimes. If there is something that you can do that puts you in a better place then full speed ahead!

While not exactly the same as yourself I've been in pretty fragile health for a couple of years. I've been waiting for some epic surgery and in the mean time I kept myself going with cycling and metal detecting at every chance I got.

I finally had the surgery earlier in the year and it was a total failure sadly and I'm left with 8 unhealing fractures, two massive intercostal hernias and a collapsed lung and not to put too finer point on it .. I'm deformed. I don't like to be seen in public and I wont even go to my kids school because of the hell they get when the other kids see me. Shopping and public places are a nightmare.

So ... I started metal detecting again ... the surgeons are pretty horrifed but the wife and family are supportive and like yourself .. when I get out there in the bush with the quiet and nature around me I start swinging the detector and get wrapped up in what the next target will be and it is about the only time I feel like a whole person and stop caring about the pain and what I look like and what people think.

I'm slow and probably not very effective but it puts me at peace ... A lot more peace than the big dose of morphiene and the day in bed the Doc's would rather I had.

Yes, I know exactly where you are coming from Mike. Warm wishes and hopes for peace, enjoyment and many years of detecting to you.

Regards
Dec

 

[axeman]

Got too love the bush for therapeutic benefits. Chuck in a detector, gold pan, fishing rod, ect and life doesn't get much better. I also love working in the bush. To come to the real world and it's rush, rush attitude puts me in a downer so I do what I've got to do and get supplies and head back out again. The biggest downfall is you start talking to yourself, (I'm not joking) you don't notice it but other people do that's why I sometimes I get called mumbles. Born in the bush, hopefully die in it.
Mick

 

[StirFX]

As others said, it's like a type of meditation.

From morning I can't wait to get out in the afternoon, as soon as I go out I'm instantly at peace and come home happy.
It's just nice to get away from the world and zone out.

Me and my dad go out everyday as soon as he gets home, even if it's for 20 minutes. I noticed he is a lot happy after coming home from it.

Good luck and keep digging!

 

[Guest]

The thing is when you are Detecting you are actually concentrating on that hold nugget sound........ That concentration makes you put other things to the side which helps the body Be in a state of peace and solitude........ This it's why we love being out in the bush. All the other bonuses come together here like camping out, the wildlife, the cooking, nature and of course The Gold nuggets that give a rattle in the jar........
So at the end of the trip we feel great.........

 

[mike90199]

Hi Mike

Full points for courage and for what it's worth I am sure you are doing the right thing. Too many people just go to the Doc, fill the perscriptions and pop the pills and of course that is the right thing to do as far as it goes for many but you still have to take the initiative to find your own best medicine sometimes. If there is something that you can do that puts you in a better place then full speed ahead!

While not exactly the same as yourself I've been in pretty fragile health for a couple of years. I've been waiting for some epic surgery and in the mean time I kept myself going with cycling and metal detecting at every chance I got.

I finally had the surgery earlier in the year and it was a total failure sadly and I'm left with 8 unhealing fractures, two massive intercostal hernias and a collapsed lung and not to put too finer point on it .. I'm deformed. I don't like to be seen in public and I wont even go to my kids school because of the hell they get when the other kids see me. Shopping and public places are a nightmare.

So ... I started metal detecting again ... the surgeons are pretty horrifed but the wife and family are supportive and like yourself .. when I get out there in the bush with the quiet and nature around me I start swinging the detector and get wrapped up in what the next target will be and it is about the only time I feel like a whole person and stop caring about the pain and what I look like and what people think.

I'm slow and probably not very effective but it puts me at peace ... A lot more peace than the big dose of morphiene and the day in bed the Doc's would rather I had.

Yes, I know exactly where you are coming from Mike. Warm wishes and hopes for peace, enjoyment and many years of detecting to you.

Regards
Dec

hey decado you seem to have a lot more courage than me man .admitting all the problems that has happened in your life and here I am with depression sometimes feeling sorry for myself when you have it a lot worse than I have .I feel like a right tool now . I hope you get better man and keep metal detecting .ive only been metal detecting for 4 days now and on this site for 3 and already I can tell the people on here are top of the shelf and genuine .im not a huge bible basher but I believe in god and I believe eventually he helps all in one way or another and eventually he will help you man .keep the faith and keep smiling .

 

[mike90199]

As others said, it's like a type of meditation.

From morning I can't wait to get out in the afternoon, as soon as I go out I'm instantly at peace and come home happy.
It's just nice to get away from the world and zone out.

Me and my dad go out everyday as soon as he gets home, even if it's for 20 minutes. I noticed he is a lot happy after coming home from it.

Good luck and keep digging!

yeh man ive noticed this with myself hey .even if I don't find anything there is something about swinging that machine and getting a beep and then digging the hole and sticking the pinpointer in that is very calming to me .just being out in nature and working towards something .metal detecting just feels so right .the first day I found nothing but trash and I said to my grandfather I don't know if this is for me .he said give it time and you wont be able to stop well the second day my pinpointer arrived and now I haven't been able to stop since .its 9pm where I am and already im waiting for tomorrow to go out again .ive never felt so addicted or wanting to do something more than I have metal detecting .