No-one likes being stressed. It puts us in a bad mood, makes us irrational and we feel under pressure; as a result we make bad decisions.

It could be the stress we feel comes from our lives: a row at home, a bad day at the work , school or college, or just other worries. Or it could be the stress comes from when we're out on our motorbike, scooter or moped: we're running late, there's congestion everywhere we turn, roadworks galore, someone cuts us up or doesn't leave us some space to enter the traffic flow.

Any of those can make us irritable, angry and likely to do something rash. It's enough to get anyone stressed!

But it's something we need to bear in mind next time we're about to jump on our motorbike, scooter or moped, when things aren't going well for us.

Too much stress affects how we ride. It floods our bodies with cortisol which then makes us feel tired, making us less sharp and affecting our riding. Stress also takes up brain capacity usually reserved for processing things that are vital for riding: our sense of balance, concentration levels, fine motor skills and observation.

When we're stressed we aren't as good at spotting hazards, we react slower to emergency situations and we can make irrational – and risky – riding decisions.

We're also more likely to get upset and angry at other road users, and make even worse decisions when in traffic if things don't go well.

So next time we're about to jump on our bikes when feeling a little down or on the edge, we need to take a minute to compose our thoughts, to chill a little. Take a breath, let the feelings pass and try to focus on safe riding. Never ride when the stress levels are high; it won't 'blow the cobwebs away', it's possible it could make things worse.

Riding stressed is the same as riding tired. Fatigue builds up until we're no longer thinking rationally and our decision-making skills take a huge dip.

If we're feeling like life's on top of us, take a walk, not a ride. Breathe some fresh air in and wait for the stress levels to fall before getting the bike out.

Tip tip

What's the maximum time we should be out riding? Experts say no longer than two hours. After that point no-one rides well. Take a 15-20 minute break, then make sure the next break is a little sooner so you're not backing up a two-hour ride with another straight after.

• Mental Health Motorbike is a charity set up to help motorcyclists of all types to improve their mental wellbeing.

You can find out more at https://mhmotorbike.com