How has metal detecting helped you overcome challenges in your life?

We are faced with many challenges in our life that can stress us out. I’m very curious to see how metal detecting has helped people overcome challenges in their life.
So I asked our experts: How has metal detecting helped you overcome challenges in your life?
My first memory of retrieving lost objects was as an inquisitive four year old on a family picnic. We went to a place called Loggerheads in Wales. Whilst my family chatted amiably in the sunshine I walked over to a nearby shallow stream. It was just a natural response to scour the bottom of it for anything that caught my eye. A glint of pottery was all it took for me to step into the shallows and take some short steps that aged four would continue throughout my life.
I was a finder of lost things, maybe even rejected or thrown away. We are all flotsam and jetsam in life’s shallows. None of us will be remembered much and we are here today and gone tomorrow. That natural childlike curiosity is a thing that has given me great joy but also without proper guidance and in the wrong environment has caused me great and lasting pain.
Fast forward ten years and aged fourteen I was a likeable, comedian at my school with plenty of friends. Unfortunately many of them were the wrong type of friends to be around at that young age. Out went the sports and learning and in came the drink, drugs and partying.
I left school, got a job and eventually aged eighteen I moved out of town and took a job building motorways. I didn’t know it at the time but that first job out of town would be the first of many that would shape my future to the present day.
We were young and we had worked hard for our money and we spent it on having a good time in various towns and cities all over the United Kingdom. At this point in my late teens early twenties I was a hard working, functioning alcoholic like lots of people if they would only admit it to themselves.
Around about this time in the late eighties my mother bought me my first metal detector a whites coin master. I liked my new hobby but working away a lot I didn’t get much time to practice it. One time when I had no work that first machine got lost to the pawnshop.
Around about this time I lost myself too. I’d been away from home two years and in my absence many of my close friends back home had got themselves serious drug habits. I was pretty much a lamb to the slaughter. I was very naive about their new habits and I was soon out of pocket lending money to Tom, Dick and Harry.
The biggest mistake I ever made in my life was deciding to take payments back off them in kind. The very worst kind of all, soon I was hooked just like them and hobbies, life,pleasure,love,sincerity,honour and so many other things were lost to me all of a sudden.
I somehow managed to resume my travels around the country working hard but this time and for many years to come all I was doing was working myself into the ground in some very harsh working environments just to feed a raging drug habit.
Week in week out I’d be working at height or confined spaces maybe using machinery and breathing apparatus. I worked on many prestige contracts from the highlands of Scotland to the South Coast of England and in each city after a hard days work I’d have to go thru the soul destroying rigmarole of getting that monkey off my back.
In my early thirties my mother died and that’s when I struggled big time with bereavement which in turn lead to panic attacks and depression. By this time I still struggled on working away from my hometown but as each year went by I struggled more and more from a combination of these things.
I was truly lost and my health was in a sorry state. That’s when at a loose end I took up Metal Detecting again. It wasn’t easy for me to make time for the hobby or to get out. Something made me stick with it tho. Just when I thought I might catch a break and make some headway in life I was struck down with asthma.
Well I can tell you this came as a great shock and up to this point physically at least I’d thought myself indestructible. I couldn’t even take the dog for a walk and initially it was undiagnosed so that made it even more scary.
My mental health plummeted thru the floor trying to cope with asthma. I was now a complete wreck of a man. A piece of flotsam washed up on life’s shore. Two years it took for me to go out Detecting again once I’d learnt how to manage my asthma a bit better. In that two years I’d also managed to kick drugs into touch.
So I started going out Metal Detecting again just slowly at first not overdoing it.
The biggest turning point for me was online social media. Sitting at home bored one day I started my first Facebook Metal Detecting group. My aim was to help myself and by doing so hopefully help others. Anglo Celtic Metal Detecting on Facebook and YouTube was all unplanned really but its been an immensely satisfying journey both for me and the many friends I’ve made along the way all over this little planet of ours.
I was definitely lost for many years of my life. Now I’ve found countless good friend thru this amazing hobby of Metal Detecting. At its best it’s a network that looks out for each other and encourages people to both overcome life’s difficulties and even shine.
Thank god I stepped into the shallows aged four. Maybe I got swept away eventually but like the objects we discover I’ve only gone and found myself now too. Yes it’s true I do love my Metal Detecting. Can you blame me?
YouTube
Read our review on the Fisher F2 CLICK [HERE]
Digger’s Breakthrough
One of my favorite subjects as a sophomore in high school was shop. Shop was my first class, it was fun and I truly enjoyed the instructor. As a matter of fact, the instructor was a relic hunter himself. I will omit names but I will say that this teacher would bring his finds in for the class to see on occasion. At the time I wasn’t at all interested in his display. It wasn’t until years later that I realized what he was showing us was very near and dear to his heart and little did I know that later in life I too would be an avid relic hunter.
Midway through the semester on a cool Spring morning, I sat in class waiting for the bell to ring and for class to begin. The young man that sat in front of me was a friend, he and I had spent many hours chatting about shop projects and whatever else high school boys talk about. He was fun to sit next to and he seemed as happy and carefree as any other boy in school.
What I am about to tell you has significantly changed my life forever. As I sat waiting on class to start I noticed my friend reach into his book bag which sat next to him on the floor. It was at this very moment that I think my initial shock began to set in. His hand seemed to move in slow motion, my thoughts were all over the place and frozen at the same time. I couldn’t work through the jumble in order to make sense of what was happening. It was as if time had stood still and I was completely helpless.
What transpired next has been forever branded in my mind and often keeps me awake at night. My friend had been dealing with things at home, things that he had kept very secret. His home life was in shambles and he was tired. As time stood still and my frozen body refused to work, all the silence was broken. I was later told that the gunshot was deafening yet to this day I cannot remember hearing it. The parts I remember are far too graphic to describe but I will tell you, that day I lost a good friend and a large part of my own life was taken. School was canceled for the day, counselors were called in and things were in disarray.
Fast forward fifteen years. I had finally met my wife and we had our third child, Life was great. I was an avid artifact hunter. My favorite past time had been arrowhead hunting and archaeology in general. We were raising a family and I was for the most part a happy guy. I was never one to let life’s nativities get me down. Or was I? My wife had been paying closer attention and her view was much different. She noticed that I was becoming more and more irritated, depressed and I had begun to crawl into my shell so to speak. I started having panic attacks that seemed to come out of thin air, I was afraid to be in small confined spaces and all I wanted to do was stay home…all of the time!
My wife being the loving women she is, had set me up to see a doctor. I was later diagnosed with generalized anxiety and severe PTSD. Things were a mess and that’s putting it lightly. I had begun a regiment of med’s that were intended to help me regain my life. The anxiety attacks continued, night-sweats were horrible, and I was still withdrawn and didn’t venture far from home. Things gradually got better over time, never completely but better.
Life moves on and I had to move on with it. My son came to me one day and said he wanted a metal detector. Of course being the relic hunter I was, this made my heart swell. My little guy wanted to hunt relics. He was given a Garrett ACE 250 for Christmas that year. We went out several times so he could detect. It wasn’t long until I knew this arrangement wasn’t working. I wanted to detect too. After ordering an AT PRO we detected almost every day.
Soon I realized that swinging a detector was very much a release for me, and outlet if you will that allowed me to venture further and further and not feel those nasty PTSD feelings that had been so brutal all the years past. My son and I now have a you tube channel that we upload our hunts and adventures onto frequently. I still suffer from the PTSD but when I’m detecting that all seems to vanish. Call it magic or mysterious if you will, I call it a miracle.
Metal Detecting has become a very important part of my life. If you ever see me out there in the field swinging my AT Pro, I’m sure it will be obvious right then that that guy is living life. I attribute my freedom to explore freely and my ability to venture out into the unknown to metal detecting. Maybe its just that I love it that much, maybe I get some kind of mental clarity from swinging and hearing the tones go off,
I don’t know but whatever it is, I’ll take it. So that’s my story and that’s part of the reason my wife thinks that my detector is permanently attached to my forearm. Life throws curves, I thought I was strong and could dodge life’s curve balls, I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you get anything from this, I hope it’s that no matter how bad things seem at the time, it will always clear up, the sun will shine again and you will break through…..as long as you never give up!
Metal detecting is a huge art of our lives, if any of you are interested, feel free to check out our you tube channel….Swamp Monkey
We would love to have you drop by, maybe like & subscribe.
Digger & Chirp On The Hunt [aka Swamp monkey]
Or check us out on facebook @ Digger N Chirp
Check out our video review of the NEL Sharpshooter click [here]
When I started metal Detecting back in the late 60′ early 70’s I did it for the fun of finding artifacts, coins, & jewelry.
In my later life I used Detecting as a stress reliever because of the high stress jobs I had. I was in emergency services for most of my life until I retired in Dec of 2013.
I had a great career in law enforcement for 36 years and 7 months and a career in Firefighter/EMT for 18 years.
Whenever I had a bad day or bad call, when I got home, I would grab my metal detector, put my headphones on and forget about life for a little while. Now I Detect after a busy day at both businesses I own. Chippewa Valley Lock & Key LLC and Ground View Metal Detector Sales & Rental.
I can be contacted by either web site, www.cvlockandkey.org or www.groundviewmetaldetectors.b
I also have a new book coming out very soon. It’s called Treasure Hunting Streets & Sidewalk Tear Outs. I’m looking at trying to start a group for people suffering from PTSD.
Kenny Briggs
kenny@groundviewmetaldetectors
what are your pet Peeve’s in metal detecting? Click [here] to see what our experts had to say
Metal Detecting Helps You Overcome Challenges!
There are so many great benefits to metal detecting! We have always told others that in addition to finding valuable items, the hobby can change your life in more ways than one. We hear stories from our customers and fans all the time about what detecting has done for them, especially when it comes to overcoming incredible odds. We are eager to tell YOU about some ways it can help you overcome life’s challenges! Let’s get started!
Metal detecting is a great stress reducer. Going outdoors and feeling the wind on your face, while looking for new places to hunt, gives you a new kind of relaxation. Why? It’s wonderful because you are focusing on the treasure possibilities beneath your feet. Trying a new machine and using the new features also helps to lessen anxiety. We have heard people tell us that they’ve struggled with anxiety and depression, but going outdoors and trying new metal detecting product has helped them heal. It made them think of all the new places they could hunt and brought back joy into their lives again!
Metal detecting helps people overcome loneliness. Once you get into the hobby more, you want to meet with others who like to hunt. We see new groups all the time with treasure hunters that enjoy sharing their finds and tips! We suggest looking up groups in your state and going from there. Try this on our library to get started: https://www.kellycodetectors.com/clubs/index.htm.
You will like how quickly you grow your network of treasure hunters.
Detecting groups build friendships and help to open doors to other interests. For example, let’s say you’ve met other treasure hunters who like silver coins. That could lead to an interest in coin collecting! You might want to see what different types of coins are out there and which ones are the most valuable! Physical challenges are another area in which this hobby can greatly help. People reach out to us saying they have been injured from accidents or recovering from various surgeries, but metal detecting has helped them tremendously.
It also helps them stay physically active. The swinging of the detector aids in repairing muscles during physical therapy. The walking outdoors and using the equipment help build strength overtime. It’s a good idea to consult with your doctor first before jumping in.
Those are just a few of the amazing benefits of metal detecting and how it can help you overcome major challenges. We are so thankful to read such amazing stories of how the hobby has helped so many people! We invite you to visit our library and see more at: https://www.kellycodetectors.com/catalog/library/10-good-reasons/. We want to give a big thank-you to Rob Johnson for giving us another opportunity to share more of our expertise.
View our website: https://www.kellycodetectors.com/
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/KellycoDetector
*Like* us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kellycodetectors/
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We want everyone to apart of our social family! We have contests, expert tips, guest blogs and much more!
Thank-you again!
Kellyco
Read our review on the Bounty Hunter TK4 Tracker 1V CLICK [HERE]
I have never been a person who liked to exercise just to exercise.
I don’t like the smell of old gym socks. Exercise is okay as long as it’s fun.
In 2012 I took up metal detecting as a hobby. But it was limited at first because by 2012 both of my knees had deteriorated to the point they needed replacing. I even had to give up my job because I just couldn’t do it well anymore.
Finally in October of 2012 I had my right knee replaced and then in December my left. Physical therapy started me moving again. But metal detecting is what really got me going. Recovery from knee replacement goes in stages. You start out on crutches, then a cane and finally just your legs.
But my love of metal detecting has given me the drive to walk when it wasn’t comfortable. Each time I go I get just a little better.
No I don’t have the walking ability I had at 20, but it is light years better than it was in 2012 and getting better all the t
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The Desert Rat
Read our review on the Whites Coinmaster Click [HERE]
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