This week I’ve been slightly stressed, so have been in the exercise version of Brownian perpetual motion to avoid too much stillness and thought.
Good for fitness and weight loss, but my usual gentle Monday evening church hall rest day yoga class, and 10 swim lengths after 2 good sessions at the beacon and some running on a wet weekend, felt like doing the Snowdonia marathon this week.
Well maybe not quite as bad as the bit up through Waunfawr, but pretty hard. Not helped by the swimming pool having the Newport swimming club in it. People who actually know how to swim, whereas I can just about do directional non drowning.
Exercise is what saves me every time. Usually climbing. Is easy to feel very alone in the world, so having the climbing friends support network is very important to me. Non climbing friends seem to soon become climbing ones anyway. Don’t think that is always my fault? 🙂
Dunno about social media for happiness, in fact wordpress happily told me that I’m in negative viewing figures this year, if that is a thing. Negative interactivity! How non positive when feeling negative! Wonder if Instagram will start giving negative likes ratings soon?
So also shamed by more famous friends writing about things that actually matter, I thought I should try to appease the social media powers for good and evil.
Have been pretty inspired recently by working with young people determined to make a difference for the environment, plus business people actually making one by investing in community development and sustainable energy and growth.
Also lucky to have a job where environmental leave is a thing.
Check out James McHaffie’s blog for inspiration too. Environmental and climbing. There is plenty of good out there.
Working at these things makes up a little for the flying part of the second ace trip I had to Morocco in January, loads more new routes… and carbon footprint. It was so good though!
Doing a talk about my rolling climbing year for the BMC, on new routing and volunteering, made me realise it has been pretty damn cool. Plus I hope it came across that to have those sorts of fun times is pretty accessible. Too many people are put off and intimidated by the thought of trying. Thanks to Emily for the invitation.
My next new route will need to have a caramel shortbread themed name after the loss of the legend who picked and belayed me on my first E2 Diabiag Pillar. Or maybe Daring to Hope is worthy. Miss you Andy for climbing advice, inspiration and occasional good hugs. X
Although for UK climbing in 2019 so far, 2 Tremadog classics in the February summer and 3 great Welsh mixed lines in January’s week of winter are it. Although one was new. And all harder than any winter I’d been on before. And it is March already. Better get on it and stop being grumpy! Keeping it bananary.
Inspiration is a funny thing and can come and go so fast, as all good things seem to do in my experience. Live in the now and enjoy the good. Be true to yourself and honest. A lesson I need to take on board. Too often I compromise what I need to be nice and end up disappointed.
Twice in my life the bottom has properly dropped out of it. Hoping this year will now carry on as well as it started although it feels a bit wobbly at the moment. Up for plenty of climbing trips anyway.
With enough whiskey I might tell you about it all one day. I’m tough so I survive. I hope that resilience will always be there to draw on, but it is not a given for anyone. It gets hard.
I like to be able to be supportive, and with an excellent emphasis on mental health awareness at work, and in the climbing world at the moment, had a read up on anxiety and other ways in which our wellness can be compromised. I learnt rather more than I was expecting about myself, as my coping skills are so well developed, from a young age, I was totally unaware they were such. Interesting.
Having lost friends unexpectedly to demons, it is always worth taking that time to be nice. Check on people. Don’t pressure them however hard that may be. Take support where it is offered.
Also useful for me to have that self awareness and understanding. I’ve got a feeling it will be helpful for climbing this year, as I’m keen to build on last year, consolidation being an exciting place this time.
Dizzlizzie Climbing 