Anxiety / Hesitancy about Climbing Bigger and Taller Trees

[Treezybreez]

I have found that focusing on the task at hand usually eliminates the fear of height. Back when I was first getting started, the pain that my spike shanks caused when they rubbed the hair and skin off my legs was enough to keep my mind occupied.

A person's days are determined; You have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed. Job 14:5 NIV

 

[southsoundtree]

@climbingmonkey24

What is your assessment of the trouble, and your plan of action or inaction?

 

[Mowerr]

Have you started other threads or discussed this topic before in other threads?
Idk if it was you or someone else...
Not trying to make fun of anyone but I'm wondering if this has been going on for some time now or if that was someone else I'm thinking of...

 

[Njdelaney]

This is an ongoing issue for him. There is nothing wrong with being anxious or nervous about doing things that are potentially dangerous, unless it occupies too much mental space, or it takes away from your ability to focus on what you're doing. Then, being anxious makes you more likely to get hurt. Also, it may help to reframe how you're looking at this. You are seeing your anxiety/nerves about in-tree situations as something wrong, or a flaw. I propose that you accept the fact that you have generalized anxiety. It comes up in all your posts, be they about climbing after lots of rain, interacting with customers, large trees vs small trees, etc. Anxiety can come from past trauma, or it can be simply a normal variation in your neurological make-up. However, it doesn't matter why you have it, just that you understand that you do have it. Once you accept that and can be OK with it, you are free to now marvel at all that you have already achieved in spite of it. You've climbed many trees, seen many jobs through to completion, even one within the last 6 months that you were really nervous about. I think you want it to be about specific situations because then it seems like you may get some specific piece of advice that will make it go away. That will not happen. You will continue to succeed and climb, and you will continue to feel anxious. I don't normally recommend medication for anxiety because the side effects of anxiety meds are many and unpleasant enough to cause anxiety! Support yourself by talking to people(and maybe a therapist) about this, eating healthy food, getting good sleep, etc. Also, don't beat yourself up if you feel too anxious on a given day to do a job. It will wax and wane so come back when you feel better and keep moving forward. My .02

 

[moss]

Putting aside background life issues which have been well covered here.. there comes a point in a working climber's life where they've seen enough fails in tree and tree parts that when you're high on an extreme leaner (for example) it's easy to visualize hidden decay causing a fail while you're on it. I have an active imagination and can relate to what you're talking about. It slows me down while I add in extra support from another tree if that's available. Even if after the climb I've proved (with backup) that the tree was safe to be in after all, I don't know that until I know it.

You mention how you didn't have the anxiety issue on rec climbs. Even though the weather is getting less pleasant for rec climbing it might be worth getting up into a tree with no agenda except to reclaim that good feeling of hanging out in the upper branches.
-AJ

 

[islandarb]

Sometimes drinking too much coffee before work can make you anxious - stimulants can build up in your system and mess you up while still making you feel good because they're addicting. Just a thought

I have been a full carafe of coffee guy since becoming sober. 16+ years..... that is about 12 cups all in the morning before food.... Is that too much? Asking for a friend.

 

[rico]

I have been a full carafe of coffee guy since becoming sober. 16+ years..... that is about 12 cups all in the morning before food.... Is that too much? Asking for a friend.

The last time I drank 12 cups of coffee I ended up in jail.

 

[TreeManMyk]

I have been a full carafe of coffee guy since becoming sober. 16+ years..... that is about 12 cups all in the morning before food.... Is that too much? Asking for a friend.

Well fella, you can have as much as want! I found after getting sober myself I became more aware of the effects of what I take into my body. But everyone is different. I used to start the day with a mug of espresso.

 

[islandarb]

Prob too much then. I will ease off the stuff. My friend says thanks.

 

[RogerM]

working with, observing, and learning from climbers with way better skillsets then me, helped me progress to "bigger" trees.
I'm guilty of working trees where, if I made a mistake, there was no one on site to help me in a worse case scenario. (I'd guess we all are). I've always found, with other climbers on site, inevitably, I somehow pushed passed any stumblng blocks. .02

 

[Kandelero]

Something subtle has shifted for you. I felt a similar shift after climbing on an knee injury. Suddenly old fun was now new potential pain. Anxiety about trees failing is different, and you need to track down the cause of this shift, but if the objective of this thread is to get you back in the trees ASAP then the short term fix here seems to me pretty obvious, if annoyingly European: use a second system. Yes it's slower, but its also ludicrously safe, and as such kinda liberating. Set up properly you will never ever fall. And your head will understand this. The rest will follow. And then flow.

 

[Burrapeg]

. . . the short term fix here seems to me pretty obvious, if annoyingly European: use a second system. Yes it's slower, but its also ludicrously safe, and as such kinda liberating. . .

I second that recommendation. I started using a seond rope and system in those taller trees that triggered my fear and it has really helped a lot to feel that much safer. And the coffee thing too. Lots and lots of coffee. Enough of the stuff and you won't even care what happens. LOL.

 

[islandarb]

2 ropes? Seriously. That is only going to complicate things even more. Especially in bigger trees. As for never falling that is a stretch just because you use two ropes. this idea is up for debate. I personally like the freedom of a single rope moving through the crown. Will use a secondary system on an odd occasion when needed. But that has been rare over 14 years of doing this work. Will type some more later.

 

[tarzanstree]

I find myself with these same struggles sometimes, especially the older I get, and the more aches and pains I have now. I have been struggling for the last couple years with some fairly significant elbow/forearm/wrist pain, as well as 10-15 extra pounds that used to always melt off come spring, but that all stopped when I hit 40. I have been trying to watch my diet closely, and take advice from a good friend and my climbing mentor about how to use my diet to help with the inflammatory issues I have going on. I have subsequently lost 10 lbs. and am feeling better about climbing. Still struggling with the pain in my extremities, but am hopeful it will get better over time. I also have noticed over the years that I have more anxiety about climbing when I am feeling sick, or down from life, and my way of controlling that has gone as such: You have to be able to recognize, embrace and control your fear, not the other way around. Sometimes when I’m feeling sick or down, the fear tries harder to control me, and that’s when I have to take a pause, do a check of my gear and tie ins, and do a mindful reset where I tell myself that it’s ok, everything checks out. Picture a submarine captain doing a wartime drill, and getting the green light from all of his subordinates at different stations, before the drill can commence...be the sub captain...take control. Take care pardner.

 

[Burrapeg]

I can say for sure that my fear of heights is definitely due to my age. I had no trouble with heights right thru my forties and fifties, and did a lot scarier stuff than my rec tree climbing year after year for a living, on shipyard gantry cranes, offshore drilling rigs, etc. And we had gear that today would be immediately rejected as being a death trap, used manila rope, very basic (and hideously uncomfortable) leather harnesses, etc. I guess as I have gotten into my retirement years and have had a couple of medical adventures now (and losing a wife to heart attack), I feel mortal suddenly. The neat thing about this tree climbing I started about four years ago is that the rewards are more than worth facing the fear. Once in the canopy, moving about, limb walking, and appreciating a particular tree, the view, bird life, etc., the years drop away and to some extent my day to day worries and issues do too. A good climb is truly a mini-vacation. And it has been very sustaining during this sodding pandemic isolation. I live alone in a fairly remote island location and my various favourite trees have become good friends!

 

[islandarb]

I find myself with these same struggles sometimes, especially the older I get, and the more aches and pains I have now. I have been struggling for the last couple years with some fairly significant elbow/forearm/wrist pain, as well as 10-15 extra pounds that used to always melt off come spring, but that all stopped when I hit 40. I have been trying to watch my diet closely, and take advice from a good friend and my climbing mentor about how to use my diet to help with the inflammatory issues I have going on. I have subsequently lost 10 lbs. and am feeling better about climbing. Still struggling with the pain in my extremities, but am hopeful it will get better over time. I also have noticed over the years that I have more anxiety about climbing when I am feeling sick, or down from life, and my way of controlling that has gone as such: You have to be able to recognize, embrace and control your fear, not the other way around. Sometimes when I’m feeling sick or down, the fear tries harder to control me, and that’s when I have to take a pause, do a check of my gear and tie ins, and do a mindful reset where I tell myself that it’s ok, everything checks out. Picture a submarine captain doing a wartime drill, and getting the green light from all of his subordinates at different stations, before the drill can commence...be the sub captain...take control. Take care pardner.

Damn Cody nice to see you post up....missed you my friend. Hope all is well in that beautiful neck of the woods you live. Family all happy.

 

[islandarb]

I can say for sure that my fear of heights is definitely due to my age. I had no trouble with heights right thru my forties and fifties, and did a lot scarier stuff than my rec tree climbing year after year for a living, on shipyard gantry cranes, offshore drilling rigs, etc. And we had gear that today would be immediately rejected as being a death trap, used manila rope, very basic (and hideously uncomfortable) leather harnesses, etc. I guess as I have gotten into my retirement years and have had a couple of medical adventures now (and losing a wife to heart attack), I feel mortal suddenly. The neat thing about this tree climbing I started about four years ago is that the rewards are more than worth facing the fear. Once in the canopy, moving about, limb walking, and appreciating a particular tree, the view, bird life, etc., the years drop away and to some extent my day to day worries and issues do too. A good climb is truly a mini-vacation. And it has been very sustaining during this sodding pandemic isolation. I live alone in a fairly remote island location and my various favourite trees have become good friends!

Sounds so peaceful. Keep climbing it is the fountain of youth.

 

[islandarb]

Once I have an ideal TIP/PSP I am off to the races. the trust in my equip is there so it is just getting up in the crown and inspecting what I need. Advance there and off I go. If I cannot see ideal from ground I throw lower to a strong union head up, inspect and advance. I know the species of trees I climb and know how to choose TIPs wisely. I take comfort in that.

 

[Kandelero]

2 ropes? Seriously. That is only going to complicate things even more. Especially in bigger trees. As for never falling that is a stretch just because you use two ropes. this idea is up for debate. I personally like the freedom of a single rope moving through the crown. Will use a secondary system on an odd occasion when needed. But that has been rare over 14 years of doing this work. Will type some more later.

Yes, seriously. Recall the objective of this thread. Along with the arithmetic increase in safety, the increase in faffery a second system requires will have his mind focused on gear and efficiency rather than... the other thing Newton talked about. Also, annoyance with a second system is inversely proportionate to general anxiety/mad skills as a climber, which your posts have gone out of their way to suggest you possess.

 

[islandarb]

Yes, seriously. Recall the objective of this thread. Along with the arithmetic increase in safety, the increase in faffery a second system requires will have his mind focused on gear and efficiency rather than... the other thing Newton talked about. Also, annoyance with a second system is inversely proportionate to general anxiety/mad skills as a climber, which your posts have gone out of their way to suggest you possess.

Not sure where you drew that last conclusion from. But I am not sure 2 ropes will alleviate one's fear of large trees. If anything it will increase it. Using 2 ropes on a consistant basis will take some time to be fluid. In a work setting that may not be ideal. Some rec climbing could solve this I am sure.