I got scared out of nowhere... Seeking advice.

Lazy Pollock

Lazy Pollock

Location
Pittsburgh
So yesterday I was climbing a fairly large cherry on a land clearing job, it ate both of my throw balls so I had to climb it because it had to much lean in the opposite direction to fell with out a pull line. It wasn't in bad shape I knew it was stable and safe to climb, but for some reason the whole time I was up there I couldn't shake this sudden onset of anxiety. I felt like I had no stability on the the crooked spar, I just couldn't get comfortable, I took a big top and got shook pretty good but it still didn't relieve the discomfort I was feeling. This is the first time in my career I had this happen and I can't figure out why I was so nervous. I've been way worse situations and I used to find climbing to be calming for my mind and very enjoyable. What could have happened?? this has me concerned about the future of my career/buisness. I have so much time and money invested in this. I will not let it defeat me but could anyone offer any advice or experience in these situations to put my mind at ease? Thank you.
 
Whats up fellow Pittsburgher! I've been climbing a lot longer than you and sometimes I get a little spooked by something. We need to listen to our intuition as a factor in our decision making but not let it overwhelm us. Fear is a part of tree climbing, unless you are a damn fool or have a severe chemical imbalance. Our brains are funny things. They can get affected by all kinds of things. If you never had significant anxiety in a tree before, perhaps there were other factors outside of climbing causing your brain to have a predisposition to anxiety on that particular day. My advise is to look at the situation as well as you can and logically find any reason for your feelings about it. If after a good examination it proves to be irrational, chalk it up to being human and don't let it bother you. Keep moving forward and keep your wits about you. Good luck and be safe!
 
Do you drink coffee, and if so how much do you drink? Coffee is a very serious stimulant and as such it can drastically increase your stress hormones without you even knowing it. Whenever I encounter a climber who is experiencing unnecessary fear and anxiety I recommend getting them off of caffeine first, and see if it helps.
 
Sounds like this is more than just an intuitive feeling. It could be physiological. The bacteria in our gut make the vast majority of serotonin and other neuro transmitters, which are the chemicals that make our brains work properly. There are a number of things that could throw the microbiome out of balance, including antibiotics and poor diet, diet soda, etc..

Lots of vegetable fiber, probiotics, and good fermented foods like live culture sauerkraut have been known to restore balance. Its an emerging field in science and medicine

My buddy was a roofer for years.. one day he just froze and had to be helped down. He could never roof again.. Just like something snapped... perhaps a moment of sanity or Divine guidance.. who knows

 
Daniel said:
Sounds like this is more than just an intuitive feeling. It could be physiological. The bacteria in our gut make the vast majority of serotonin and other neuro transmitters, which are the chemicals that make our brains work properly. There are a number of things that could throw the microbiome out of balance, including antibiotics and poor diet, diet soda, etc..

Lots of vegetable fiber, probiotics, and good fermented foods like live culture sauerkraut have been known to restore balance. Its an emerging field in science and medicine

My buddy was a roofer for years.. one day he just froze and had to be helped down. He could never roof again.. Just like something snapped... perhaps a moment of sanity or Divine guidance.. who knows

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Luckily we live in a time when science is learning much about the human body. I would think twice before pounding a punch of probiotics, yogurt, and sauerkraut. We now know that a portion of the population suffer from what are known as Histamine Intolerances and Mast Cell issues, and these fermented products are gasoline to folks with these issues! This is why many folks feel much worse when adding things like this into their diet. There are probiotics which are beneficial to folks with these issues, but very few products contains these specific strains. Knowledge is king folks.
 
Big adrenaline dumps can be kinda uncomfortable sometimes. It's one of the most dangerous jobs on the planet though, you're right to be scared. People get killed doing it. Sometimes guys that are total pros that have been doing this for decades make a mistake and die.

I hope you get past this. That would suck if tree work wasn't enjoyable anymore.

I was gonna ask about caffeine too @rico
I've overdone it many times, it will totally induce anxiety and panic.
 
I’m by no means a professional or even an experienced climber. The times that I’ve felt that anxiety either in a tree or at work (firefighter, and technical rescue tech) it helps me to sit down walk through the scenario writing it down, things I observed and how those things affected me. After that I try to recreate the situation and work through the scenario again to gain comfort in the task that I was doing.
 
Right before I get sick, or after a couple nights of poor/little sleep, I’ll feel anxiety and poor balance in a tree. Sleep, recovery, and like Rico said, ease up on the coffee. I was tanking from depending on coffee, and switched to Rasa, a tea made from herbs and mushrooms, blended to revitalize the very system that coffee taxes. It doesn’t taste exactly like coffee, but it’s good. Now I actually get a boost in the afternoons, which is probably annoying for my team, because that’s when they start to crash from caffeine.
 
X2 on the coffee intake, not enough sleep, and if I am coming down with something and just don't know it yet. My anxiety levels also go through the roof if I have too much sugar the day before, like too much cake or pie. Did not bother me so much when I was younger but have to be more careful now, and especially around tax time or before a trip to the dentist, etc. when the anxiety is already heightened. And I gather a leaner is a different animal! I have just been climbing a few years now and have only been up two real leaners, but it was weird both times. Really screwed with my sense of balance and security. What he experienced might be a combination of several things at once and time will tell if it continues to be an issue. You pros have any advice specific to climbing leaners? That seemed to be the trigger.
 
Burrapeg said:
X2 on the coffee intake, not enough sleep, and if I am coming down with something and just don't know it yet. My anxiety levels also go through the roof if I have too much sugar the day before, like too much cake or pie. Did not bother me so much when I was younger but have to be more careful now, and especially around tax time or before a trip to the dentist, etc. when the anxiety is already heightened. And I gather a leaner is a different animal! I have just been climbing a few years now and have only been up two real leaners, but it was weird both times. Really screwed with my sense of balance and security. What he experienced might be a combination of several things at once and time will tell if it continues to be an issue. You pros have any advice specific to climbing leaners? That seemed to be the trigger.
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Stay on the top side, keep your feet as wide as possible, keep your lanyard long enough to be able to move fluidly and stay upright on slight leaners, on hard leans it might be necessary to lean over and use your hands for balance. Sometimes on a real hard leaner I will hook my lanyard with my thumbs so I can advance my lanyard while still using my palms on the tree and walk out on all 4's. When its time to make a cut you can take a double wrap with the lanyard to lock yourself in. Kneel or sit on the limb/lead if needed. If its possible, tie into something above, or a higher neighboring tree. Even if your tie-in point if fairly far away, you can keep your rope tight and it gives you something to lean on and more stability. And of course, with years of practice, it becomes much easier. I used to find a leaner with a twist or a big dog-leg to be very challenging. After 5 years or so of daily climbing it became much easier. Now, its almost all just 2nd nature. I almost never find a situation I haven't been in 1000 or more times and I have strategies for all of them. Experience is king.
 
Absolutely take care of your health, but there will still will be challenges. The post above has really good tips on leaners, the important take away being: do everything you can to make yourself as comfortable as possible. Sometimes you will have to climb something that will be uncomfortable the whole time, but experience helps because you know how to keep yourself safe enough to survive. That way, next time you enter the fearful mindset, you are able to act positively (rope placement, lanyard wraps, multiple tie in points, guy lines for stability, etc.) In response to the negative thoughts and feelings (cant, dont, wont, stop, hold on tight, go back down!)
 
rico said:
Luckily we live in a time when science is learning much about the human body. I would think twice before pounding a punch of probiotics, yogurt, and sauerkraut. We now know that a portion of the population suffer from what are known as Histamine Intolerances and Mast Cell issues, and these fermented products are gasoline to folks with these issues! This is why many folks feel much worse when adding things like this into their diet. There are probiotics which are beneficial to folks with these issues, but very few products contains these specific strains. Knowledge is king folks.
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Are you suggesting that I order my Reuben without sauerkraut??? Utter madness I say.
 
JD3000 said:
Are you suggesting that I order my Reuben without sauerkraut??? Utter madness I say.
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God NO!. There is no such thing as a Reuben without sauerkraut, and shame on you for even suggesting such a thing. WTF is wrong with you JD?

On a side note I believe a really good Reuben to be one of the crowning achievements of humanity. Right up there with a killer batch of Liver and Onions, with bacon of coarse.
 
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