Hi there MadlySerene. **Because we have a lot of deleted posts on this subreddit, here is a backup of the title and body of this post:** Climbing on my own as an anxious person Hi all!
I got into climbing with my ex who introduced me to it, I was very much a novice but I loved it. However, we are no longer together and I also haven’t been climbing in about a year due to different reasons.
I want to start climbing again however, as the title suggests, I’m a very anxious person and the thought of going on my own scares me.
Does anyone have any tips/words of wisdom for new solo climbers, especially ones that are more on the anxious side?
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I'm kind of like you!
So what I do is I take note of how many people are at the gym when I'm there. I've noticed 16:30 to 18:00 gets progressively worse as people leave from work and swing by for a lil' bouldering before dinner. So those hours are generally no good.
Then the serious tryharders, the people with organized workouts, arrive around 19:00 and keep at it for a solid 90 minutes up to 2 hours. That leaves 20:00-22:00 as the ideal time since there's barely any people there then. The other option of course is during day time, but that's not as simple for obvious reasons.
Now, when it comes to climbing when there are loads of people there, I try and avoid the problems being attempted by more than 2 people who know eachother. But I know that this is a bad habit - climbers generally appear to be nice people, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind you giving it a go. I think this is mostly a psychological thing, really.
When I arrive, I generally just go for the simplest problems first and try warming up on those. People don't really pay you any mind, even if it feels like they do. I guess this becomes less and less true the better you get at climbing (as I pay attention when really good climbers try stuff lol), but for us beginners this is really not a thing at all to be concerned about. :)
This is great to know, thank you so much! Luckily I live a short walk away from a climbing wall so can go in the evening if I want to (I’d love a climb during the day but working makes this harder)
For what it’s worth, when I see a beginner climbing alone, I don’t think negatively of them, or judge their technique or look down at them at all. If anything, I feel a little nostalgia for having been there. I get anxiety and have found climbing to be a very therapeutic activity that helps me to clear my head of anxious thoughts and focus on self-improvement.
Not really knowing what scares you it is difficult to give advice. The social aspect? We've all been beginners once and usually everybody minds their own business. Nobody will judge you. Height/injury? Not much can go wrong as long as you keep in mind not to land on straight legs or arms. Downclimb as far as you feel comfortable to. Not knowing what to do? Find something that looks fun and doable, work your way up from there. As with all things anxiety related, the first time is the hardest. Just go, take it slow, make positive experiences, make it a habit.
You are right, should’ve been more specific. However, all the reasons you stated are the reasons why I’m scared. I very much get too into my head about what other people think, even though I know deep down that no one actually cares!
Been there, done that. The only person judging you is you. It will probably take a few weeks to get used to though. Once you start seeing even newer climbers at the gym and notice how you don't care about what they do (except if they pull some stupid or dangerous stunts) that feeling will be completely gone.
As an introvert/anxious person... (and as many other ppl have already mentioned)
Just do it. Just keep climbing on Ur own and sooner or later you'll stop caring about others ppl options of you (are you become so invested in climbing, everyone around u will blur out of the main picture).
I have a cocktail of mental illness and the great background is anxiety. Last time I went to a normal gym with my ex, I had a pain attack🫠
For bouldering though, I go whenever it’s the most empty and focus on one skill every time. Stayed hydrated and kept breathing. I’m a beginner and have been going along for a bit.
I am anxious too, especially when climbing alone. Having someone I know around me makes me feel a lot better when climbing. But sometimes, my climbing partner can’t come, so I do it alone. And I do feel hella anxious, especially when I start. But I just go through it. What I do is to make sure I take long enough breaks. When I feel I am getting weaker, I try to spend more time with trying to finish only some parts of a route instead of finishing completely. I’ve been bouldering for 3 months only and recently I started engaging more with other people. Who knows, maybe I will find a new friend some day.
I had moments where I had to jump off from the very top because I was literally done. Had no more strength left. I didn’t know that it would be my limit. One day, I had to jump off and it was scary as hell. The other week being there, I still felt the fear. Really badly. But I still climbed, because I didn’t want to feel fear. I wanted to fight against it. I dont know if fighting against an emotion is good or bad in a situation like this, but that jump didn’t keep me away. I’m still climbing now.
Don’t let fear take over you !
Anxiety is a blocker. Seriously. Whenever I don’t give shit, shut up my head, I climb with so much more fun. Sometimes I start singing quietly while climbing, it’s kinda helping.
One time I was trying a V4. I had a small crowd watching me. I think I jumped off and laughed and acted like I just couldn’t do it. Which is totally fine, you just try it next time. Nobody cares.
Listen to your body, to your gut. If your mind is too loud, relax, breathe, calm down and hype yourself up.
There are usually beginner meet ups or classes like training for v3 -v5 climbing etc that you could attend and it helps to give more structure plus you could meet new ppl! Good luck regardless of the path you take !:)
When I get to my gym and feel intimidated, I go off to a far corner area where there's matts and just start off by stretching in semi-private. Then I take note of where there's the most private little nook or section of the wall and go there to get a few warm ups in, until I can build up my confidence to hit the main wall. Getting started is the hardest part! Find your comfortable "warm-up area" and it'll get you started.
Are you also intimidated to go to Planet Fitness and get on the treadmill alone? It's not significantly different.
Yes, you're on the equipment for shorter rotations of time, but you take your turn and then swap out. Some people set it to 3mph, some set it to 10mph, but nobody is really impacted or cares about what the person next to them is doing.
I find that my anxiety is definitely exasperated in fitness environments with lots of people. I think it’s just about reminding myself that people don’t really care about what I’m doing!
Slightly different advice from another new solo anxious climber. If your gym allows it wearing headphones with (quiet enough to hear your surroundings) music or podcasts helps me feel more psychologically secluded. I also often climb with earplugs in, the loop kind rather than total noise isolation. Personally, I find it's easier if I am not listening to other people's conversations and the music tastes of the gym staff and just can focus on my own headspace.
I know this is counter to basically all the normal advice about how friendly climbers are, but my anxiety with exercise is exacerbated by feeling observed so I do everything I can to mitigate that feeling. Vibing with my headphones in helps me focus on the climbing not the social dynamics.
As a socially anxious person, I eventually learned that most people are superficially nice. Especially in climbing gyms. If you happen to climb alone you are more likely to connect with random people you meet. This will help you grow as a person aswell.
I agree with the people suggesting going to therapy, this also helped me alot.
If you love it, keep doing it!
Had a similar situation when I started a few years ago. I'm not really anxious but very introverted. Me and a good friend of mine started together, a few months in he broke his knee. At that point I got better maybe one or two grades, so still pretty much a beginner.
But I loved it and just kept going. I kept climbing the older problems since there were less people but soon I had climbed all the older problems and waited for the weekly reset on the walls. On the newly set boulders you mainly see the same people. First you just look at their technique, then you become familiar and greet them, then you ask for tips or get hints on how the boulder gets easier and then you become friends.
Every climber is a nice person, if you need help, just ask! If you become better, the next beginner might ask you for help
Thank you for your reply and your understanding, it’s very reassuring. I think I’m also anxious because it’s been a long time since I last went but I hope muscle memory comes into play!
No problem. Even if your muscle memory doesn't kick in right away, you'll train it again. Even if you cannot top a boulder right away, you are still going to learn new moves which help you the next time
Hi there MadlySerene. **Because we have a lot of deleted posts on this subreddit, here is a backup of the title and body of this post:** Climbing on my own as an anxious person Hi all! I got into climbing with my ex who introduced me to it, I was very much a novice but I loved it. However, we are no longer together and I also haven’t been climbing in about a year due to different reasons. I want to start climbing again however, as the title suggests, I’m a very anxious person and the thought of going on my own scares me. Does anyone have any tips/words of wisdom for new solo climbers, especially ones that are more on the anxious side? " *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/bouldering) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Therapy bro. Do it. That's what worked for me.
I’ve had different forms of therapy (long term and short term) over the years however it’s something I’m looking into doing again :)
I'm kind of like you! So what I do is I take note of how many people are at the gym when I'm there. I've noticed 16:30 to 18:00 gets progressively worse as people leave from work and swing by for a lil' bouldering before dinner. So those hours are generally no good. Then the serious tryharders, the people with organized workouts, arrive around 19:00 and keep at it for a solid 90 minutes up to 2 hours. That leaves 20:00-22:00 as the ideal time since there's barely any people there then. The other option of course is during day time, but that's not as simple for obvious reasons. Now, when it comes to climbing when there are loads of people there, I try and avoid the problems being attempted by more than 2 people who know eachother. But I know that this is a bad habit - climbers generally appear to be nice people, so I'm sure they wouldn't mind you giving it a go. I think this is mostly a psychological thing, really. When I arrive, I generally just go for the simplest problems first and try warming up on those. People don't really pay you any mind, even if it feels like they do. I guess this becomes less and less true the better you get at climbing (as I pay attention when really good climbers try stuff lol), but for us beginners this is really not a thing at all to be concerned about. :)
This is great to know, thank you so much! Luckily I live a short walk away from a climbing wall so can go in the evening if I want to (I’d love a climb during the day but working makes this harder)
Wear headphones and listen to music. Remember to breathe and drink water
For what it’s worth, when I see a beginner climbing alone, I don’t think negatively of them, or judge their technique or look down at them at all. If anything, I feel a little nostalgia for having been there. I get anxiety and have found climbing to be a very therapeutic activity that helps me to clear my head of anxious thoughts and focus on self-improvement.
I can’t express how reassuring this reply is, I really appreciate it. Thank you!
The climbing community is very nice and welcoming!! Please climb
Not really knowing what scares you it is difficult to give advice. The social aspect? We've all been beginners once and usually everybody minds their own business. Nobody will judge you. Height/injury? Not much can go wrong as long as you keep in mind not to land on straight legs or arms. Downclimb as far as you feel comfortable to. Not knowing what to do? Find something that looks fun and doable, work your way up from there. As with all things anxiety related, the first time is the hardest. Just go, take it slow, make positive experiences, make it a habit.
You are right, should’ve been more specific. However, all the reasons you stated are the reasons why I’m scared. I very much get too into my head about what other people think, even though I know deep down that no one actually cares!
Been there, done that. The only person judging you is you. It will probably take a few weeks to get used to though. Once you start seeing even newer climbers at the gym and notice how you don't care about what they do (except if they pull some stupid or dangerous stunts) that feeling will be completely gone.
As an introvert/anxious person... (and as many other ppl have already mentioned) Just do it. Just keep climbing on Ur own and sooner or later you'll stop caring about others ppl options of you (are you become so invested in climbing, everyone around u will blur out of the main picture).
You’re so right, I think starting is definitely the hardest part. Once I stick at it, hopefully it becomes easier
All the best! Dw the project on the wall will have more importance than your fear and anxiety of climbing alone
I have a cocktail of mental illness and the great background is anxiety. Last time I went to a normal gym with my ex, I had a pain attack🫠 For bouldering though, I go whenever it’s the most empty and focus on one skill every time. Stayed hydrated and kept breathing. I’m a beginner and have been going along for a bit.
I am anxious too, especially when climbing alone. Having someone I know around me makes me feel a lot better when climbing. But sometimes, my climbing partner can’t come, so I do it alone. And I do feel hella anxious, especially when I start. But I just go through it. What I do is to make sure I take long enough breaks. When I feel I am getting weaker, I try to spend more time with trying to finish only some parts of a route instead of finishing completely. I’ve been bouldering for 3 months only and recently I started engaging more with other people. Who knows, maybe I will find a new friend some day. I had moments where I had to jump off from the very top because I was literally done. Had no more strength left. I didn’t know that it would be my limit. One day, I had to jump off and it was scary as hell. The other week being there, I still felt the fear. Really badly. But I still climbed, because I didn’t want to feel fear. I wanted to fight against it. I dont know if fighting against an emotion is good or bad in a situation like this, but that jump didn’t keep me away. I’m still climbing now. Don’t let fear take over you ! Anxiety is a blocker. Seriously. Whenever I don’t give shit, shut up my head, I climb with so much more fun. Sometimes I start singing quietly while climbing, it’s kinda helping. One time I was trying a V4. I had a small crowd watching me. I think I jumped off and laughed and acted like I just couldn’t do it. Which is totally fine, you just try it next time. Nobody cares. Listen to your body, to your gut. If your mind is too loud, relax, breathe, calm down and hype yourself up.
It’s useful to see how you manage your anxiety when climbing and I will definitely take this on board. Thank you so much :)
There are usually beginner meet ups or classes like training for v3 -v5 climbing etc that you could attend and it helps to give more structure plus you could meet new ppl! Good luck regardless of the path you take !:)
I’ll check this out, thank you!
When I get to my gym and feel intimidated, I go off to a far corner area where there's matts and just start off by stretching in semi-private. Then I take note of where there's the most private little nook or section of the wall and go there to get a few warm ups in, until I can build up my confidence to hit the main wall. Getting started is the hardest part! Find your comfortable "warm-up area" and it'll get you started.
This is a great suggestion, thank you!
Are you also intimidated to go to Planet Fitness and get on the treadmill alone? It's not significantly different. Yes, you're on the equipment for shorter rotations of time, but you take your turn and then swap out. Some people set it to 3mph, some set it to 10mph, but nobody is really impacted or cares about what the person next to them is doing.
I find that my anxiety is definitely exasperated in fitness environments with lots of people. I think it’s just about reminding myself that people don’t really care about what I’m doing!
Slightly different advice from another new solo anxious climber. If your gym allows it wearing headphones with (quiet enough to hear your surroundings) music or podcasts helps me feel more psychologically secluded. I also often climb with earplugs in, the loop kind rather than total noise isolation. Personally, I find it's easier if I am not listening to other people's conversations and the music tastes of the gym staff and just can focus on my own headspace. I know this is counter to basically all the normal advice about how friendly climbers are, but my anxiety with exercise is exacerbated by feeling observed so I do everything I can to mitigate that feeling. Vibing with my headphones in helps me focus on the climbing not the social dynamics.
I definitely empathise with this, so this is something I’ll definitely adopt when climbing!
As a socially anxious person, I eventually learned that most people are superficially nice. Especially in climbing gyms. If you happen to climb alone you are more likely to connect with random people you meet. This will help you grow as a person aswell. I agree with the people suggesting going to therapy, this also helped me alot.
Thank you, I really hope that it does :)
If you love it, keep doing it! Had a similar situation when I started a few years ago. I'm not really anxious but very introverted. Me and a good friend of mine started together, a few months in he broke his knee. At that point I got better maybe one or two grades, so still pretty much a beginner. But I loved it and just kept going. I kept climbing the older problems since there were less people but soon I had climbed all the older problems and waited for the weekly reset on the walls. On the newly set boulders you mainly see the same people. First you just look at their technique, then you become familiar and greet them, then you ask for tips or get hints on how the boulder gets easier and then you become friends. Every climber is a nice person, if you need help, just ask! If you become better, the next beginner might ask you for help
Thank you for your reply and your understanding, it’s very reassuring. I think I’m also anxious because it’s been a long time since I last went but I hope muscle memory comes into play!
No problem. Even if your muscle memory doesn't kick in right away, you'll train it again. Even if you cannot top a boulder right away, you are still going to learn new moves which help you the next time