Climbing outside is going to boost your mental health the most.

Expectations lead to disappointments, so lowering those can lead to having more fun.

With winter you can climb indoors, make sure you plan properly so that when there is a window to climb outside you have people who are ready.

If you are climbing less you could use the time for healthy eating planning/ strategy which could result in fat loss and up yr power to weight ratio and hence improved climbing.

Cheers

Cormac

Aaah this is such great advice! Thanks Cormac 🙂 

This is such a great conversation to have!

I have had climbing days when my expectations were too high, my mind distracted, or body just tired. The result is huge disappointment in myself and "what has all my training actually done?". These days can be tough mentally to process. On the other-side, is awesome climbing days when I have found my flow on the rock and surprised myself with some unexpected sends. 

I have found what works for me is being flexible in my training routine and outdoor expectations. If I am mentally stressed or tired, lead climbing doesn't work for that confidence feel good boost I'm looking for. A good old run or gym session is best for processing and releasing that stress without being disappointed in my climbing abilities as my mind is just not in it. If its a planed crag day and I'm feeling tired or stressed, climb 2 grades below my flash grade.

Having an awesome belaytionship or training buddy helps too. Having someone tell you its okay or just overwhelm your brain with psych goes along way. Somedays it's me doing the motivating, other days it's my training buddy, so good to share that responsibility. 

As for winter - routine, routine, routine. Its sometimes hard to keep your summer training program going in cold winters, but sticking to it makes me mentally feel better (after the session, not so much before) 😉

If you have the freedom to climb/ train in the middle of the day it will help with the cold weather motivation. 
Try climb / train between 1 and 3 in the afternoon while its warm. Then you can be back in warm clothes before the sun goes down:-)

This also gets you some vitamin D if you go outside. 

Have Fun

Richard

Mental Health has become a very real issue for many South African's over the past year. With Winter in full swing this now only adds a more demotivated, depressive sense of feeling to what has already been a very challenging period of our lives. So trying to seek alternative means of uplifting experiences is extremely important.

Now I am not much of an active climber these days. That been said i think adapting your exercise routine to the seasons is as natural and as important as adapting your eating habits to what is seasonally available (even in the day of modern convenience and supply). 

For me the chilly mornings and the late rising of the sun calls for me to pack away the climbing gear for a little while and pop on a good pair of Hiking shoes. There is nothing better than a crisp morning Hike in the fresh air, sun rising in the distance adding shades of pinks, oranges and reds to the soft morning sky. The smell of the damp, dew covered rocks and fynbos, a  chirp of local bird life waking up and the ghost frogs going to sleep.....a rouge Dassie chirping off at you for disturbing their sun bathing. How can a persons mood not be lifted with such beauty, peace and stillness. 

Whether you are an avid climber or a hiker like myself, simply getting out into the mountains (be it an early morning or late late afternoon session) is not only physically health but emotionally and mentally uplifting. 

Life is wheel best experienced in nature. As your wheel turns you will have your ups, your successes, your joys. You will see the sun in its full glory...but as the wheel turns you will experience the lows, the hardships and heartaches as if the sun has set on you and left you in the dark. It is important to remember that, although the challenges our individual wheels may give us may differ...when you at the bottom the only way is up! The sun will rise again, you will tie into that rope, clip that quick draw and keep challenging that mountain with the warm sun on your back and the crisp winter air in your lungs.

Life is good, mountains are great - go out and enjoy both of them!