respecting your body while coping

In last week's newsletter, I started the discussion around using climbing as a tool for healing and how it can be a delicate line to toe.

Today I want to talk about how this balance affects the physical body and how I've tried to be mindful about respecting my body during the coping process.

Getting moving vs. overdoing it

Climbing is such a great outlet for getting moving in an enjoyable way. While moving is important for mental health, it's also important to listen to the body during times of grief and stress.

Keep in mind that when you are under a lot of mental stress, your body does not differentiate it from physical stress: stress is stress. Additionally, it's important to consider that you may not be sleeping or recovering as well as when you’re in a more stable mental state.

While it can truly be a challenge to take a rest day from climbing, it's worth thinking about having more rest days and/or lowering climbing or training volume during these times to help mitigate the risk of injury.

I have been so grateful to my body during these hard times: it does amazing things and I'm so proud of what it's allowed me to accomplish.

It's been really important to me to listen to my body and respect what it's asking for, which is sometimes that extra rest day or to back off of a project.

How do you do with listening to your body? Is it something you have down pat or an area you can work on?