Have you lost your climbing motivation? Look, I will tell you straight: It’s normal to lose motivation to climb.
Climbing has been a major part of my life for almost a decade. I’ve traveled countless hours across many states, backpacked many miles, and even moved residencies to have close climbing nearby. But I’ve also not consistently climbed for the past few months, and it’s not the first time that’s happened!
I was your typical two-three-times-a-week gym-goer and weekend crag warrior. Lately, I maybe frequented the gym once a month and went weeks without touching rocks. It simply wasn’t my number one priority, and that’s okay!
Are you wondering why you’ve lost your climbing motivation or looking for ways to regain it? Or do you need a friend to tell you that what you’re feeling is normal and for somebody to understand? Whichever it is, BoulderFlash and I are here for you.
Why am I not psyched?
Losing your climbing psych can be caused by numerous things. I’ll give you a list, and you can see if you fall into any or many categories.
Burnout
Climbing burnout is real. Burnout can happen with anything. If you do something you love too often, you can lose sight of why you originally enjoyed it.
That sounds foolish, right? Why would you lose your love for something that has brought you so much joy?
Well, there are several different kinds of burnout that you can identify.
Physical burnout
When your body is just over it. You can’t keep throwing yourself at the wall when you’re tired and still expect to have a great session.
Repeatedly projecting something at your limit is mentally and physically taxing.
Give yourself a break—a real break. Force yourself to rest, whether that’s for the day, the week, or even the month!
Mental burnout
When a climber plateaus, they can find it hard to keep their climbing motivation high.
You’ve done all this work to reach your current climbing level, but now you’re stuck at a certain grade range. What do you do?
Or say you ticked your hardest climb to date; well, now what? That goal you were striving for was achieved, but now you’re unsure where to go.
Feeling lost after reaching something you tried so hard to grab is okay.
For mental burnout due to plateauing, try a training regimen. If you want to try to regain that climbing psych, you can focus on your areas of weakness.
Yes, you have them; we all do. Understand that you must stay consistent to see progress through a regimen. One week of hangboarding won’t magically make you climb harder, so stick with it!
Remember that your climbing ability doesn’t define you. It’s a silly activity anyway.
“Can I climb the hardest part of this rock?” What sane person thinks that way? We’re all a little weird, but that’s what I like about the climbing community.
Other mental burnout
Your burnout may have nothing to do with climbing altogether. Those who have suffered from losing their climbing psych can also attribute their lack of interest to how they take care for themselves.
Are you sleeping and/or eating enough? When you eat, are the foods nutritional? What’s your stress level like? Each of these questions deserves your full attention to help you find the culprit behind your lack of motivation.
Not enough sleep or food can cause low energy and make you feel sluggish. Be sure to get a healthy meal and a full night’s rest as often as possible.
Outside stress factors can include SO many things. Please take note of what’s giving you trouble and address it.
Sometimes, that includes taking breaks from work, talking with friends about what’s on your mind, or seeking professional help.
No climbing partners
Did your climbing partner move away or stop climbing altogether? Or have you reached the point in your solo climbing that it doesn’t fulfill you enough anymore?
My main partner and motivator moved away for a few months for work, and I didn’t have that same fire. I had other climbing friends, but he pushed me to improve, and I enjoyed that aspect of our relationship.
Luckily, he moved back, and we picked up where we had left off. We’re climbing consistently, and I feel inspired again. But I get that’s different for some.
If you lack partnerships, try making new friends or posting online that you’re looking for new climbing partners. Many climbing gyms have a partner board where you can add your name and see others looking for the same.
Give it a try!
What to do when you’ve lost your climbing motivation
I won’t tell you that losing your climbing motivation is easy. It’s hard to comprehend how this happened, but you should look for healthy ways to fill your time.
If you’re adamant about getting that motivation back, you may just need something to look forward to. Plan a climbing trip! Find a new project! Or learn a new form of climbing (trad/multipitch/sport/bouldering) that you have yet to do!
Having something to look forward to is a great way to deal with a day-to-day lack of motivation. It’ll occupy your mind in a new and engaging way.
Plus, learning a new climbing skill is always beneficial to your climbing!
Or are you sick of it and don’t want to even think about climbing? That’s totally fine, too! But the same motivational process applies.
Find something to look forward to. This could be something as simple as a night out with friends, a concert, seeing family, or planning a trip!
You can learn a new skill or pick up an old hobby you lost time for when climbing took over. In my downtime from climbing, I got back into mountain biking and started exploring our local trails. I took trips and rode to new places that I hadn’t seen before; it was great!
Climbing motivation is a rollercoaster
Look, you won’t have climbing psych 100% of the time. Sorry to say, but you’re human; we aren’t perfect. We must accept things as they come and determine how to move forward with each hiccup.
Remember to let yourself take a mental and physical break. You aren’t defined by your climbing.
Like anything, climbing ebbs and flows, and it’s perfectly normal not to always want to push yourself.
If you’re struggling in areas other than your motivation to climb, seek guidance and talk with somebody you trust. Some underlying issues may need to be addressed to help you.
As I mentioned, this activity is silly at the end of the day. Your climbing motivation may falter, and you may pack it up for a while.
Just fill your time with something else that brings you joy. Take a pottery class, explore a new place, hang out with friends; whatever you do…do it joyfully.
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