WHY SELF-AWARENESS MATTERS IN CLIMBING – AND LIFE

End of the year, means time to look back on this year: what happened? Who have I become? What did I achieve – and what not? What did I contribute to my success? And what will I have to change next year in order to reach my goals, to send my projects, to become a better version of myself?

Self-awareness is the first and crucial step in order to improve, change or accept anything – both in climbing and life. If we are not aware of what’s good for us and what’s not, if I don’t take over responsibility for ourselves and our actions, we won’t be able to change anything. But that requires the knowledge of what we need to change (and of course also, what we need to keep doing). Introspection or self-reflection is one technique that helps foster self-awareness.

However, truth is: most of us lack self-awareness!

When we face a problem, noticing (or becoming aware) our own behaviours, emotions and actions is significant in order to be able to change it. If we are not aware, our reactions can quickly form into habits, which might turn into belief systems, like "Oh, I'm just a bad competitor, I'm a training world champion" or "I'm just an anxious climber, I will never be able to overcome my fear of falling."

Have you maybe had thoughts like this yourself? Of behaviour patterns that seem to occur repeatedly?

Self-awareness means that we gain more control over our reactions to a situation (which is important, particularly if they aren't healthy). And that of course matters a lot, e.g. when we are afraid of falling, afraid of failing, when we face competition pressure or social anxiety...

However, being too self-aware all the time about everything means we become self-conscious – and that's not good either because it keeps us from getting in the flow of doing our thing. And it costs us a lot of energy.

Awareness of our actions

First of all, we have to become aware of our actions and distr-actions and taking responsibility for them. When reflecting our last year, this means asking ourselves:

🔹 How did my actions foster my climbing performance (e.g. preparation, training routine, training schedule, mindset, focus in training, etc.)? What was helpful?

🔷 What mental and tactical strategies have helped me? What skillset have I developed or improved?

🔹 What distracted me from pursuing my (climbing) goal(s) (e.g. in my preparation, training routine, training schedule, mindset, focus in training, etc.)? What was rather not helpful?

🔷 How can I take over responsbility for my actions/distractions and what does that mean for the next year?

Awareness of feelings

Practicing mindfulness through meditation and breathing exercises is incredibly helpful. Part of our emotional regulation is recognising how we even feel and name these emotions. In a next step, we can figure out what triggered this feeling? The better we understand our emotions, what triggers them and what's their underlying need, the better we can regulate them. May that be to regulate our fear of falling, fear of failing, competition anxiety or social anxiety.

Self-awareness doesn't only have a positive impact on our own actions, behaviour and feelings. It will also help us understand others better – their actions and their behaviour. Just imagine what impact that would have on our relationships!

Creating more self-awareness is a huge and essential part of all of our 1:1 mental coachings. We work a lot with climbers of all levels and age groups – and the results have been astonishing.

It is never too late to start working on your self-awareness, and through that, find solutions for what's been holding you back mentally – whether that's your fear of falling, fear of failing, confidence or competition anxiety.

We got your back. Enroll now for our 1:1 mental coachings. The first 30min are free, so you can get to know us and we can discuss how we can work together on your mindset.