This article was first published in the Summer 2020 edition of The Arete, the magazine for the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides (ACMG). Mt. Assiniboine “Long Shadows, Tall Peaks”
Photo: Paul Zizka
Mental Fitness in Times of Crisis
In times of high stress, we can learn something from that most excessive state, and those who suffer from it: PTSD.
We are all familiar with Post-Traumatic Stress as it relates to dramatic events like rape or war, but we are less familiar with the lower-grade prolonged stress that accompanies a societal event like the recent isolation measures in the wake of Covid 19. Because we are organic creatures, and our brains are more or less similarly wired, the learnings are transferrable from one cause to another.
Everybody responds to stress differently, depending on where their inner vulnerabilities lay. In this current crisis, some people will worry more about their finances, while others will focus on feelings of being out of control. Some among us will feel diminished by losing our professional sense of purpose, and will have a difficult time instilling meaning into a life that has been largely taken over by outside forces.
If we are honest with ourselves, we will notice that what comes up in a crisis was there prior to the stressor, even if in diminished form.
With all of this in mind, I would like to share with you some of the tools I have used, and continue to use, to mitigate my personal journey with PTS, or Post-Trauma Stress. I avoid the use of the label “Disorder” so as not to stigmatize a perfectly natural response, at the same time as I acknowledge that the effects of stress can indeed cause the mind and emotions to become “disorderly.”
Stay Present
When we are in fear, we have a tendency to forecast that fear forward into the future, creating an “uncertainty effect” that is the hallmark of anxiety. The antidote to “fear forecasting” is coming back to the present moment. Examples of things that I use to bring me back into the present moment are breathing techniques like Qi Gong, sequential movement techniques like yoga, tai chi or climbing, and creative endeavours like playing guitar, writing, or learning a new language. The key ingredient here is to find things that bring you joy, that captivate your attention so fully everything else just fades into the background. This gives us space from the stress, as well as revitalizes our minds and bodies.
Lean Into Your Emotions
When we feel fearful emotions or unpleasant body sensations, we tend to try to escape these by distracting ourselves or pretending they don’t exist. This actually gives power to these sensations and feelings. Instead, go deeply into these, to find out what they are trying to tell you about yourself, and how you are perceiving the current threat.
Eventually by facing these feelings courageously and unflinchingly, we can exit through them to the other side, where true freedom lies.
Take Action
Action alleviates stress, whether in the form of exercise or goals. Once you understand the feelings that are driving your stress response, make a list of what you can control, and immediately start taking action steps towards those things. Trauma is associated with feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, and the antidote to these is a feeling of agency. And the best way to feel a sense of agency is to act.
Connect
As humans, it is important for us to be in touch with people that matter to us, both personally and professionally. We are hard-wired for connection, making isolation a very unnatural state for us to be in. Humans regulate through the attunement of our faces and voices, it is how we feel seen and heard. We can keep human rhythms going over Facetime or Zoom, including having virtual cocktail parties and dinners, where we can dress up, share stories, and hopefully laugh about the follies in our lives.
Stay Safe
The biggest issue with trauma, is feeling safe. Identify what makes you feel safe and make it a priority to put that into your life. Is it listening to music from your past? Is it having rituals and routines? Human touch is the most important element of feeling safe.
Whatever it is for you, do everything you can to establish an internal sense of safety during these uncertain times.
As climbers, all of our adventures into the unknown have prepared us for this situation. Now is the time to become the lighting artists and shadow managers of our inner world. The challenge is to retain a sense of purpose and meaning in our lives in the face of disorganization and the unknown. We must become our own experts in the field of pandemic management, because there are no experts in these unprecedented times.
