Dealing with Fear
Part One of this blog examined the different types of fear that may be experienced by mountaineers/hill goers and then moved on to consider how fear comes about – essentially what the triggers might be.
The next step is to address how to deal with fear from the perspective of the person experiencing it:
First, it’s a good idea to try to break the fear down into its ‘facets’ or components – try to deal with each ‘facet’ of your fear. Sometimes the facets may have an order with which they need to be dealt, so sometimes Issue A has to be addressed before you can deal with Issue B and so on.
Strategies can include:
Desensitising. For example, with steep ground. The more you are exposed to steep ground, the easier you will find it. Take it gradually, build up slowly. Learn how to move and about foot placement. River crossings: start small and shallow, practise crossings in a relatively safe environment. Learn about strategies for deeper crossings before moving on. Boulder fields: start short and on the level or going up, before then trying going down. Don’t put yourself under time pressure.
Internal dialogue. Keep talking to yourself. It doesn’t matter whether this is in your head or out loud. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a dialogue (although it would be a little worrying if it became shades of Gollum and Smeagol!) or a monologue.
External dialogue (if you’re with someone). Communicating your fear to others in a coherent manner – before you’ve become a complete gibbering wreck. ‘Sorry, guys, I’m really not comfortable on this terrain. Is there any advice you could offer/ could we slow down a bit etc.’?
Knowing the people that you’re out with. What are their capabilities, what are their aims for the day? Does this match to your abilities and what you want to get out of the day? After all, you probably don’t want to spend the day in a state of paralysing fear if your group are planning an extreme route that’s way beyond your comfort zone.
Taking control of the situation. If you need more time, take it, or let whoever you’re with know that you need more time or that you need to be included in decision-making processes.
Controlling the initial fear, which may then escalate. Control your mind. Prevent it from running from one thing to another.
Are there practical steps that you can take to give yourself more confidence (as lack of confidence can lead to fear)? Is there another option? Are you making yourself do this?
Ask yourself what exactly is at the root of your fear. A good while ago I had an accident while practising the ‘classic’ abseil. The ‘classic’ abseil involves abseiling using just the rope (no climbing harness involved). It’s a particularly risky technique as it’s possible to pivot out of the rope hold. I didn’t fall head first, but I did manage to swing around and smack the base of my spine into the rock face that was at right angles to the face I was descending. My first stunned thought was, ‘that rock is actually hard!’ My climbing buddy hauled me back up and I staggered around at the top, not wanting to admit that my legs weren’t working properly. To cut a long story short, yes, I ended up with a wee visit to A&E. Yes, they kept me in for observation (if only to stop the insane person lying on her back on a hospital trolley (who really needed to allow her spine time to recover) from heading out into the Cairngorms the following day carrying an full expedition pack). I was ‘banned’ from going the mountains for six weeks in order to allow my lower back to recover – six whole weeks, can you believe that (updated note – I’m up to six months now recovering from this broken ankle. If you’d told me back then that I would have to be away from the mountains for that long, I think my brain wouldn’t have coped…)? As a consequence of this accident there’s usually a very slight delay before I commit to going over the edge on any abseil. Many people delay before committing, but mine is a slightly different delay. It’s a real ‘It’s gone wrong once, it can happen again’ delay. It’s a real ‘I’m not happy doing this’ delay. My head usually replies ‘For heaven’s sake – stop belly aching about this and JUST GET ON WITH IT’. That usually works for me.
Dealing with your fear in step-by-step stages. This may be mentally or it may be in more practical sense. I had to break abseiling down step by step in order to be able to stand any chance of being able to do it ever again. So the first considerations were help and equipment and obviously avoiding re-starting with the ‘classic’! I began with a climbing harness, belay plate, standard climbing rig plus a separate safety rope. The next step was to go through the motions of preparing for the abseil and checking, together with the very understanding Mark, to convince myself that everything was secure. Step-by-step. The next stage was to stand at the edge and contemplate going over. Step-by-step. Next, to actually go over. This proved the sticking point (even though the accident had happened when I had been on the abseil, not launching myself). Step-by-step. Well, this step took me near 30 minutes. Back and forth, to and fro between the anchor and the cliff edge. I remember feeling sick with fear. I remember saying to Mark, ‘I’m going over this time’ on countless occasions. But, finally, finally, I did it. Mark completely understood that it had to be my decision and that I needed to have that control. He was incredibly patient and there was no pressure on me to go over the edge whatsoever. And once I was on the abseil, with the benefit of the standard rig (rather than just a rope), it really wasn’t that bad. Step-by-step. Over a period of some weeks and different venues, the safety rope was removed. Then came the day when Mark said (quite casually), ‘Right, you’re going to abseil using just the rope today.’ That put me back into a state of fear again, but by then I was actually ready to face that particular demon. I opted for the South African abseil technique rather than the ‘classic’ – and I do recall that it was a very long drop, but I did it – I had got there and overcome my fear. It was a case of step-by-step, but also a case of desensitising.
Preparation (a mixture of mental and physical preparation): What do you know about your route? If it’s the navigation that worries you and you know that conditions are going to be challenging, spend time with the map, familiarising yourself with the terrain and the types of strategies you will be using. How steep will the ground be? If scrambling read up on your route. If boulder fields are your nemesis, are there any bouldery areas nearby that you can practise on beforehand? Visualisation of your route can also help – research on the internet. Where is the crux (if scrambling of climbing) and at what point on your route does it occur?
Knowing how to calm yourself down in that panicked situation. What works for you? Is it breathing? Is it talking to yourself? Is it stopping briefly to sort your head out – or does this make matters worse?
Thinking yourself into someone else’s shoes. This is a strategy that I have sometimes used to cope with my stage fright as a musician. The second I’d walk out on stage to perform, I’d transform (in my head) into this very calm, competent person who was in complete control of herself and the instrument. The bizarre thing about musical performance is that at times when you’re up there performing it can feel as if the instrument is controlling you rather than you having any say in the matter. However, the point is that this exactly same technique can work for being in the mountains – and reassuringly, I have never got the impression that the mountain environment was ever controlling me in quite the same way a musical instrument seemed to be – but then again I have never really suffered with summit fever – perhaps that would be a different matter altogether!
Some of the time there is another option. Don’t be afraid to take it if this is what is right for you. Be aware that sometimes the ‘other’ option isn’t necessarily an easier one though! But if it is you can use it to take yourself out of your fearful situation and re-address the whole issue another time.
Considering the exact risk involved. Is it time to beat a retreat before ground gets too steep or complex?
Of course, it’s not always the easiest thing in the world to apply these strategies ‘there and then’ in the heat of a fearful moment. …. and the other factors that come into play will concern other people (if you’re not out by yourself) – how many people in your party, how many different agendas, how many different level of skill and experience? And obviously, some situations do not permit the luxury of analysis as events or circumstances dictate otherwise (things are moving too fast in a dynamic situation where action needs to be taken for the sake of safety).
In Part Three we will consider how to approach dealing with a fearful person out in the mountain/outdoors environment. It’s also helpful to have an awareness of what these approaches might be if you happen to be that fearful person, but more on that in Part Three!
Places Wild and High 