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kimmyt
Jun 29, 2005, 3:09 PM
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So, don't get me wrong. I love climbing. I love it so much that I'm never happier than when I have every weekend for the upcoming month booked up in advance. "I'm going here this weekend, and there the next weekend...." The only problem is, after doing this for several months, and taking nary a 'day off' I'm worried about getting burnt out. So this month I told myself I was going to take several weekends off and do the 'normal person' thing. You know, go to the beach, clean my apartment, go grocery shopping, hang with my 'non-climbing' friends. The only thing is, the minute someone emails or calls me asking to climb for a weekend I'd told myself I'd take off, I feel the Itch again. Maybe it's because I don't have my non-climbing weekends set in stone, and I hate to waste a weekend doing nothing when I could be climbing, but really part of me thinks that I really just need to take a weekend off. I'm really just writing this as a mini-rant, since I don't expect anyone to be able to solve this problem for me. I think I just need to say that one weekend I'm NOT climbing. It may be hard, but I think I can do it.... K.
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dina
Jun 29, 2005, 3:28 PM
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Keep climbing until you start to feel burned out. There's no reason not to, right? It sounds like that's what you really want and love to do, and miss it when you're not doing it. Why deprive yourself?! :D Climb on!!!!!
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maculated
Jun 29, 2005, 3:55 PM
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Well - as someone who frequently burns out, I think what you're doing is healthy. Not everyone can or should climb 24-7. Or mix it up? Yesterday I went mountain biking and thenbouldering, today will be climbing, and tomorrow will probably be surfing. It keeps life fresh - Also, "normal" life isn't so bad either. I promise. i have a lot of fun with my non-climbing friends when I stick around.
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blonde_loves_bolts
Jun 29, 2005, 6:56 PM
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I moderate my breaks pretty consistently... As soon as I get burned out, I take about a week off, then I step on a scale, and suddenly I am motivated to climb again.
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lewisiarediviva
Jul 1, 2005, 2:33 PM
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I agree, I have to get away from my kids so I don't burn out being a mom- and if I don't on a somewhat regular basis, I start burning out before I can get away from them and then I have to go through mental stuff to keep myself going. (If anyone wants to tell me this is crazy and that the two things have nothing in common, I will not respect your comeback unless you have kids.) But, this weekend. . . well, the kids are at Grandma's and my husband and I haven't climbed for two months because of a deal he had at work. He is burnt out. I'm afraid he will sleep for the entire weekend but if he does- I can go find someone else to climb with. I did talk him out of adding a mountain to climb. It would have added to our travel time- I only did so because he plays just as hard as he works and I don't want to return to town with him just as burnt out.
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jt512
Jul 1, 2005, 4:29 PM
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In reply to: Maybe it's because I don't have my non-climbing weekends set in stone, and I hate to waste a weekend doing nothing when I could be climbing, but really part of me thinks that I really just need to take a weekend off. Burnout is insidious. It sounds like some part of you knows that you need a little time off. -Jay
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rockelf
Jul 2, 2005, 12:33 PM
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Registered: Sep 23, 2004
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Hi All, Well that used to be me, and then 4 weeks ago my Mom got sick and I had to leave work and home to come out west and take care of her. I have never taken off more that a week since I started climbing and I will be away from it for 7 weeks by the time I get home. Strange, but given the situation I do not really miss it, now, anyway. I have been trail running and walking the mountain hills behind her home and just focusing on her. I needed the break for a number of reasons, but I was too close to it to realize. Hell I was so bad I would not even make plans, just in case we would be climbing, even when nothing was planned. So plan a break or not, sometimes life will give you one, regardless. PS, Mom is getting better slowly. Cancer Sucks. Be safe
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lewisiarediviva
Jul 4, 2005, 9:42 PM
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I hate it when things get traumatic- and then we wake up. All the best to your mother. My mother-n-law and my step sister are going through cancer battles. You will be back climbing, stronger than ever, in every sense of the word.
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clee03m
Jul 5, 2005, 11:33 AM
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Registered: Oct 29, 2004
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My dad had cancer, but he is better now. I think the great thing about climbing is that everything fades away except for you and the rock. I think you'll see that not only you will get back into climbing, but you will appreciate what it holds for you even more. I worry a lot, and climbing is about the only thing that can silence all the worries in my head. I pray that your mother will get better.
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mother_sheep
Jul 5, 2005, 9:09 PM
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Registered: Jul 18, 2002
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One of the beautiful things about climbing is that each style is so diverse. When I first started climbing, people told me that I would I would burn out because that's about all I did. I haven't even come close. I attribute this in part to climbing sport, ice, alpine, mountaineering and trad. If I'm feeling a bit burned out on trad, I'll go clip some bolts. If clipping bolts is not fulfilling enough to me, I'll do some alpine. If trad, sport and alpine aren't sounding too appetizing, I'll slog up a peak with a bit of class 3 or 4 rock thrown in. I'm not sure where you live (I guess I could look), so I'm not sure what the possibilities are for you but maybe a change in style is all you need. Why give up what's making you happy, assuming climbing is making you happy.
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charley
Jul 5, 2005, 9:29 PM
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Hey mother, you forgot bouldering. I have had some relaxing, fun times with some of the young boulderers at the local state park. Kicking back as the sun sets, with friends on a route/problem, with a cold sixpack and maybe some other stimulant/relaxant (it's a word now) helps burnout.
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mother_sheep
Jul 5, 2005, 9:35 PM
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In reply to: Hey mother, you forgot bouldering. I have had some relaxing, fun times with some of the young boulderers at the local state park. Kicking back as the sun sets, with friends on a route/problem, with a cold sixpack and maybe some other stimulant/relaxant (it's a word now) helps burnout. Oh yeah. I forgot because I never do it. But add that to the list too, along with aid, which I only do when I have partners with the spare gear.
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noell
Jul 18, 2005, 9:16 PM
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Registered: Apr 17, 2003
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Little late in response, but hey Kimmy - it's HOT and HUMID right now! Lots of us down here are taking a break, and just heading to the NRG on good weekends til fall sets in. Just go when you want! Have fun and try to do all that stuff that you know you won't want to be doing when it's nice and crisp and the SENDING conditions are here! :P Only like 6 more weeks til September then it's on!
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kimmyt
Jul 18, 2005, 9:21 PM
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Hiya noell! I've just had my last weekend on the rock until sometime mid-august. It will be nice (though maybe at times, frustrating) to not climb every minute I have free. After getting rained and humidity'd on all weekend up north I've had it with summer. I'm going to the beach next weekend and catching up on my non-climbing relationships until it cools down! It looks like Brenda and I will be at the New sometime mid-august, hopefully the weather will give us a nice weekend during that time. Maybe we'll see you there! K.
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