I_like_To rant

[i_like_sun]

So, I know that at least some of the weirdoes on this forum read my little "addiction and climbing" ramble, as well as the overtraining [thing] in the fitness forum....

 

Basically, to help myself keep some sanity, I decided a while back to go in and chat with a mental health counselor. And its honestly been a very good thing.

 

However, after our wee chat this afternoon, she straight up told me that I have all the symptoms of a recovering drug addict, and told me that I need to find "something besides climbing and athletics to get good at". She essentially told me to quit my passions entirely. Ummm, yeah. Sure. How can I do that when mountaineering (and my other hobby) have been my greatest sources of happiness and contentment thus far???? How do you say: NOT POSSIBLE!!!

 

I mean, I am very good at other things. They just don't make me as freaking happy!

 

I know that balance IS the name of the game. I mean look at Fred Becky (although the dude is a little cookoo) he's like 80 something and still climbs ALL the time! He must be doing something right.

 

I'm not totally nutz (jesus I hope) just dealing with some massive demons right now......... wait, that sounded pretty church-ish. Crap.

 

Anyway, thanks Spray, for letting me vent and rant.........

[archenemy]

Replace your counselor.

[lizard_brain]

However, after our wee chat this afternoon, she straight up told me that I have all the symptoms of a recovering drug addict...

Duh. That was transparent from your overtraining post. You sounded like a crack head.

 

...and told me that I need to find "something besides climbing and athletics to get good at". She essentially told me to quit my passions entirely. Ummm, yeah. Sure. How can I do that when mountaineering (and my other hobby) have been my greatest sources of happiness and contentment thus far???? How do you say: NOT POSSIBLE!!!

 

I mean, I am very good at other things. They just don't make me as freaking happy!

Why bother with the counselor, then, if you don't want to hear the advice?

 

I know that balance IS the name of the game. I mean look at Fred Becky (although the dude is a little cookoo) he's like 80 something and still climbs ALL the time! He must be doing something right.

I know very little about him, but I don't think he has overtrained himself to the point of near hospitalization, or at least to where he has required months of physical therapy. He's just spent most of his life outdoors. Not abusing himself.

 

I know a few people that are in their 60s and 70s that are active climbers and marathoners, but they listen to their bodies, and don't overdo it, and back off when they get tired or start to hurt. No pain, no gain? Bullshit. Pain means time for a break. And I don't just mean plain old soreness.

 

So you're here to rally enablers to support you in your quest to ignore your counsellor?

 

Edited May 11, 2007 by lizard_brain

[olyclimber]

Obviously your brain is too big. I suggest drinking excessively everyday till your brain shrinks to the right size.

 

Conclusive proof that I am right:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3660433/

[lizard_brain]

So, I know that at least some of the weirdoes on this forum read my little "addiction and climbing" ramble, as well as the overtraining [thing] in the fitness forum....

 

Basically, to help myself keep some sanity, I decided a while back to go in and chat with a mental health counselor. And its honestly been a very good thing.

 

However, after our wee chat this afternoon, she straight up told me that I have all the symptoms of a recovering drug addict, and told me that I need to find "something besides climbing and athletics to get good at". She essentially told me to quit my passions entirely. Ummm, yeah. Sure. How can I do that when mountaineering (and my other hobby) have been my greatest sources of happiness and contentment thus far???? How do you say: NOT POSSIBLE!!!

 

I mean, I am very good at other things. They just don't make me as freaking happy!

 

So what's going to make you "happy" 5 or 10 years down the line when you're crippled to the point that you CAN'T do mountaineering anymore, and you're not used to doing anything else? If you've fried your joints or tendons or cartilage to the point that you can't DO any more than a walk around Greenlake by the time you're 35, what are you going to do to kill time until you're 85?

 

Edited May 11, 2007 by lizard_brain

[olyclimber]

RANT ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND!

KW2J_UZ8lQU

Edited May 11, 2007 by olyclimber

[olyclimber]

FEEL THE RANT!

LkVEHY4uI9Q

[olyclimber]

RELIVE THE DREAM!

Sq7DOCR5uQE

[olyclimber]

RIDE THE TIGER!

J_Pv1QR0RL4

[olyclimber]

DJ_FgL5l1og

sickie sickie sickie sickie sickie sickie

[EWolfe]

I hate people that are Haters.

[olyclimber]

THREE DUDES WITH HAIR. ALL PLAYING KEYBOADS.

29dyQ3sl4kQ

[olyclimber]

I hate people that are Haters.

 

I hate when people hate. Then I hate myself.

 

But LOVE comes to the rescue!

[EWolfe]

I love that part...tell me the story again, it's close to bedtime sickie sickie

[olyclimber]

Its Ken, and he is here to give you the ride your your life sickie

 

[EWolfe]

Nice buggerlugs!

[i_like_sun]

 

So you're here to rally enablers to support you in your quest to ignore your counsellor?

 

 

 

 

Actually, no. I'm dealing with a major life change, and I decided to say fuggit and see what kind of wisdom the Spray gods might provide.

 

Archenemy, I admire your short answer skillzzz....

[sk]

sweety i think you might have the wrong counselor. If she were worth her salt she would be working with you to try and find a way to balence your life. which is VERY VERY VERY (let me say it again) VERY important. what she said to you is like telling someone with a food addiction to "just not eat." she is obviously not an athlete and does not understand the chemical and emotional and physical nature of what we do. it is true that you my be addicted to your own endorphiens. and you really need to deal with that *worried face* the deal is that if you don't deal with the root case of your addiction you will just find something else to be addicted to, likely more unhealthy and way worse for you. if you want some help finding a better shrinky dink... let me know i have some connections in the field and might be able to help you find a direction to go in.

 

please stop hurting your body. be kind to you on all levels.

 

HUG!!!!

[i_like_sun]

Oh Muffy! I'm so happy you read my [crap]!

 

I really like how you put it "....like telling someone with a food addiction "not to eat.""... That makes perfect sense to me. Theres just no way one can stop a pattern thats been there since age 6. Let alone starve to death!

 

I have for the most part stopped beating the shit outa myself everyday (been forced to), and I am finally starting to heal after who knows how many years of blasting away. Its just a matter of patience and disipline - which is actually the strongest aspect of my personality, but also the part that got me into this. The other, perhaps largest half of this healing process I'm finding IS the emotional jazz. I've come to realize that a massive part of my reality is totally involved with being in awsome shape and being great at what I do - climbing and other physical things... So yeah, alot of what I've been dealing with is questioning and asking "what am I worth."

 

Its pretty crazy; I've always been the most physically non-stopable and eternally happy dude no matter what. Going through this has certainly matured me in many, many ways.

 

Thanks.

[sk]

Oh Muffy! I'm so happy you read my [crap]!

 

I really like how you put it "....like telling someone with a food addiction "not to eat.""... That makes perfect sense to me. Theres just no way one can stop a pattern thats been there since age 6. Let alone starve to death!

 

I have for the most part stopped beating the shit outa myself everyday (been forced to), and I am finally starting to heal after who knows how many years of blasting away. Its just a matter of patience and disipline - which is actually the strongest aspect of my personality, but also the part that got me into this. The other, perhaps largest half of this healing process I'm finding IS the emotional jazz. I've come to realize that a massive part of my reality is totally involved with being in awsome shape and being great at what I do - climbing and other physical things... So yeah, alot of what I've been dealing with is questioning and asking "what am I worth."

 

Its pretty crazy; I've always been the most physically non-stopable and eternally happy dude no matter what. Going through this has certainly matured me in many, many ways.

 

Thanks.

 

i would really suggest you go see an eating disorder specialist. your issue isn't food based but many of the patterns behaviors and thought patterns seem to be the same. i have been in counseling and learning balence for the past (shit) almost 20 years. just because you have *stuff* doesn't mean you aren't happy, or shouldn't be happy or any of those things. you just might need to shift your perspective a little bit. i don't' think this has to be a big deal. i think you can count yourself lucky that you are self aware enough to want to seek more.

[layton]

The problem with climbing is that it makes your life interesting while you are climbing, and shitty while you are not...just like drugs or being in a relationship.

We'd all be more socially acceptable people if we all quit climbing...maybe even happier. But our souls would suffer.

[sk]

The problem with climbing is that it makes your life interesting while you are climbing, and shitty while you are not...just like drugs or being in a relationship.

We'd all be more socially acceptable people if we all quit climbing...maybe even happier. But our souls would suffer.

 

true.

 

i often refer to monday as my weekend come down day. i get depressed and want to stay in bed. I don't, but i want to. I also want all my climbing friends to come over and eat dinner on monday, cus only my climbing friends *get it*. okay i am a HUGE nurd!!!!

[i_like_sun]

Actually, my doc. IS an eating disorder specialist! When I went in there she was like "you have an eating disorder". I was like "lady, what the fuck are you talking about!" "I probably eat more than Bill Clinton!" - Ok that was lame, but yeah, she threw me for a major loop.

 

Apparently, and it doesn't surprise me, it takes a certain personality type to do this. She even nailed me by asking "I bet your pre-med, huh?" me: "ummm, fuck". [Apparently] high achieving people with [mildly] janked backgrounds (meaning traumas of some kind) are at greater risk of developing this stuff.

 

She also told me that I'm extremely lucky. She said that after I described this to her:

 

[back in late September I had a "Rainier in a day" thing planned, and I had all my gear and buddies sitting out in the driveway ready to rock and roll. I was (first MAJOR symptom that something was wrong) experiencing some pretty bad quadriceps pain - every-time I shouldered my pack or leaned down to pick something up, my legs just felt like giving out - very alarming considering that I had a REALLY long way to climb. After some massive internal battles and a short "lets think about this" walk around Greenlake, I made the decision not to go. In the end my "dudes" ended up getting completely lost in the Nisqually Icefall and not getting out to the car until 1:00am.]

 

My doc. told me that making that decision may possibly have saved my life - because by that point I was so out of touch with my system (down to 3% bf and sleep deprived) that I might have simply "stress-out to system failure". Yep. Hopefully my wee story can help someone else!

 

Actually, to be 100% honest, going through this has been pretty cool. I mean, now I can tell myself "dude, you pushed it until it wouldn't work anymore!" Plus, I'm a major physiology nut, so at least now I have an understanding of what metabolism and endocrinology are really all about.

 

Waaoooh. That was a rant!

 

Thanks again Muffy.

 

[sk]

i have my worried face on.

 

i am sure your doc has explained that eating disorders are less about food and more about control. there are many things going on and many levels. many people with an eating disorder also have an addiction to over exercising. it isn't that uncommon. but i don't know that i have ever heard a therapist say "just don't work out" but then i am not a counselor. i am however a nut job. here are the things that i would tell me to do if i could have met myself 20 years ago:

 

learn to relax

study Taoism

go to yoga

it really is worth it to stop and smell the roses

find something that you can do to help some one else

 

maybe hike with some people who are old and slow.

 

for me healing was about healing my spirit. when i did that i learned to see me how i really am. i lose track of that on occasion. it is a life long practice.

 

 

[i_like_sun]

Muffs, I bet you are a wonderful mom.