Fear

[normclimb]

Have you ever been really afraid, whether it be high on a peak, lost in a whiteout, or just lost? How do you overcome the feeling of fear and its debilitating effects?

[Liamy77]

yup i have..... dunno if it was forced willpower or just had no choice as to how i dealt with it..... everytime it gets too much i look at a pic i keep of the missus n kids and think step by step about what needs to be done or not done to get back to em!
by forcing yourself to overcome it gets easier next time you hit an obstacle.... depends what the situation is though - dont force danger/ unnessicary risk - only safest option available!

knowledge, training and preparation reduces stress and fear the most - company can help if calm.


have a read of this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4574&p=53969&hilit=+brown+moment#p53969

[juju]

Yes, Liamy 77, my son is always testing himself, we can forget to do that as we get older.
When I was younger I had to jump a gap in the wall high behind Square Lake (WA's) and I really didn't want to, it was a long way down. I remember the feeling of being afraid more than I remember getting through it or how I did. I know I jumped, into outstretched arms after my pack had been taken across by someone else. We would have lost too much time going back and taking a different route (we were exiting via moraine E - in the days before the track was closed).
More recently I was about to jump across a gap, that I didn't have to cross, nowhere near as tough (maybe a broken leg) but tricky none the less (older now and closer to death) and was acutely aware in the instant before jumping of the choice of letting in the fear or not. I knew that if I thought about it I would shake rattle and roll and so I chose to not think about it and leave doubt behind me on the rock and guess what? of course I made it - easily.

[Liamy77]

Yup....
I think anyone who has tested their potential / limits has been there in some way... just make sure you survive the test
As i age i wonder: is age wisdom.... or just treasuring what we physically have as we notice it running out? maybe a bit of both i guess....
still.... pays to pack a spare pair of brown trowsers with the dry socks just in case....

[Taurë-rana]

On a 4WD trip into the Magnet Mine on the West Coast a few years ago I was driving and the vehicle - dirty great heavy 'Cruiser - slipped towards the edge of the road. Normally you don't touch the brakes if it's slipping but it wasn't stopping so I braked, and we wound up with the outside wheels just sitting on the edge of the track, which didn't feel terribly secure as it was soft. It dropped away very steeply through the trees. I couldn't see the bottom and the trees were too flimsy to break a fall. Kids and husband bailed out and set about making the vehicle secure and winching it back on to the track, I sat with my foot on the brake and basically just tried not to think about what might happen. That was one of the scariest moments I've had, but thought wasn't required fortunately.
More recently I got lost down a cave by myself... and I was scared then too because I had got very wet trying to find the way out so if I'd had to sit and wait hours for rescue I would have got very chilled. After a little while of panic and trying to climb an unclimable waterfalI a couple of times, I went back to a point I recognised, made myself sit calmly and have something to eat and drink, and consider my options. Once I did that and started to be a bit more rational in how I went looking for the way out, I found it and got out. Must admit that it has dampened my enthusiasm for going down caves by myself though.

[juju]

More recently I got lost down a cave by myself... and I was scared then too because I had got very wet trying to find the way out so if I'd had to sit and wait hours for rescue I would have got very chilled. After a little while of panic and trying to climb an unclimable waterfalI a couple of times, I went back to a point I recognised, made myself sit calmly and have something to eat and drink, and consider my options. Once I did that and started to be a bit more rational in how I went looking for the way out, I found it and got out. Must admit that it has dampened my enthusiasm for going down caves by myself though.

My son is keen on caving since we scrambled around in the Grill Cave in Bungonia NSW recently. We went for our first day out with a club last week, (not down under - a coastal arch cave) and the very next day my husband put on a movie called
The Descent to scare us I think. Have you seen it?

[SteveJ]

Unfortunately I have died twice (and obviously been revived….), from this experience I have learnt that I do not fear death but rather how I will die. There are things worse than death. Thinking rationally in a tight situation is really difficult but I think you need to confront fear to learn to deal with it. I have taken up various activities that scare the c#*p out of me and have slowly learnt logic in relation to fear. Having said that, fear is the emergency handbrake of the mind, a very good thing to have

Steve

[normclimb]

Personally I would never go climbing with someone who was never afraid..........they're likely to get you killed.

Feeling real fear is usually a good indication that it's time to turn around........at least that way you're still alive to do it again.........!

[north-north-west]

The diver's mantra: Stop. Breathe. Think. Act.

If you've never been afraid you've never tested yourself, or you're just too stupid to be out there. Fear is normal. Courage is overcoming that fear.
I'm brave as can be - why, I've even gotten close enough to a big hairy spider to get a photo of it . . .

[taswegian]

Personally I would never go climbing with someone who was never afraid..........they're likely to get you killed. .!

Normclimb I wonder if that is more a 'respect for the mountain, cliff face etc' than fear.
We hear people being 'fearless' and I wouldn't like to climb with one of those as I would imagine nothing would stop them - until they hit the deck wherever that may be and most likely with all and sundry following.

I can relate to ju-ju's experience to the 't' and for me it was the fear or knowledge of the perceived inadequacy that could spell disaster, that either freezes us or we conquer and push on.
Older and less capable now it wouldn't be such an issue - I just may not attempt it - call it wisdom as Liamy said 'or just treasuring what we physically have as we notice it running out'

[normclimb]

I certainly have a healthy respect for the environment I'm in, albeit a rockface or a whiteout, and again I would be worried if I again found myself in a position with someone who didn't share that respect, it's then that you realise that you have two fears, one for your situation and the second for the idiot that got you there........trust me....it happens!

I would wholeheartedly agree that the older you get, the less bolder you get, and most likely for the reasons already mentioned, this however, does not make me feel like hanging up the boots, along with all the unfulfilled dreams I have of places far and wide..................some of which incidently make me quite afraid just thinking about them.

Onward and upwards

[Taurë-rana]

I would wholeheartedly agree that the older you get, the less bolder you get,

Not entirely sure that I agree with that as I now have a lot more confidence in my own ability, knowledge and skills than I did when I was younger so would be more likely to undertake things that I wouldn't have then. I also tested myself on a scramble with a fairly certain death from falling recently and wasn't any more scared than I would have been 25 years ago, which was very pleasing to find out. Maybe as a female I was always more cautious as a young person than young men tend to be. Although having said that, I do remember walking along the wall of the Gordon Dam which I definitely wouldn't do now!

[taswegian]

I'm with Taurë-rana on the boldness bit.
I wasn't meaning the older means less bolder. But the recognition that some things are now beyond my ability where saftey is concerned.
There are things I'd do now that I'd just wouldn't have the guts to do when I was younger and converse.
Eg - I would once walk around a platform and work on the top of the Batman bridge - but I'd feel lot (LOT) less comfort now.
Once I would not have crossed a particular creek, river due to my (un-needed) concern (fear) of being swept away or losing my footing and giving all my gear a dunking. Now I'd more likely cross due to my accumulating years having given me an understanding of how best to tackle it and do it quite safely.