How To Train When You're Depressed As Fuck

 
Apparently I wrote this title down sometime in the winter and forgot to write anything in it, or even why I wrote it - apart from the bloody obvious of course... Well maybe I can make some use of it so here goes.

Not everyone responds to depression by being phenomenally obsessed with rigid training, militant motivation, constant exercise and running up Ben Nevis on a rest day. Some of us respond by wanting to curl up in a ball and die or wish the world would fuck off and go away, or usually both.

Unsurprisingly this is absolutely bloody useless for maintaining any form or capability in an active strength / power-to-weight / fitness based lifestyle, and indeed it's the both the polar opposite of that AND the start of the vicious circle where the lack of activity leads to a lack of climbing ability leads to being more depressed leads to a lack of activity leads to etc etc and really there is no amount of FUCKING RIGHT OFF that is enough for that particular cycle.

Accepting that it's both really bloody hard and really bloody important and trying to work around the former to appease the latter is a start. Here are some possible tactics to work with that:

Keep moving

It always boils down to this as the lowest common denominator - and it's a motto which fits with general depression alleviation i.e. do some exercise. Fuck what you should be doing, fuck the training plans, fuck the cycles, fuck working your weaknesses, fuck goals. Just move. It's a start and it will help. Build on that basis, even if the movement isn't even initially relevant to climbing, it can snowball into something more relevant and focused.  

Take the pressure off

Pressure to do well? Pressure to progress?? Pressure to keep strong and fit?? Pressure to "tick grades" or whatever shite the insta-kids of today are obsessed with?? Nope. None of the above. When it boils down to "survive this day to see if things can improve the next day", all of that pressure is OFF. The only pressure is to keep surviving. If that's manageable, the next pressure is to - see #1 here - keep moving. Do whatever you can to avoid worsening your mental and physical situation, if that's manageable,  then do whatever you can to progress or benefit your mental and physical situation. 

Make it fun

God knows you need that right now, right?? This should be obvious but on the spectrum of training from "miserably methodical rigid regime" to "jolly jaunt aping around", you probably need the latter far more than the former, especially if other people are involved (generally more feasible with the latter). Which brings me on to...

The best training is the training you actually do

A good motto in general unless you're the sort of self-discipline end boss mentioned in the intro, but especially so when you're struggling to do anything. It's fine to aim for effective training, but don't force yourself to try to do that in an "all or nothing" way. Whatever you do will be good, because it's something you're doing. And if it's fun enough, and easy enough to motivate yourself to do it, then you'll probably do it enough, and regularly enough, to be effective anyway.

Play the long game

If you're really fucking depressed right now, you're not going to do well at climbing nor training right now, and the focus has to be getting through "right now". It can be hard to see beyond that and anticipate the future, but if it's possible to look at the bigger picture that you might (probably will) get through the current situation, it can help to see that the little bits of exercise and activity right now will add up and benefit you eventually. Most of the time there still is time to get climbing capacity and ability back - aim for short term coping, medium term regaining, and long term progressing.

Turn the volume up

It might be best to tend towards getting climbing volume and mileage in rather than sporadic, harder shorter training sessions. There could be less risk of injury, and having longer sessions will take up more time doing something fun as a distraction from depression, and can tire you out enough to feel more sated afterwards and sleep better.

Take care

The last thing you want is to have an injury - or another injury - to set you back. If depression manifests as a desperation to exercise / get stuff done, a lack of moderation / restraint could be detrimental. Also do your bloody rehab / prehab / warming up / stretching - if you're capable. If not, take it easy!

Acknowledge anything you do

Write a wee diary, tick off each day, write down any exercise, anything you did that could benefit you or your climbing, no matter how small. Whatever it is, it's better than nothing (well, unless you've done enough to need a total rest day). Each bit of exercise or activity is a victory over depression, and to be celebrated.

Okay so, re-reading this, it seems the answer to "How To Train When You're Depressed As Fuck" is.... "You Can't". But more promisingly, it's "You Can't, But You Can Probably Do Lots Of Things To Keep Active And That Will Add Up In Then End For When You're Back On Track (And Help You Get Back On Track"... Good luck.