Often called social anxiety disorder, the basic form of anxiety can hurt your climbing performance. Yet, some fear in climbing is rational and to be expected. Fear is a basic form of anxiety and can be attributed to the basic fear of failure in a competition setting or fear of not being able to perform on a particular climb. Sometimes in climbing you will be in uneasy situations which will cause you to be nervous. This includes avalanche danger, a long runout between placing gear or clipping bolts, loose rock and other factors.
Effects
Anxiety can produce physical symptoms, including sickness, sweating and shaking. Often you will see climbers shake. This typically appears in the legs and can be easily combated by lowering the heel. Before a competition, or in a public setting, you may feel like you are going to throw up. Loss of confidence, fear of failure, avoidance and irritability can also occur. Anxiety can also produce anger and you may kick the rock or throw things.
Visualization
Picturing success is a way to combat anxiety. Read the climb ahead of time. Know what to expect on each move, when to rest, when to push and where the crux is. Knowing as much as possible before you leave the ground will help you feel comfortable on the climb. Picture clipping each bolt or placing each piece of gear. See yourself clip the anchors and complete the climb.
Goal Setting
If you know a climb is going to be difficult but you are nervous about a particular move or section of the climb, set a shorter term goal. Set a goal to get to the difficult section of the climb and then rest before attempting the difficult moves. This takes away the fear of falling because you are pumped or can't do the move. Work in small sections then worry about putting the entire climb together after you have mastered the moves.
Relaxation
Breathing is key to taking away stress. Close your eyes before starting up a climb. Each time you are able to place gear or rest during the climb, take deep breaths and look at the ground, relaxing your entire body before you continue. Breathe in through the nose, filling your lungs, and out through the mouth, forcing the air out.
What You Can Control
One way to combat anxiety before you climb is to decide what is in your control and what isn't. Train ahead of time and make sure that you are fully prepared for the climb. Prepare your gear ahead of time so you won't have the surprise of a missing piece of gear when you get to the climb. This will boost your confidence and lower your stress level.
What You Can't Control
There is a lot in climbing you can't control and if you can't control it there's no reason to worry about it. What you can do is lower the number of things you can't control which will lower your stress level. Some things outside of your control are the climb, the order you have to do routes in a competition, the weather and the type of rock. If you know you like to climb on sandstone, then don't make a project out of a climb on granite. Build up your confidence before you do that climb on granite.
Get Help
If you feel anxious about climbing and can't work it out on your own with visualization, relaxation and goal-setting techniques, find a professional to help you work through your anxiety issues. Some athletic coaches have experience in helping athletes work through anxiety, which can apply to climbing.
