Experience the fear

I’m not sure base jumper and climber Steph Davis’s methods would work for me in these circumstances, but what a great example of healthy fear.

It is interesting how Steph talks about the ironic effect of trying to think ‘don’t fall’ ends up in you thinking about falling. This is called ironic rebound.

Trying to put things in your mind to replace thoughts you don’t want to have tends not to work in the long-term, but can be a great quick fix. You have to decide and test what is workable for you in the circumstance you find yourself in.

Perhaps another way I would think about it is to practice accepting the fear, without judgement, and become aware of it rather than enter into any kind of struggle to control it. I would try to understand the fear as part of a mental and physical reaction to what I am trying to do, and I would tempt to allow that to materialize, to become aware of my breath and to let it be and to pass. But maybe the short-term fix would work for me too.

This is all about workability and flexibility.

Sometimes we keep trying things that don’t seem to work any more because it’s what we’ve always done. We are using the wrong tool for the new situation we find ourselves in – just because we are really comfortable with that tool. And sometimes, we don’t know about the other tools, or how to use them.

Supporting that flexibility in knowledge of tools and how to use them – that’s where coaching can help.