Rock Climbing is Therapeutic?
You’re darn right it is! How do I know? Because I am a rock climber. I have been actively climbing rocks and rock-like features since 1999. I consider myself a lifetime beneficiary of the therapeutic properties of rock climbing. Through the sport of rock-climbing, I have developed self-confidence, mindfulness, resilience, and an ability to conquer many of my fears on the wall and off. All of which are tools that I use daily, to ensure a lifetime of positive growth, stability, and intrapersonal success.
Depression, Anxiety and Agency
If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.
-Lao Tzu
The quote above is one of my absolute favorites. I often wish this quote had found its way to me sooner in my life because I think it (as any great quote does) gave me clarity on something that I had observed, but never synthesized into an actual idea. There are other quotes and references that address this same concept, but this is the only one that spells out to us that depression and anxiety are both remedied by your own actions; actions that can only be taken in the present.