Chunking!

Well I said I would write about chunking so here goes.  It kind of follows on from the idea of breaking down large goals into smaller manageable steps, but it also has a role in helping you manage nerves and anxiety.  In focusing so hard to get to the top of a route, particularly if we are at our limit, the task can become overwhelming.  We also send out awareness away from what we are doing right now into what we perceive as the crux to come, sometimes resulting in little mistakes or slips which can further shake our confidence, or even just building the crux up into something so massively terrifying we can't manage it.  

Chunking would involve breaking the climb down into sections, and focusing only up to the end of that section.  It makes sense to chunk to natural breaks or pauses or rests, but if this isnt possible, then just climbing to that patch of lichen or that piece of strangely coloured rock can break the climb down into manageable pieces.  Our attention is focused much more on the immediate and it can help prevent anxiety building about what's to come.

So, give it a go on some routes you feel comfortable with, before trying it out on something harder.  Sometimes just even committing to moving your foot up an inch can make all the difference between completing a route and getting psyched out.  Enjoy the sun:)