Welcome to my 2nd post on my newest blog 'Mountains for my mind'. This blog will concentrate purely on the mountains and their benefit in helping with our mental health.
For many the name of this blog will sound familiar as I decided to start yet another blog format when a new initiative was set up by Trail magazine and Mind the mental health charity along with the help of a few other sponsors.
The new initiative titled 'Mountains for the Mind' was aimed at encouraging people to get outdoors more and in particular to get out and about in the great mountain ranges we have in the UK.
It is well known by many who suffer some mental health issues that getting out helps tremendously, and getting out up into the mountains for many brings with it a peaceful calming of the spirit and of the mind and brings with it a vital escape from the madness and pressures of normal daily life, especially if you live in a town or city.
A web page and Facebook group of the same name has been set up by Trail magazine and Mind and already quickly people have started posting photo's and memories of their trips into the mountains, and began to open up about their past, their problems and in many cases their personal mental health issues. A place where privacy is respected and openness respected and welcome has been quickly born.
I wanted to call my blog Mountains of my mind to reflect on the often epic struggles I have with my Anxiety and the struggles to climb the mountains of my own mind. Sadly the title was already in use, so I have had to go for Mountains for my mind.
On a good note though this made it tie in more with the initiative by Trail magazine and Mind, and my title Mountains for my mind helped emphasize the way I help deal with my problems by using the mountains as a cure, as opposed to concentrating on the negative of seeing them as a hurdle in my mind regarding my issues.
I hope you can and will enjoy my future blogs, although they won't be too regular as I don't get the chance very often to actually get to any mountains.
Thankfully as the title of this blog post indicates, I actually did get to the mountains recently and for a very good cause.
Every year at the beginning of June along with my Dad we return to Snowdonia to pay our respects to my Mum who sadly died in June 2017. As requested we spread her ashes on the mountainside in Snowdonia overlooking Llyn Padarn and Llanberis and in the distance Snowdon itself.
I had many happy memories on holidays in the area when I was a child and a teenager and it is like a second home to me. I also set a fundraising legacy up in my Mums honor titled 'WWMD - What would Mum do?' loosely based on the religious saying What would Jesus do?
The emphasis of the title was to remind me to be a better person and to think of what Mum would of done in my situation when ever I am in a situation or even in an argument. My Mum was a far kinder hearted and forgiving person than me, and I have always struggled to live up to her example.
The answer to the question What would Mum do? was also 'Fundraise and help others'. Which is why I set up the fundraising legacy, because I had been a long term fundraiser with my charity runs and challenges in the past and decided to carry this on by choosing charities I knew my Mum cared for.
Last year I spent the week in June in Snowdonia training for a 50 mile ultra marathon in Snowdonia that Sept and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. It was also the first time I had actually gone up Snowdon and indeed it's surrounding mountains, and I fell in love instantly again with my new pastime, hiking and walking (and a little running) the mountains of Wales.
I chose to fund raise for Lupus UK and the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team the first year I did a fundraising challenge in my Mums memory (the Mt Snowdon 50 mile ultra) in 2018. Mum had had Lupus and suffered a lot with it, and it was only after she died that I really looked into it and how bad a condition it can be, and it has no known cure. I also found out my Mum suffered from Anxiety particularly over her illnesses, and I never recognized this at the time as I just thought she was over thinking everything.
I in recent years discovered I had Anxiety too and it was getting worse, and I am starting to get to grips with it now on a daily and weekly basis. It has improved quite a bit since I changed jobs to help remove the subconscious stresses and strains from my workplace, that I didn't know at the time were the cause of my troubles.
The week in Wales last year made me realize how much the mountains help regather our peace of mind and a calming of our soul. I despite all the training I did that week loved every minute of being out in the mountains on my own and over coming the challenge of that day. This greatly helped me regain a bit of faith in myself and regain a bit of self respect after starting to feel a bit of a failure not being able to deal with daily life too well.
My day at the Snowdon ultra went well and I finished it, and I loved being out there for the entire 23.5 hrs it took me to complete it! I felt at one with the mountains and with the memories of my Mum while in the area she loved so much. It was worth all the pain of the event itself.
Now in 2019 and with June fast approaching I had another week with my Dad lined up for June in Snowdonia, and I was keen to get out and about again in the mountains. But I also had to come up with a fundraising challenge I could do while I was there, as being there to remember my Mum was the sole purpose of the week, and fundraising in her name was key.
I came up with the idea of going up Snowdon each day we were there, i.e.7 days. Therefore the Snowdon 7in7 challenge was born. I figured it sounded hard enough for people to think I was mad, and hard enough for people to donate to the charity I was fundraising for (This time the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team as the sole charity).
I was confident I could do it after the week I spent there last year training for the 50 miler I climbed 21,000ft+ that week. My issue would be any problem with my knees, as they are my weak point. Too much running and training and I develop problems, too little and I can't get the distance done.
I find having an event or challenge ahead to strive for or look forward to gives me a sense of purpose to go on, and to put up with my troubles. Now having the mountains to look forwards too along with their challenge I had found a new way to help deal with my daily Anxiety problems and any bad days I have.
I have now learnt that my bad times do come in small doses and tomorrow is indeed another day and from experience so far I have always been better the next day. The daily monotony of my work can cause me strife, and I have to use my spare time to do something positive like train for my events and challenges, or to just get out in the outdoors in my time before or after work.
This helps me break the cycle of work day in day out, and a descent into a depressive state if I feel I'm at work all the time and doing nothing else. I am currently struggling with this again at present, and I know I need to get out more on sunny and bright days, so that my memories of the day are not just a day at work.
Anyway, June 1st 2019 and I was finally in Wales for my Snowdon 7in7 challenge with my Dad. Dad was kind enough to drive there and be my daily taxi service to whichever route I was going to do that day. Due to time constraints I had to be dropped off on day one after our 3 hr journey there as we travelled to our destination in Dinas. So he dropped me at Pen y Pass where I was going to take on the Lliwedd route for Day 1.
Day 1 - Ascent of Snowdon via the Lliwed route...will follow soon as I write one blog post a week for each of the 7 ascents, detailing the day, my thoughts, how it helped me and of course some of my favourite pictures from the day.......
Note: As you may have noticed I never did get round to writing the blogs detailing my ascent and descent everyday as I left it too long, and details became sketchy. I have however posted a copy and paste of another blog post from another one of my blogs 'A return to Snowdon' which was a full version of the week, and all dedicated to my Mums memory. I hope you check it out.
I now have a 100% organic cotton clothing online store via TeeMill. All profits from designs on my store go to charities. Some of those charities are mountain rescue teams in Wales itself. Please take a look and share around if possible, and hopefully consider a purchase.
