Introduction to 7 days of peace of mind & soul in Snowdonia.

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.

https://shoutoutwear.co.uk/

Same mind, same challenges, but battling it from a different perspective.

 
So it will soon be spring 2019 and as the years pass, so does my youth, my middle age and my ability to run lots and lots for charity, leisure or for my sanity and mental health (mostly the later).

During 2018 I ran less due to my knees slowly but surely not being able to do all the training I really should of been doing in order to satisfy my lust for bigger and better running challenges, and fund raising challenges suited to my abilities.

My biggest challenge in 2018 as many of my friends, family and various blog followers will know was the final realisation of my dream to finally get to, and complete a 50 mile ultra marathon. I had tried to get to the start line of one several times, but knee issues or other injury held me back time after time.

I've never been one to attempt something under prepared or under trained, so after less training and less events overall I enabled my body to recover enough to get me to the start line of the GB Ultras Mount Snowdon 50 mile ultra in Sept 2018.

In order to help get there I undertook a weeks running, hiking and walking up mountains in Snowdonia in Wales in June 2018 whilst on holiday with my Dad. We were there to remember my Mum who had died sadly a year earlier, and we had spread her ashes on the hillside overlooking Llyn Padarn,, Llanberis and Snowdon earlier that year.

On this week of training I undertook a run, walk or hike up a mountain or various mountains almost every day as training for the Snowdon ultra that would be in that area. I took on all the sections of the route in order to familiarize myself with the route visually, as opposed to just on a piece of paper i.e. a big map.

One thing I discovered or rediscovered was my love for the mountains, and their ability to free the mind and soul of all it's troubles, the freedom once up there was amazing and the views helped reinforce my belief that the natural world isn't our enemy, it's ourselves, our lifestyle at times, our often misguided priorities of career, wealth and ownership of shiny new things.

None of which are things we can take with us. The mountains will be there a lot longer than you and me, and I was just a speck on that landscape, albeit hopefully a welcome one.

I have struggled with Anxiety in some form most of my life, but never truly recognized it or understood it or been really crippled by it until the last 3-4 years or so. Running has helped me escape for a short while while the run itself is on and for some hours afterward or if I'm lucky a few days, hence why my blog 'Running for my health'  will continue.

My escapes on a run in my nearby seaside landscapes will still be my quick escape locally when I can, but they are no match for being up a mountain.

I have managed to get some grasp on the illness by recognising it's signs and it's demand on my daily strength and or happiness, and have managed to some extent to keep it's power over me fairly minimal. This was done mostly by recognising it's triggers and getting away from them, i.e. my previous job and years of constant pressure, be it from work or from personal expectations at work.

Changing jobs helped me refocus my efforts in life and affect change by personally making a change for the better by removing my aggressors ability to attack me daily with pressure, self doubt and feelings of worthlessness, whether intended or not.

Now in a new job at a gym around health orientated, friendly and chilled people I was able to focus on my personal daily happiness and concentrate on my overall personal goals, mainly raising money for good charity causes with my physical abilities,with an ability to run like most people, but also to suffer slightly tougher terrain, longer mileage and longer time wise than your typical flat half or full marathon etc.

As I said earlier I managed to achieve my ultimate running goal in Snowdonia, but I don't believe my knees really have the ability to let me do 50 miles or more very often, and certainly not without a price. It has taken from Sept 2018 to March 2019 for me to feel my knees are OK to carry on with challenges, albeit in a new form.....

Therefore the new blog 'Mountains for my mind!'. It reflects the up and down challenges that my mind can often put in my way, but also reflects my ability to tackle and conquer the challenges and the effort required to top them.

If I can do it, then we can all do it and the rewards are great if we try. If we can do it once, we can do it again and must remind ourselves when possible.

I have seen recently a new project from Trail Magazine and Mind the mental health charity and a few other businesses involved called 'Mountains for the Mind'. 

That project is an active encouragement to get people to recognize the benefits of getting out in the fresh air and up hills, mountains and just the general outdoors to find some inner peace, or peace of  mind, especially one that has or is suffering any kind of mental illness or trouble.

I for one after being up lots of mountains last June daily for a week, felt a new found love and appreciation for life and just wanted to get straight back up them the next day. I only planned on a few days up them, but ended up doing 92 miles and 21,600ft of climb over the week.

By the end my knees were a little sore and myself a little tired to say the least, but I was buzzing, and look back regularly at the 500+ photo's I took while up there.

But the big take home for me was despite the sadness of the reason I was there, I re found my love for the mountains, but most important the ability to escape my troubles, and to be able to recharge my soul and mind for the daily battles ahead.

Just like going out running, you get the escape, the feeling of freedom, the rush of endorphins if you are lucky, and a realization that you are truly capable of more than you think.

Being able to push on through your troubles, the tiredness and the effort to get through the dark clouds and reach the peak or the summit, and to look around to see the wonders around you that have been shielded from your view for as long as you can remember is a great blessing, and one you can relive it as often as you manage to get out there.

Just try to remember that when you get through one of your bad days or when you manage to get up that hill or mountain with all the struggle it entails, that you did get through it, you did get to the top, you did manage to stick your head through that dark cloud and say 'I did it!, I did it'. But mostly remember it was not a one off, if you have done it once, you can do it again!

Make that change, join a fell walking club or get a group of friends together with a car or two and see if you can all go together for the day, enjoy the social time in an open but not oppressive social setting with no pressures. If needs be start with a walking or rambling club to build strength and fitness or endurance for mountain climbs, they aren't all as drastic as Snowdon, Ben Nevis or Scafell after all.

Go to the Mountains for the Mind Facebook group and join that for inspiration, look up the Mountains for the Mind website for inspiration from the organizers/promoters of the new initiative.

Click here for the Mountains for the Mind official website.

Purchase one of their new 'Mountains for the Mind' t-shirts just released to promote the initiative (all profits go Mind).

I for one at some point am going to join my local fell walking club subject to being off when they go obviously.

I have also given myself a new fundraising challenge for the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team by trying to climb Snowdon 7 times in 7 days when I return to Wales again in June 2019 with my Dad, to remember and honor my Mum once more. This as always will give me life purpose and drive me on daily to help others.

I hope you can follow me on my personal journey through this fairly infrequent blog, as I face the mountains for my mind, and strive to get out there hopefully with regular doses of mountains as a new way to help deal with my Anxieties, and I hope you can also get out there and feel some of the benefits.