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tallgirl
Jan 15, 2009, 7:48 AM
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Registered: Jul 8, 2005
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I'm back at work full time after the climbing season ended here in the NE and I'm having a rough time integrating the woman I've become through climbing and the woman who works in a commercial field.
I've especially found it hard to remove my game face after a day of client interaction and go back to the centered, open and exploring woman I feel has developed in me when I'm climbing.
Any words of wisdom or anything to share?
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tigerlilly
Jan 15, 2009, 10:13 AM
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I don't have client interaction, so I am a bit freer to be myself at work. As an engineer in technology development, being open and exploring is a good thing. I just have to wade through corporate bureacracy to be able to do that at work.  For me, the drive to the cliffs is a time to unwind and let my head clear, as long as I don't let traffic get to me. And even it that doesn't work, there's the hike up the Stairmaster to listen to the birds and smell the scents of the woods to shift me into climber mode. I'm usually in pretty good shape by the time I rope up. Have you tried a few minutes of meditation after work to let that centered feeling come back? I'm not big on meditation, but sometimes a few minutes of quiet time are refreshing.
Kathy
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Gmburns2000
Jan 15, 2009, 10:27 AM
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I often have to switch work on and off, and I do so by getting on something that'll make me fall, or at least struggle a lot. I find that when I'm really challenged my thoughts about work (or anything else, for that matter) fade away. Once I'm in that new climbing zone, I tend to not get out of it until I'm done climbing.
Great question though. Work-life balance will always be tricky for some.
PS - in reading your post again, if you aren't hitting a climbing gym in the winter, then maybe it would help to do so. My comment above was based on the point that only climbing can help me jump into my climbing state of mind. I don't like the gym much, but I need it in the winter, and it makes a big difference.
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granite_grrl
Jan 15, 2009, 11:52 AM
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I'm much like tigerlilly, where I don't have to deal with peole much through the day (electrical/controls engineer in a factory). But I still need that bit of quiet time right after work to unwind either from the mind numbing/twisting programming I've been working on or from battling the latest machine breakdown.
If I'm going climbing right after work then I get to use the drive time to calm me down. If I'm just going home my husband has learned to let me drink my cup of tea and relax first before he starts at me (or at least he should have by now).
I think the key is to find something that works for you. Maybe do a bit of reading, or do a bit of yoga (an extension to tiger's meditation sugestion). Biking home from work is a good way to get back into your grove too.
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clee03m
Jan 16, 2009, 9:59 AM
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Registered: Oct 29, 2004
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In my work, I deal with people and get stressed from time to time.
For outdoors, I am usually excited all day or the day before and in a great mood and happy, so it tends to positively affect my work. So may be you can look forward to climbing in the back of your mind, and I think this centered, open and exploring woman may actually work well for your job as well. And driving while chatting with partners about life, climbing, relationships, or whatever else usually brings me back to climbing mode.
For indoors, if I had an especially stressful time at work, I tend to avoid partners or friends from the gym, and head straight to the least crowded part of the bouldering wall. After struggling some hard routes and get my heart pumping, I feel less stressed to be able to climb with people and socialize like a normal human being.
Hope this helps.
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tallgirl
Jan 16, 2009, 10:59 AM
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Registered: Jul 8, 2005
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Thanks everyone for your great feedback..
It's always nice to hear about other people's experiences and to read about the joy they find in climbing.
Peace
Dana
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