• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

alex@alexstaniforth.com

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Alex Staniforth

Alex Staniforth

Adversity Adventurer, Motivational Resilience Speaker, Author and Mental Health Activist

  • HOME
  • ALEX
    • Bio
    • Charity
    • Sponsors
    • Media
  • SPEAKING
  • ADVENTURE
    • Climb The UK
  • 3 PEAKS RUN
  • MIND OVER MOUNTAINS
  • WORDS
    • FAQS
  • BOOKS
Contact Alex

How do we keep going when we can’t see the top?

You are here: Home / Inspiration / How do we keep going when we can’t see the top?

March 20, 2020 by AdversityAdventurer Leave a Comment

How do we keep going when we can’t see the top of the mountain?

I wish I had the answer. Perhaps the scariest thing is that nobody really does. Even as a motivational speaker, my own positivity levels have dwindled like the supermarket stocks of loo roll and flour recently. As an adventurer, I wrongly assumed I was well-equipped to thrive on whatever life could throw at me next and eat those low ebbs for breakfast.

But recently, society has faced an unclimbed mountain. When facing a challenge we can usually draw on past experiences, or somebody else who’s been there to guide us through. If we haven’t dealt with something before then our natural instinct is to assume the worst-case scenario. Media scaremongering has only fuelled our fear of the unknown. Watching the news unfold felt uncomfortably alike the disaster movies we binge on Netflix. I think for a while we longed for Chuck Norris to rock up, kick Boris off the lectern and save the day.

Older generations have experienced wars, rationing and recessions, which perhaps explain the stoic ‘business as usual’ attitude and why keeping my grandma at home was like keeping my dog out of muddy puddles. But for my ‘entitled’ generation, it was the first time society had effectively shut down around us. The prospect of losing the freedom to exercise outside and stay mentally healthy was utterly terrifying.

Now that we’re slowly getting some restrictions eased and freedoms restored, hopefully we’ll never take them for granted again. But I’m not convinced. Towards the end of my Climb The UK challenge I had been cycling in all weathers for 70 days until I started craving the simplest comforts: doing nothing, watching TV, or simply watching the world go by at a bus stop. The novelty quick wore off – as most things do until they’re taken away.

Admittedly, it’s started to feel like there’s light at the end of the tunnel. We’re crawling out of the storm, a bit dazed, with our gardens probably tidier than our haircuts. We have more certainty. But let’s not forget there are still thousands of people critically ill, and many more grieving families, for whom life will never be the same again.

One thing I do know – in my fairly short life so far – is that mountains pose either a problem, or a challenge. Facing those challenges teaches us a lot about resilience. So I wanted to share a few things from my adventures that have helped me in the recent weeks.

1) Focus on what we can control

We’re allowed to feel frustrated and angry about our plans and goals being ruined. But the longer we focus on things outside our circle of influence then we become reactive – stressed, anxious, depressed, and even hopeless. Or even hoarding loo rolls. If we spend our time on the things in our circle of influence then we become proactive, positive and stay focused. Look for the new opportunities and adjust goals whilst awaiting information. I recently submitted a proposal for my third book earlier than planned. Sadly I can’t say much for the home baking skills…

2) Support each other

We might be in the same boat, or the same mountain: but not everyone is a Sherpa. Don’t compete who has it ‘worse off’. Some people are more resilient due to their life experiences so far. Others will be overwhelmed by the change. Make sure to reach out to friends who might be vulnerable or at most risk, and even the ‘strong’ ones who appear fine. The smallest things can make the biggest difference. We’ve seen lots of acts of kindness: from helping elderly with shopping, to Captain Tom Moore, and companies making face masks. Times like these are when the stories of real humanity and kindness emerge. Being selfish is a human survival mechanism. Selflessness helps everyone survive.

3) Attitude of gratitude

Like many others, most of my speaking engagements were cancelled until the autumn (at least in person), our Mind Over Mountains events we spent months putting together were postponed, and my 3 Peaks Run project was also put on hold. But I’ve also felt incredibly lucky – to be in a low-risk group, have close family and friends, and have the hills on my doorstep to find some calm in the chaos. I’ve got more time to train for the challenge. There’s lots of things going right and lots going wrong: it depends which way you look. Make a list of what you’re grateful for, and your mindset will shift to a more positive direction. Most of the things we may have lost can be replaced. Lives can’t.

4) Get outside

The ‘Get Outside’ champions have been scratching our heads as we’ve had to step down from hollering about the wonderful wild places and tell people to stay close to home instead. Either way, we’ve truly seen the importance of getting outside for our mental health. That’s why we set up Mind Over Mountains. Whilst we have to maintain social distancing and adhere to restrictions, the benefits can still be had closer to home, even in 30 minutes a day. At the height of everything, the news began to get overwhelming, so I packed the tent and headed to the fells above Coniston with a friend Callum. It was also the first time I had wild camped for over a year – thanks Coronavirus – I’d forgotten how fantastic it was to chat to a friend with hot chocolate and biscuits, switch off social media, and watch sunrise in the mountains. It was hard to believe so much could be going wrong. My daily runs and bike rides in nature have given me hope and perspective to remind me that the world is still a beautiful place to be.

5) Focus on the small wins

The ‘engine is only as good as the steering wheel’ – we also have to be kind to ourselves and not expect too much when our stress buckets are already full. We’re bombarded by innovation and people achieving great things despite all that’s going on – and it’s easy to believe we’re not doing enough; that we should be doing more to help or make a difference. Staying physically and mentally healthy is the number one priority. Keeping routines encourages positive habits and keep us moving forwards instead of just admitting defeat. Use this time to set new challenges, learn new skills, and try new things: however big or small. If you could learn just one new thing for yourself (or others) to look back on 12 months from now – what would that be?

—

From my experience, the top of the mountain often turns out completely different to our imagination. Maybe we never truly get there. But the only way to find out is to keep moving forwards, one step at a time.

What’s been helping you during lockdown? Set any challenges or learnt something new? I’d love to hear them in the comments below.

Stay safe folks…

Category iconInspiration,  UK Outdoors Tag iconadversity,  coronavirus,  covid19,  inspiration,  mind over mountains,  motivation,  pandemic,  self-care,  solidarity

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 42 other subscribers.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

WANT A FREE CHAPTER?
Join my newsletter for new challenge announcements, blogs, events and a free sample of my new book 'Another Peak'...
We respect your privacy.

 

Partners

Footer

Alex’s Charity

 

 

 

 

Mind Over Mountains is a charity restoring mental health naturally through therapeutic outdoor experiences.

Read more and join us at: www.mindovermountains.org.uk

Contact Alex
alex@alexstaniforth.com

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Instagram

alexstaniforth_

Climbing mountains and the mind.
Charity Founder @mindomountains
🌎 The Lake District #GetOutside
Athlete @inov_8 @ordnancesurvey @ellisbrigham

Alex Staniforth - Adventurer
Back where it all began. Running with my old man! Back where it all began. Running with my old man!

Last March I got my Parkrun PB at Keswick and this weekend got my slowest at Fell Foot.

The plan was to keep my heart rate under 145bpm to avoid another crash of fatigue, which meant walking most of the hills. It took the discipline of Yoda not to set off chasing people like the good old days, especially when my dad overtook me in the first km. 

I hated exercise as a kid. On holiday in France my stepmum bribed me with €2 to run a mile with him. That was a lot of money back then... I hated every minute but dad inspired me to enter a 10km race for charity, and the rest is history. Dad came to watch every race since, as I happily claimed the family record at every distance from 5km to marathon, whilst he retired to become a Parkrun tourist. 

Never thought he'd beat me again, but never forget where you started.
.
#LongCovid #TheComeback #MatchingJackets #parkrun #loveparkrun #fellfootpark
#LakeDistrict #lakedistrictuk #runninginspiration #Fellfoot #windermere #parkruntourist #fatherson
Much-needed adventure inspiration from @mrmarkbeau Much-needed adventure inspiration from @mrmarkbeaumont on his Faster tour at Rheged last weekend. 

Mark is the fastest person to cycle around the world in 80 days (that's 240 miles a day... for perspective) amongst many other records. He's been a huge personal inspiration and kindly endorsed my 2nd book.

So much resonated, but a few favourite takeaways: 

- Trust the process, the bigger picture will always take care of itself. 

- Remove the faff. His team had to ensure he was on the bike by 4am, not 4:05am. That would have added an entire day to his record.

- Mark had 40 people working on his world record. He knew that if he failed, the whole team failed. 

- Good times won't last forever, but that means the bad ones won't either... 

Thanks Mark. Grab his books, talks and films if you're needing some adventure inspiration! 

#faster #worldcycle #ultracycling #markbeaumont #inspiration #80days #mindset #cyclingheroes #rheged #ultracyclist 
@speakersfromtheedge
214/214 Wainwrights complete! Somehow it's taken 214/214 Wainwrights complete! 

Somehow it's taken 12 years, 8 months and 25 days since my first summit, Souther Fell, aged 14 (swipe for evidence). For those who don't know, the Wainwrights are a list of 214 summits created by legendary writer Alfred Wainwright. There was no better hill to finish than the aptly named 'Great Cockup', with a great crowd of friends.

The record is 5 days 12 hrs 14 mins... If only we hadn't stopped for a sandwich 😂 

Meanwhile @thehodfather666 is currently climbing all 214 with a 4 stone hod of house bricks, to raise money for @mindomountains.

However fast you go, there's something strangely addictive about this collection of fells. It's been a fun project to explore the Lakes and maybe one day I'll start again to see how fast I can get around... 

📸@danobeaumont

#GreatCockup #Wainwrights #LakeDistrict #Hillwalking  #GetOutside #Lakes #peakbagging #wainwrightswalks
A big welcome to the first CEO of @mindomountains, A big welcome to the first CEO of @mindomountains, Ian Sansbury! 

When Chris and I founded the charity in 2020 we never imagined how big it would become. From the flagship event with @adventureuncovered to delivering 27 events last year, supporting 300+ people with their mental health, including the NHS, Police and Ambulance Service.

Leadership is about creating a vision, and building a great team to achieve it - like our wonderful trustees, team and 50+ freelance staff who continually go above and beyond. 

It’s also knowing your strengths and weaknesses, when ironically it's compromised my own mental health sometimes too. As the charity grows I'm not the right person to take it where it needs to be, so it can reach everyone who needs our help.

Feeling like a proud parent sending their kids off to start school, with less crying, but I'm super excited to see the charity grow and support even more people with Ian’s expertise. 

I’ll remain heavily involved as a trustee (and Chief Interference Officer) to support the team, tell the story and raise money through daft adventures… 

Thanks to everyone who's been part of the first chapter. Onwards!

#NewChapter #MyBaby  #MentalHealthCharity #MindOverMountains
Load More… Follow on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 Alex Staniforth. All rights reserved.

Implemented by Koogar Integrated Marketing

Return to top