Not a coach, but this sounds very familiar! Of course, all of this is very personal, but I have put some thoughts and ideas that have helped me below. Good luck and look after yourself.

Goals and planned trips are definitely helpful, but in my experience you can have the most amazing trip planned for next summer and be really excited about it, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to motivation for doing that training session today. The more sessions you skip, the worse you feel about it and the harder it becomes to find motivation.

I use a “show up to the mat” approach – the phrasing comes from my days as a gymnast, but the concept is the same. If I have a workout scheduled and I am motivated to do it, great. If I am not motivated, I’ll tell myself that I need to show up before I can give up. For gymnastics, that meant putting on workout gear and getting my mat and other kit together. For running, getting my running kit and shoes on and going outside. If I do that and I’m still not feeling it, it’s ok not to do the workout. More than 99% of the time, getting that far is half the battle and once I am dressed and ready to go I will just get on and do whatever I had planned to do. If I’m still not feeling it, I’ll take the same approach again and persuade myself to “just run a mile” or “just warm up” before giving up, and that will quite often be enough to get me there.

The key to this, though, is that there is always occasional day where you do show up and it still feels too much. I’ve certainly had days where I’ve stood on the front porch in my running gear and then gone back into the house to watch Netflix in my pyjamas instead – in those cases it’s ok to give yourself a break and not to beat yourself up about it. For me, knowing that I tried helps with the latter. The important thing is to show up again the next day.

The other useful thing is to train with other people as often as possible. If someone is expecting to meet you at the climbing gym for a session, you’re much more likely to go than if you don’t feel like it than you are if it’s only yourself you are letting down. Even if you aren’t doing anything that requires a partner, the idea of an “accountability buddy” can be helpful, particularly if you are performing the same service for the other person in return.

Thank you for breaking through the stigma of mental health and bringing forth such an important topic we don’t talk about enough. That is so awesome.

I don’t have much for advice, but more of an observation. You mentioned your recent 5.10 trad and 511c sport sends (congrats!) brought on temporary motivation. That tells me that you have strong external motivation. You can tap into that by using social apps like Strava for your workouts, where the Kudos from others can externally motivate one to get out the door. Alternatively, you can look into what your internal motivations are (ie: why do I love this sport?) I ponder this question regularly to add fuel to the fire of my motivation and purpose.

I think I can sort of relate. I really struggle with the pre-built plans. Mostly, the workouts tend to be <2hrs long, but you have to do something 6 days a week. I have found that I struggle working out 6 days per week (thats when I get injured!) and it’s hard for me to leave the house for <1hr. I personally have found much greater success with my own plan which is basically just a google sheet that has an hours goal (#1 priority) and then I break it down further into hours at each HR zone. Some weeks, I do 1-2 really long hikes and that plus climbing in the gym is all my training for the week and some weeks it looks a lot more like the training plan. (I bought a training plan to map it after)

Perhaps you can identify what part of training you’re struggling with that is resulting in a lack of consistency and try to find a work around for that?

I have been going to a psychiatrist regularly for many years, and this helps me to be consistent in everything I do.
A psychiatrist can help you develop coping strategies, explore underlying issues, and provide tools to maintain motivation.

One thing you could try is breaking down your training into smaller, doable steps. Celebrate each small victory along the way, like your first 5.10 trad route and 5.11c sport route. Those wins can be really motivating! Taking care of yourself is essential, both physically and mentally. Consider doing activities that help reduce stress, like meditation or yoga. And remember, it’s okay to ask for support when you need it. There are resources out there that can help, like therapy or counseling.

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I get where you’re coming from. Finding consistency can be challenging, especially when mental health throws a wrench in your plans. One thing that helps me is taking small breaks to recharge. For example, I take short CBD breaks to relax my body and mind. It gives me a reset and helps me return to my goals with a clearer head. I use the Nexus Smoke vapes. Smoking isn’t ideal, but vaping felt like a less harmful option for me. Little breaks like these can make a difference. Keep pushing forward, and don’t be too hard on yourself. Progress, no matter how small, is still progress.