Overwhelmed by stress Think like a SCUBA diver.
[Music]
why haven’t you
done it yet you know what i’m talking
about
why haven’t you done the thing that you
said you would do
this month this year
this lifetime what’s holding you back
besides fear here’s the question i
really want you to think about
how would you live if your every move
was a matter of life or death
once in a job interview i was asked that
dreaded
question how do you perform under
pressure
i did some panicked soul searching and
at the end of my search
i made a discovery that’s actually
pretty cool
i have this hobby it’s one that can be a
matter of life
or death i am a self-contained
underwater breathing
apparatus scuba
i was one of the first kids to be
certified as young as 12 years old
and man diving was my first
love and like every first
love it is so awkward
imagine strapping on hoses and forward
equipment
and regretting that third slice of pizza
while you cram your leg into a wetsuit
getting dressed alone can outdo any
workout you’ve ever had
it’s also pretty stressful i had my
first panic attack
underwater see my certification
instructor took me to a sunken fire
truck about
40 feet below and gestured for me to get
inside the large metal death contraption
but you know i thought i’m young i’m
skinny
i’m fearless let’s do it
and it probably goes without saying that
i instantly regretted it
talk about claustrophobia as the walls
closed in on me
i backed the heck out of there and
backed right into another group of
divers
i adjusted and hit my head on a sharp
rock
it was so embarrassing but at least i
can say i have literally been trapped
between a rock and a hard place
diving is awkward and scary
how divers respond to tough situations
determines if they live
another five minutes see my hobby of
scuba diving has given me an up close
look at exactly what happened to me that
day
acute stress response also known as
fight or flight the reality is we all
face it
but we all react very differently
you know humorist dave berry once said
there’s nothing wrong with just
looking at the surface of the ocean
except
when you see what goes on underneath the
water
you’ll find you’ve been missing the
whole point of the ocean
i’ve resolved if life has greater depth
to offer
i’m going to take a deeper dive today my
goal is to give you three simple ways to
drown your stress
before it drowns you when you think
acute stress response i want you to
think
assess strategize react
assess don’t stress
have you ever been so afraid
that you held your breath and you didn’t
even realize you were doing it
in moments like these you give fear
permission to invade your rational
thought process
hence the golden rule of scuba is never
hold your breath
so speaking of breath think of something
that a diver wears
does a tank come to mind see to a diver
a tank is a time limit
it determines how deep a diver can go
and how long
they can stay under like all great
leaders
divers plan for the best but prepare
for the worst you want to know something
funny about scuba diving
underwater there’s no choice between
fight
or flight there’s just fight there’s
just
deal with the circumstances at hand if a
diver is
hurt blinded gasping for air
she cannot afford to run in a life or
death scenario
her first instinct is get out of there
get back to the top where you’re safe
and comfortable but let me let you in on
a little secret
if she shoots to the surface like a cork
out of a champagne bottle
her insides become the explosion of
champagne
she dies or she experiences injury that
could end her diving days for life
panic is not an option but it shouldn’t
be for you
either you know stress response is often
referred to as the amygdala hijack
which is a fancy way of saying that the
frontal lobes of the brain go
dark without those frontal lobes you
can’t think clearly
and you can’t control your outcomes this
is why psychologist daniel goldman
recommends practice of remaining calm
when your emotions overwhelm you in
both scuba and life the first step to
managing stress response is this
assess your circumstances for what they
really
are not the nightmare you perceive them
to be
strategize the move the second rule of
scuba diving is
stick to the buddy system kind of tricky
right because you can’t exactly
talk to your dive buddy underwater try
and you just sound like darth vader
after a run
you know
it’s true decision making is largely an
individual sport
but while decisions require independence
survival requires support
for divers buddying up is saying hey
i’ve got your back in pre-dive
situations
divers will cross-check each other’s
equipment not just their own
they make a game plan and they go down a
list of safety measures
if the game plan goes wrong they have
the ability to
save each other this was just proven
true in june
when an iowa teenager calvin grosvenor
went out for his first
solo dive he asked to partner up with a
veteran diver
jesse fletchel who by the way was one
dive away from becoming a certified
dive master jesse planned on going out
alone that day
he made the same mistake you and i are
often guilty of
he thought i’ve done this by myself a
thousand times before
what’s stopping me but jesse didn’t have
all the information he needed that day
see just minutes into their trip he
started drowning because he was
suffering an embolism
but lucky calvin was there calvin was
able to drag him to the surface
recruit help and ultimately save his
life
you think the two understand the buddy
system now
you know when jesse talks of calvin he
says i’m so glad i met him
he’s no longer just my dive buddy
he’s my best friend for life
this is so powerful there’s a study in
the american journal of bioethics that
reflects what this
teaches us a major key to cracking down
on psychological stress
social support surrounding yourself with
friends and family you trust
create within you an inherent sense of
safety
the second step of managing stress
response is strategy
once you’ve assessed your circumstances
strategize the best course of action
yes using your discretion but with the
confidence that someone has your back
react don’t retract
like life diving requires balance in my
case this is called
buoyancy see buoyancy is a diver’s
ability to
sink and float at the same time
moms and dads i know what you’re
thinking sounds like parenting on a
daily basis right
you’re so correct you know better than
anyone that
every time you add a new variable to the
family dynamic
adjustments have to be made to restore
proper balance right
the same is true for divers physical
adjustments such as letting air
in and out of our vest and adding weight
to our belt make for a more successful
trek
but did you know there’s a physical
adjustment that helps us manage
life ever heard of a thing called
exercise
exercise manages stress response in two
ways
it affects our mood and behavior
transmitters dopamine and serotonin
but what it really does is it breaks
down stress hormones
and makes use of the energy that our
bodies constantly produce
think about it this way if you’re
stationary
what are you prepared for but if you’ve
just spent time in action
you’ve positioned yourself for ready
reaction
managing acute stress response is as
easy as
asr assess the situation
strategize the best course of action
react
accordingly in the words of dory
just keep swimming you know
over the past year i’ve learned that
everything i ever said i would get to
is no longer guaranteed to me i always
said i would hike the amazon rainforest
and parts of it are dying or caught fire
my dream was to dive the great barrier
reef
and parts of it are dying i always said
i would visit the notre dame cathedral
putting off our goals is really saying i
will do
this when i am no longer afraid of that
before every dive as i looked up to my
father
with young and nervous eyes he would say
to me
nerves are a good thing nerves mean
you’re aware
and awareness is preparedness
stress is a necessary part of life
it helps us overcome challenges and
adapt to change
stress makes us resilient
when i asked you earlier how would you
live if your every move was a matter of
life or death
what was your response you may
never roll off the back of a boat a day
in your life
but you are still walking around with a
tank strapped to your back
and you never know how much time you’re
running on
take measured risk approach them with
confidence
go beyond the surface and experience
a whole new world
you