Diving in the kelp forest is a magical experience. With sunlight beaming from above, this underwater forest, home to a diversity of fish swimming in and around is stunning. At times though it can present challenges to the diver. The long stems (stipes) reaching to the surface can be like rubber bands catching and entrapping you and your diving gear. If you panic or get frustrated by this and try to fight your way out, it just gets worse.
A cardinal rule in diving is to stop, breathe, think, and then act to break the instinctive fight or flight response and thus be able to put into action a solution that ends in a positive outcome to a challenging situation. That has always stuck with me as a diver. I always found that if I stopped and connected with a center of calmness then I could free myself from the situation I faced, such as the kelp entanglement or low visibility.
It made me think how this was no different from other challenges in my life. So often I would go directly into panic and fear. But if I apply the same “stop, breathe, think and then act” logic, and connect with an inner stillness, then the challenge won’t be as insurmountable as it first seems and I can identify a solution much quicker in this state of calmness. So I ask myself, and you, where in life do we still struggle when challenges appear and invoke feelings of being trapped or entangled, panic and fear? Where can we stop and breathe into the moment, find and connect with that center of stillness and calmness, obtain more visibility into the situation, and then move forward with grace and confidence?
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