10 replies to this topic

[pam_b]

You guys are amazing!!!

Having an open discussion about mental health issues just doesn't happen in most life arenas. Perhaps because the stakes are so high, we as divers can't take any health issues for granted, be they physiological or psychological.

As a teacher (and lifetime student) of health psychology, I routinely see examples of the mind-body connection. It still amazes me how our very thoughts can be powerful enough to actually change our physiology. "The stress response"---good old fight or flight---is very real. And diving is the perfect objective monitor of this process....I've seen new divers or anxious divers (often the same people!) suck their tanks dry within a few minutes. I've also seen experienced divers prematurely turn "dive trips" into "beach vacations" because of close calls....Hell, I've had my own moments where "gut checks" were certainly the order of the day. Diving has certainly humbled me in this domain. It's also made me mentally tougher than I was in my pre-diving days. Diving has become an important part of my identity both in, and out, of the water.

I'd like to start a new thread called "gut checks." I think we all can agree that the sport has serious life-changing potential. How has diving literally changed your head? For example: how you cope with stress....how you see your world....how you view yourself....how you relate to other people....how you conduct yourself in non-diving arenas....

Looking forward to the posts.

---sb

[rbs262]

Here are a couple of points.

First, I think that the fact that a mistake can be life-threatening is a big factor in sensitizing divers to paying attention to the little details. This being said and watching other divers, I am amazed at the cavalier way that some go about dealing with the pre-dive safety briefing and safety checks. Those are some of the most important moments in a dive. Devoting less than total attention can spell disaster. I think the nature of diving makes the importance of these events more evident and that can spill over into other aspects of our daily lives.

Second, I work in a business that is very safety sensitive. One of the focuses I have with diving is learning how to translate the education process and safety focus to other endeavors so that a similar heightened awareness to strict adherance to safety procedures becomes an uncompromised part of each task that an employee performs. It poses an interesting parallel that can extend the discipline of dive training to any activity in life. I think that is an exciting extension of diving discipline.

[ScubaHawk]

A very interesting thread. After hours of thought - inspired by this thread - i've decided to open up a tad in exchange for the personal insights that I have received.

I'm the most misanthropic person I know. (the logic in that last statement is amazing) I tend to have the attitude that 99.99% of people were put on the earth to annoy me. Before I took up diving, I would try to avoid groups of people on a personal basis. I get paid to deal with large crowds so I would put on a fake persona and do my job. When the night was done - get out! Since I became a diver things have changed. When I'm on a dive trip - I'm a different person. I keep an eye on my buddy, spend time makeing sure everyone else is of and safe, listen (with real interest) to other dive stories and actually become one of the gang.

The biggest diference in my case, is that diving honestly gives me something to live for. I had a near terminal case of enui. My genes had been passed along and were capable of entering future generations - so I am sucessful biologically speaking. Having "been there - done that" to about every thing that intrested me I was on auto pilot. The only reason that I didn't consider suicide was that death seemed even more boring than life. I tend to take too long of a view in things. "In an eon or two what will it matter?" Then I discovered diving. Now I am looking foreward to Cozumel, and meeting, talking to, diving with and even hanging out with the people going on the trip. After that - Grenada, Great Lakes, Fiji, Austraila, North Carolina etc. . . . Now I plan on living until I have diven (it's a word - because I like it) everwhere I want to dive. It's impossibable, but at least I have a goal.

O.K. I've been serious and introspective for long enough, and will deny everything if asked! Now to think of more dive limericks

[drdiver]

A great topic. I've mentioned elsewhere on here my several ages of diving and those could best be called an evolution. Being a career driven professional for 25 years changed me in so many ways and becoming a diver again brought me a ways back to the person I wanted to be when I was 20 years old. Diving is a hobby that really has no horizons, no endgame. You make of it what you want. I've now settled into fish identification and counting as something that gives me a great deal of pleasure, I meet and know great people, and can anticipate doing this well into my senior years. The focus required in diving centers me and gives me a sense of self that I never had being a corporate big shot, college professor or even a father. As the saying goes, the journey is always beginning and it certainly begins with the next dive!

[randy54]

1st, Seahawk, we were put here to annoy you. Sorry but you had to know sooner or later.

Getting into diving has provided some challenges for me. I partly got into diving trying to break out of my selfcontained world. Learning to rely on others for help has never been a strong point for me. The paradox diving has brought is that I was willing to buddy with others and work with them. And I still want to. I find that diving solo feels a bit hollow. But, and this is a big BUT, living in a small comunity, away from the water, so far I've not found a consistant, RELIABLE, SAFE buddy to dive with. We do have a lot of divers here for the size of our community, but most belong to a couple of informal dive clubs they've formed around their church, and unless you belong, you don't belong. I've buddied with a few other singles, and while a couple were good safe diver, they moved on to other things, or out of the area. Two were just down right scary, and I'd never go near again. My one somewhat consistant dive partner, Dave, moved to near the beach a few years ago. His wife dives a little, but only warm water, so Dave and I dive out here in the channel islands. Dave is a nice guy, ad fairly safe, but when diving is into his photography. When we first started diving togather, we paid lots of attention to what the other was doing. Now with a couple hundered dives, unless I'm aggresive about staying togather and watching out, he'd never know I was around. I've pickup buddies off the boat, and been scared enough times from that, that I don't like doing it now. So I started diving solo. Even when I dive with Dave, it's much more of a solo dive then a buddy dive.
Now, with all that said, a major part of the finding a buddy problem has been some physical health issues I had to deal with over the past severel year. I got back into diving after being away for 25 years, because of foot problems that required 7 surgeries, and took me out of hiking/backpacking. Rehabing from a foot surgey, I broke a wrist, and damaged an elbow and shoulder, which required more surgries. A couple of those didn't take, and had to be redone. So, 12 years and 14 times under the knife, many dive oppertunites have come and gone that I haven't been able to take advantage of. Very frustrating and depressing.
As a non-drinker, I've found this also has a negitive affect when it comes to socializing. I don't want to go to a bar after diving, and drink and chat. Most divers do, and I don't begrudge them, or try to stop them from it. It's just a barrier for me.
With all that said, I come to this dive board, and another, and chat and get to know folks, and find friends I want to meet and dive with. I've been on the verge several time bailing out, selling what gear I felt like selling, and tossing the rest. But I haven't, and don't intent to. I like the freedom I feel diving, and DO want to meet and be friends with most of the divers I meet or chat with. Hopefully, I've had the last surgery, and can be more active in diving, and diving with others.

[ScubaHawk]

1st, Seahawk, we were put here to annoy you. Sorry but you had to know sooner or later.

I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!

[WreckWench]

Hey Randy...I can relate on many fronts...

As a non-drinker, I've found this also has a negitive affect when it comes to socializing. I don't want to go to a bar after diving, and drink and chat. Most divers do, and I don't begrudge them, or try to stop them from it. It's just a barrier for me.

I go through periods myself where I drink or I don't drink. However I've found I can still socialize quite well even if I'm not drinking! I tend to laugh more at people as the evening wears on...but that's a different story. Fortunately SD has ALL kinds of folks both on the board and on our trips! That helps tremendously!

With all that said, I come to this dive board, and another, and chat and get to know folks, and find friends I want to meet and dive with.

And we are glad that you've found us as well!

I've been on the verge several time bailing out, selling what gear I felt like selling, and tossing the rest. But I haven't, and don't intent to. I like the freedom I feel diving, and DO want to meet and be friends with most of the divers I meet or chat with. Hopefully, I've had the last surgery, and can be more active in diving, and diving with others.

Health issues are quite a challenge but at least our sport allows you the most flexibility to pursue it vice other options! It is amazing watching handicapped people dive and seem absolutely normal underwater free of the limitations that the land saddles them with. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we are glad you stuck it out! And of course being in SoCal we have LOTS of divers on our board as well as others that I'm sure you can hook up with that are more your diving style! If not...guess I'll have to move to California!

[randy54]

WW said

Health issues are quite a challenge but at least our sport allows you the most flexibility to pursue it vice other options! It is amazing watching handicapped people dive and seem absolutely normal underwater free of the limitations that the land saddles them with. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say we are glad you stuck it out! And of course being in SoCal we have LOTS of divers on our board as well as others that I'm sure you can hook up with that are more your diving style! If not...guess I'll have to move to California! 

So far the physical stuff has just kept me from diving much, and staying in condition to dive safe. Thanks for the kind thoughts.

[pam_b]

Doc---A couple of comments re your recent posts.

"Being a career driven professional for 25 years changed me in so many ways and becoming a diver again brought me a ways back to the person I wanted to be when I was 20 years old."

In many ways, the sport does keep us young and in the best possible ways: responsibly spontaneous, physically and mentally healthy, focused in the moment, looking for adventure, fun, and companionship with like-minded others (who aren't looking for something from us beyond having a safe dive buddy).

So I can totally relate to that comment....it's also all-too-easy to base ONE'S ENTIRE IDENTITY on work, work, and more work, particularly if you had to negotiate (and endure) a rigorous course of training just to have that work. Diving can certainly provide much-needed balance. For me, when I find myself getting a little "sick of psych" it's great to be able to just put on my dive gear for awhile and remember what it's like in my best moments U/W. Diving is a wonderful outlet.


Funny story: I was at a faculty party last night and I quipped that one of the reasons I like to dive is that my endearing, but persistent, students can't find me U/W. A colleague of mine, who also happens to be a diver, commented: "Oh, don't worry...sooner or later, you'll be diving in some idyllic and beautiful setting when a vaguely familiar diver will approach you and hand you a dive slate which says, "How come you gave me a 'C'???"

"The focus required in diving centers me and gives me a sense of self that I never had being a corporate big shot, college professor or even a father."

Again, totally agree with that. What we do IS special. It takes a unique combination of traits just to master the sport: intelligence, social skills, focus, adaptability, body awareness, mechanical skills, comfort in the water, humility, openness to learn, curiosity, and adventurousness. A bit of idealism re the health of the environment and appreciation of nature adds a feeling of purpose to that sense of uniqueness.

Thanks!!!

[jextract]

1st, Seahawk, we were put here to annoy you. Sorry but you had to know sooner or later.

I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT!

Yeah, that was on my job description as well. Cat's outta the bag now, 'Hawk!

[Scubaman]

Like the taz after a whole week of school and listening to all the people complaining or just the problems they have, getting wet is the medicine I crave. My favorite saying is at 100 feet no one can complain. Diving has changed my life to a calmer state. It has given better focus and an avenue for release.