Scuba diving is a hobby and profession that provides a great opportunity to travel and explore the world. It’s also an activity that, for many years now, has been used as a form of therapy by people with anxiety disorder and PTSD.
The seven lessons to be learned from scuba diving are both personal development lessons as well as professional advice that can be applied to one’s life and career:
1. Remain Calm and Breathe
In some cases, there might be situations where some panic starts to take over you, as it happens in some scuba diving incidents. In those situations, remaining calm must be your first priority, as this allows you to think clearly about what needs to be done.
Situational awareness is very important in every situation of your life. As the saying goes, “where there’s no light, there’s no way.” You cannot see where you’re going or what might be coming up unless you’re aware of what is happening around you. That does not mean to worry all the time but to remain calm and act when needed.
2. Take Responsibility for Your Actions
It’s easy to blame other people or external factors for your mistakes, but it is even easier to take responsibility. You should never be the one responsible for your mistakes because it will make you grow as a person by learning from them and avoiding making them again in the future.
3. Follow Through and Finish What You Start
Do not expect things to change unless you change them. Do not expect others to do something if you don’t do it yourself as well. Keep your promises and finish what you start, as those who know how to accomplish their goals will achieve more than those who just dream about them.
4. Communicate Effectively
Whether it is to communicate with your team or just talk to someone, effective communication will change what you want to accomplish. Choose your words carefully and avoid being too direct, as managing relationships can be harder than solving complex math problems.
5. Make the Most of Your Environment
You cannot control everything around you, but you can always try to manage the things you have. Use tools available to your advantage and create what you want from them as long as they can do so.
6. Appreciate the Moment
Live in the moment as life-changing experiences can happen anytime. Appreciate what you have and who is with you because it’s not guaranteed that they will always be there.
7. Give Back to Nature
Protect nature as everything we know comes from it. We’ve learned a lot from scuba diving experience, so why not give back to it? You can start by planting trees or recycling. You can even dive more to help understand better what’s underwater.