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Feel stuck? It’s time to cultivate a “curious yes” approach, says author and Irish freediver Claire Walsh
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Whether you’re suffering from burnout or simply feel like you’re living in a loop, this approach is a good first step to break free and find excitement again.
Did you know that seven in ten workers in Ireland have reported having suffered from burnout at some point in their career? That’s 70 per cent! Conducted by iReach, this research was recently revealed by Lockton People Solutions Ireland, surveying approximately 700 adults in the Irish workforce. It also found that women were almost twice as likely as men to say they have “definitely” suffered from burnout.
The reality is that many of us are feeling overworked, stressed and stuck in a seemingly monotonous loop of work, eat, sleep, repeat…
So, how do we become “unstuck”?
We turned to someone who has not only broken free of this feeling but who has used the opportunity to follow her dream. Claire Walsh, aka Irish freediver, was suffering from depression when she decided to drop everything and book a ticket to South America.
There, she fell in love with freediving – a sport she hadn’t heard of until then – and has since gone on to win eight national records and author a book, Under Water, where she shares her mental health journey and the supports she found along the way. One of the best ways to start making a positive change in your life, she says, is to cultivate a “curious yes” approach.
Tell us about a time in your life that you felt stuck. How did you overcome this feeling?
I’ve reached the place of “stuck” a fair few times in my life. My book Under Water is the story of meeting this point again and again, and how I moved beyond it.
One of the times that stands out is the end of 2018. It felt like things had come to a staggering halt and I wasn’t sure how to move forward. Knowing that “nothing changes if nothing changes” I picked a project that would move me forward, however slowly. That project was preparing to compete in the freediving world championships.
In your classes, you focus primarily on breathwork. What are the benefits of this practice?
Coming from a background in performance and singing, how to use your breath efficiently and effectively was something I’d studied and practised for years. Freediving added a whole other dimension to what I understood breath to be.
In my classes, I begin by helping people create an awareness of how they breathe and bit by bit, integrate patterns and ways of breathing that they can build that will help with calming the body and mind, sleep and regulating their nervous system.
Photo, left, by Nanna Kreutzmann.
What exactly is a “curious yes” approach? How does it work?
A “curious yes” approach is something I came up with after reading Jim Henson’s biography. He describes approaching his projects with a playful curiosity. Aside from the fact that I was working as a puppeteer at the time, it really struck me. “Curious yes” requires removing the expectations (and possible limitations) of a goal.
It encourages me to say yes and be open to possibilities, to explore and to reach a completely different destination than I imagined. It stops me from looking too far ahead and keeps me in the moment. It feels more playful and most of the time, I have a lot more fun doing things this way!
What are the first steps we can take to cultivate it in our own lives?
For me, it usually starts by doing something outside my comfort zone or that I normally wouldn’t do. Before I can automatically shut down the idea, there’s a pause, something that urges me to try it anyway. I usually throw some questions at myself to stop any negative thoughts that might halt the proceedings.
What if I give it a go? What if I actually really enjoy it? What if this is exactly what I need right now? What if afterwards, I feel a sense of achievement? I take each question and let them lead me to try something new, something that scares me. I might be scared, I might be tentative, but I try to focus on curiosity… the delightful, playful curiosity.
In partnership with Defender, we are embracing the impossible, with the inspiring story of Irish freediver Claire Walsh and her “curious yes” approach to becoming unstuck. To learn more about Defender, visit landrover.ie.
“Under Water” is published by Gill Books. Available now in bookshops and on audio. For more information follow @clairewalshlife or check out clairewalshlife.com.
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