Willpower and Tenacity in Freediving
“Freediving is as much a journey within as a dive into the ocean. It teaches you to confront your fears, embrace solitude, and find peace in the depths.” - Amber Bourke, Australian record holder
How & Why Does Freediving Increase Tenacity and Willpower?
Freediving is more than just a sport; it is a discipline that provides insight into the innermost parts of the mind.
In the depths of the ocean, divers experience mental, physical, and external challenges where they rely solely upon their inner resources of tenacity and willpower as they face the challenges of the sport.
Willpower and tenacity refer to the mental strength and self-discipline individuals must draw upon to control their impulses and achieve long-term goals. Applying one's will involves making conscious decisions and taking actions that align with one's values, even in the face of challenges, distractions, or immediate gratification. Building confidence in these methods is an integral part of the sport,
As a sport, freediving presents several physical challenges, such as exertion, CO2 build-up, pressure on the body, and psychological fears of depth or solitude. To overcome these factors, freedivers call upon their will to firm their resolve as they explore new depths with both the body and the mind.
This active use of tenacity and willpower requires the self-awareness to know when and how to use it. As a discipline, freediving offers a unique opportunity to harness one’s inner resources and develop self-awareness and self-care.
Psychology of Willpower and Tenacity: Finite or Limitless Resource
Until recently, research considered willpower a limited resource fueled by mental energy, meaning that when mental energy is depleted, one’s ability to assert one’s will is diminished. People experience a lack of willpower when facing discomfort, unease, or challenges, especially when inner reservoirs seem low. This is known as ego depletion.
The theory behind ego depletion was established through the research of Dr Roy Baumeister and his colleagues at Case Western Reserve University. Baumeister and Co. conducted studies to test subjects' ability to exert willpower in different situations. Through these studies, it was determined that those who had had to expend more energy utilizing willpower in a given situation (in the case of the study, resisting a plate of freshly baked cookies over a plate of radishes) found it more difficult to complete more challenging tasks later on in the study (completing an unsolvable puzzle) than those who had been allowed to eat from the plate of cookies.
Baumeister and his team thus concluded that willpower is a finite resource that becomes depleted with energy expenditure, i.e., the more a person exerts their will, the less willpower they have. However, Baumeister’s conclusion has since been disputed by many in the field. Follow-up studies published in Perspectives on Psychological Science using Baumeister's experiments tested the theory and found no evidence supporting ego depletion and willpower.
Further research into understanding the psychology of willpower comes from the work of Stanford psychologist Carol Dweak. Through their studies, Dweak’s team concluded that signs of ego depletion were observed only in test subjects who believed willpower was something finite. Those participants who did not see willpower as a limited resource did not show signs of ego depletion. From this understanding, willpower becomes another powerful example of how belief drives behavior, and a lack of willpower results from self-limiting beliefs.
An important consideration regarding willpower comes from Michael Inzlicht, a professor of psychology and the principal investigator at the Toronto Laboratory for Social Neuroscience. Dr Inzlicht stipulates that willpower is not a finite resource. He posits that willpower acts like an emotion, fluctuating depending on how one feels, how rested one is, how nourished the physical body is, and what is happening around one's surroundings - many struggle to assert their will when tired, hungry, in pain, or experiencing intense emotion.
What can be understood by the lived experience of human nature is that no matter the power of will, one is more likely to pursue a task that is enjoyable to them than one that isn’t. Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses in the podcast “ How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity” one’s ability to harness them as a limitless resource. Huberman considers tenacity and willpower to be skills that can be strengthened. He explores the concept that to build awareness of inner reservoirs of tenacity and willpower; one must continually embrace and face challenges or discomfort that require the application of those states of being; to understand the power of our will, one must learn to use it.
Freediving offers a unique insight into harnessing mental fortitude, power of will, and tenacity.
Willpower in Freediving
Willpower and tenacity are states of being where a person is fully embodied in their authority, where there is a persistent and determined effort towards a goal, and where one is not easily discouraged or swayed. Willpower and tenacity require an intervention between habitual patterns, ways of thinking, or being and are vital in overcoming resistance.
“Freediving is not just a physical challenge; it is also a mental one. It requires discipline, focus, and determination.” - Stig Severinsen.
Willpower and tenacity are skills that can be applied in different ways, in different situations, for different results. Through the lens of freediving, this may look like applying tenacity and willpower to train specific disciplines, pulling oneself back from pushing depths they are not yet ready for, or harnessing internal resources to remain steady, calm, and controlled during a challenging dive. In addition, the discipline it takes to stay consistent in training plans, exercise programs, sleep schedules, and diets designed to enhance performance could also contribute.
How Freediving Builds Tenacity and Willpower
At its core, freediving involves extended periods of breath retention, which demands high self-awareness and control. Divers must remain calm, focused, and disciplined in managing their breath and navigating the fluctuations of the mind to comfortably maintain a breath hold. This process requires willpower to resist the body's natural urges to breathe and tenacity to endure mental and physical discomfort that may arise. As practitioners progress in the discipline, they become more attuned to extending the duration of breath-holds, building a solid mental resolve to override these signals and trust in the body's ability to adapt.
Focus and concentration are crucial in freediving to maintain technique, equalize pressure, and ensure safety. The ability to stay present and focused during a dive requires the consistent engagement of mental discipline, reinforcing one's assurance of willpower and tenacity.
Progress in freediving often comes gradually. Whether improving breath-hold times, increasing depths, or refining technique, success requires patience and persistence. Developing the ability to overcome obstacles posed by the sport to tolerate and manage discomfort without giving in to immediate impulses or gratification further strengthens one's mental fortitude. The journey in freediving teaches individuals to stay committed to their goals over the long term, building both willpower and tenacity.
Freediving offers a unique environment of introspection. In the depths of the ocean, where a diver is truly alone, they understand their own emotional, mental, and physical responses as challenge arises. The space and freedom of this solitude invite divers to witness the language of their mind and to summon the power of will and tenacity required to overcome perceived limitations. This self-awareness contributes to personal growth, resilience, and the development of a strong will.
Willpower vs. Ego in Freediving
Willpower and tenacity without self-awareness can be detrimental to one's mental and physical health. One important distinction when discussing willpower is between the power of will and the ego.
Willpower or tenacity refers to one's inner resolve in alignment with core values, goals, and drive, while the ego is rooted in one’s sense of self-importance, self-esteem, or self-image. As Dr. Pandit Rajmani Tigunait puts it, ‘The difference is that the ego is blind, while the will has a vision. Will has its source in the pure Self. Ego springs from a false sense of identification (avidya) with the external world and is usually concerned with preserving self-image and self-identity. Ego is characterized by stubbornness, selfishness, and an unwillingness to compromise.”
In applying one's will in freediving, there is also a necessary surrender to the sport. Surrender to the natural world, the elements, the physical body's limitations, and an essential surrendering of the ego.
In his book Oxygen, William Trubridge describes embodying this surrender as a resource to progress in the sport. This concept is the perfect meeting of tenacity and will to remain resolute in a training or dive plan without the ego's attachment to the outcome.
Freediving: Benefits Beyond the Water
The discipline of freediving offers a reflective opportunity to engage with the power of the mind. Through the exertion of willpower and tenacity often required within the sport, divers come to a resolute understanding of their innate reserves of these qualities and their ability to draw upon them in the face of challenge.
“Freediving is about inward power, discipline, and control. If you’ve overcome the fear of death and the risks inherent in the sport, you’ve truly conquered yourself.” – Natalia Molchanova, World Record holder and champion freediver
Through practice, divers trust their ability to remain calm, steady, and in control under pressure. Staying focused, taking conscious action, and making thoughtful decisions during times of stress are things many divers allow to echo out of the water into everyday life. In this way, freediving becomes more than just a sport; it is a unique resource to develop the skills of self-awareness and self-reliance in everyday life.
Resources
https://hbr.org/2016/11/have-we-been-thinking-about-willpower-the-wrong-way-for-30-years
Job, V., Walton, G. M., Bernecker, K., & Dweck, C. S. (2013). Beliefs about willpower determine the impact of glucose on self-control. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(37), 14837-14842. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1313475110
Baumeister, R., & Tierney, J. (2011) Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. New York: Penguin Press.
Truebridge, William. Oxygen: A Memoir. Harper Collins, 2017.
Huberman, Andrew. Podcast “How to Increase Your Willpower & Tenacity”. https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/how-to-increase-your-willpower-and-tenacity
American Psychological Association. (2012, December 1). What you need to know about willpower: The psychological science of self-control. https://www.apa.org/topics/personality/willpower