Some readers will have seen the recent story about the Irish family caught at sea off Western Australia. It was an amazing story, and one that revealed as much about the workings of the mind under pressure as it did about physical endurance. A quick recap. The family were on holiday when strong winds pushed their paddleboards and kayak far out to sea. As conditions worsened and light faded, the mother, Joanne, asked her oldest son, 13-year-old Austin, to try to kayak back to shore and raise the alarm to get help. He did, but had to abandon his kayak after it took on water, leaving him with an intimidating 4km swim back to land. Two hours into his swim and facing rough seas, he removed his life jacket to swim more efficiently. He remembered thinking he saw something in the water and feeling frightened. How did he get through this ordeal? ‘At one point I was thinking of Thomas the Tank Engine, trying to get the happiest things in my head, trying to make it through’, he said afterwards. ‘Not the bad things that would distract me’. After four hours in the sea, he reached land and collapsed. He then got up again, ran two kilometres to find a phone and alerted emergency services. ‘I said “I need helicopters, I need planes, I need boats, my family’s out at sea”. I was very calm about it. I think it was just a lot of shock’. His efforts helped to bring about the rescue of his mother and two younger siblings. It is tempting to read this as a story about courage, but there are also some lessons about how the mind works under pressure.

Worry

One lesson concerns worry. As I often note in this column, many people who struggle with anxiety hold positive beliefs about worry. ‘If I think enough about what could go wrong, I’ll be prepared’, ‘It’s irresponsible not to worry’, ‘worry shows I care’ – such beliefs are very common among
worriers. However, running through fears in your head doesn’t solve the problem in front of you. Action is what matters. And not only that, when the moment calls for action, worry can become a distraction you don’t need. Young Austin didn’t stop to run through scenarios, or mentally rehearse everything that might happen. Instead, he swam, adjusted what was slowing him down, and kept going. When he reached land, he ran, got to a phone, and calmly asked for help. Each step was concrete. Worry would not have helped him survive four hours in the sea. What helped him survive was decisive, focused action. A useful comparison is a surgeon in an emergency department. When a badly-injured patient arrives, the surgeon doesn’t panic or mentally spiral through possible outcomes. They don’t stand back worrying about what might happen if they make a mistake. They get to work. Calm, focused action is what saves lives. Excessive worry in that moment would be dangerous. Now, this doesn’t mean that fear disappears. Austin was scared, surgeons feel pressure. The difference is where attention goes. Action requires focus on the next step, not on imagined futures.

Memory

The second point is about memory. Research suggests that recalling positive experiences isn’t just comforting in the moment, but something that may have lasting mental health benefits. For example, one study involving teenagers found those who were better able to recall specific positive memories showed fewer negative thoughts about themselves and lower stress levels a year later. They also appeared less vulnerable to depression. Concrete, specific memories – particular events, moments, experiences – seemed to offer protection. The authors concluded ‘that “remembering the good times” may help build resilience to stress and reduce vulnerability to depression in young people’. This echoes Austin’s comment about focusing on ‘the happiest things’. He was not engaging in vague positive thinking, but likely holding onto particular memories that mattered to him. Those memories steadied his mind in the short term. Research suggests they can also shape how people cope with stress over much longer periods. Thirdly, positive emotions can widen attention and thinking. Fear narrows focus and pushes the mind into threat mode but positive emotions, even mild ones, can do the opposite. They allow us to think more flexibly, see our options, and recover more effectively after difficulty. Positive emotion doesn’t magically solve practical problems. Swimming still requires strength, just as surgery still requires skill. However, a mind that is not overwhelmed by fear has more room to act. For most of us, the stakes in daily life are lower. Even so, worry rarely moves things forward. Focused action, supported by steadying memories, often does.

Linda Hamilton is a Kinsale-based cognitive behavioural therapist. If you would like to get in touch with her, call 086-3300807 For more information, go to www.kinsalecbt.com