Going deep for your mental health with freediver & breathing expert Helena Bourdillon

Warning this episode speaks about depression, and suicide ideation. If you are affected by these issues please seek help, support or contact https://www.thecalmzone.net/

This week’s guest is Helena Bourdillon, a Breath trainer, free-diver and mental health advocate. 22 years ago she was on the verge of suicide. She survived & triumphed over chronic depression & now freedives to depths of -76m.  With 7 National Records for depth, she has represented Great Britain at the World Championships four times. 

Helena was kept out of the water for the last couple of years due to covid so she has focused on her own & others' therapeutic journeys, using breath-work, at a time when many people were feeling  loneliness, anxiety and depression. For some this was a new feeling, for others the pandemic exacerbated the condition.

From a young age Helena had suffered with depression and at a certain point realised she was experiencing suicide ideation. Always a lover of water, it was when she experienced free-diving that she felt for the first time, what it was like for the chatter in her head to quieten down and to feel a deep relaxation.

It was when she did a crowd funding video to help her go the 2017 Freediving Depth World Championships that she talked openly about her depression for the first time. She wanted to dive deeper because the deeper she went, the more of a platform she would have to tell and show people what was possible: that life is worth living and worth fighting for.

 The breath work sessions she now does are geared towards helping people who suffer with anxiety and panic attacks as well as helping people who suffer with Long Covid etc

Some days it is just making it out of bed.  But being true to yourself and what you need takes courage, and each intentional breath you take can help you get to the next step.

Thanks so much Helena for being so open about suicide and chronic depression and for daring to inspire others by diving deeper, breathing better, and learning to live happier.

Thanks also for showing us that our breath is our best friend and that by using it well we can live better, deeper, more fulfilling lives.

 

You can find out more about Helena’s work on www.HelenaBourdillon.com

And follow her on LinkedIn @helenabourdillon

 

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