All language subtitles for Limitless.with.Chris.Hemsworth.S01E01.1080p.DSNP.WEB-DL.DDP5.1.H.264-SMURF.cc

CHRIS: Stress,
it definitely affects my sleep.

And this is just going back
a few years, you know.

This is not such a big issue these days.
But, actually that's not true, it is.

(CHUCKLES)

Yeah, like I’ll go to sleep fine,
and then at 2:30.

(IMITATES EXPLOSION)
There’s a shot of adrenaline

and my brain will just start going through
a checklist of things.

Be like, "Does that bother me?
Does that... Oh, that one, yeah good,

"let’s think about that,
let’s tear that apart."

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

MALE VOICE:
Are you getting nervous a bit now?

I have a little wave of nausea.

CHRIS: Sometimes, I don’t know even why.

And I wish I could deal
with that stress better.

Just got
a whole lot realer, didn't it?

CHRIS: Not just because it sucks...

MALE VOICE: Gotcha.

...but also, it could be killing me.

But it turns out, one of the best ways

to protect myself
from the ravages of stress

is to confront it head on.

(MUSIC CONTINUES)

So, here goes.

(MUSIC ENDS)

So, tell me, what are some of the things
that stress you out?

(SIGHS) My God, the usual stuff, I guess.
And different things at different times.

-Like?
-Um...

(CAR HORN HONKS)

-Sorry.
-MODUPE: For goodness sake.

What makes me nervous
is driving this... (BLEEP) ...car.

(CARS HONKING)

CHRIS: Stress can often be
a big part of my life.

So, that's why I’m here
with Dr. Modupe Akinola.

A renowned social psychologist
with a ground-breaking approach to stress.

You had to have something
that was stressful?

-Think of like your most stressful...
-Yeah, I’ve got three kids,

-that’s pretty intense.
-last week.

-You know.
-Yeah. Yes, it is.

-You're trying to manage three kids...
-Yeah.

-...keep them all happy, healthy.
-MODUPE: Yep.

Then if I’m working

-on top of that and training.
-Yeah.

(GRUNTS)

And then, like on the weekend I got,
you know, incredibly overwhelmed

and the kids are losing it.
We're in a restaurant,

people are watching, they're like,
probably taking photos as well.

You have a short temper

-and you’re trying...
-Okay.

...not to sort of get angry.

And I feel my heart rate go up,
short of breath, that kind of thing.

MODUPE: It’s important for Chris
to make a change,

because stress isn't just
about feeling bad.

Over time, it can be a killer,

contributing to illnesses like cancer,
diabetes, and heart disease.

One of the things we're gonna do
is teach you some ways

to change your mindset in overcoming
some of the stress that you feel.

-Yeah.
-I call it, kind of dating your stress.

-Yeah.
-You need to date your stress.

-I’ve got a really solid relationship...
-See what it likes, Yeah?

-...with my stress.
-Well, yeah.

Well, we need to make it
a healthier relationship.

It’s a little dysfunctional.

MODUPE: All of us have the ability
to control our stress.

But in order to do that,
we need to face it head-on.

So, I'm going to teach Chris
tools and techniques

to help him address the stress
that’s unavoidable in life.

It might seem crazy, but to do that,

I’ll be asking Chris to put himself
in an incredibly stressful situation.

Okay. In three days,
you’ll be walking across that crane.

(CHUCKLES) Um...

MODUPE: That tower is 900 feet high,
that's 275 meters.

Hang on. (CHUCKLES)

Yeah, that's high.

-You sound a little nervous right now.
-I'm just kinda wonder...

No, the... I am nervous. Very nervous.

What’s making you nervous about that?

-Because part of this...
-Death is usually a big role.

-Death is a little part of it?
-Yeah, yeah. I don’t like heights, really.

This isn’t about the feat of it,

this is about preparing you
to be able to manage and be present

with the emotions
that you are feeling right now.

-It's kind of like...
-Yep.

...training your mindset to be okay
and embrace the stress,

-so that it doesn’t kill us later.
-Yeah, right.

And by the time we do this,
you’ll be ready.

I’m both curious, excited
and scared... (BLEEP)

CHIRS: And at this point,
I know what you're thinking.

What the hell am I doing this for?

Truth is, most days I feel pretty young.

But, the clock is ticking.

-(INHALES)
-(GRUNTS)

CHRIS:
Things that might shorten my life...

(EXHALES)

...are already at work within me.

The good news,
there's something I can do about it.

(YELLS)

CHRIS: So, over the next year

I'm taking on
six extraordinary challenges.

-Let's go!
-CHRIS: Pushing myself to the very limit.

To discover how we can all unlock

the secrets of living
a healthier, longer life.

-CHRIS: There it is!
-MALE VOICE: Yeah. Let's go.

-There she is, mate.
-That big tall skinny thing.

And this big tall skinny thing
is gonna be taking the walk of doom!

It doesn’t look any smaller
from over here!

CHRIS: With just three days till I'm meant
to be doing this crazy challenge,

I'm hoping that I can lean
on my good friends,

Aaron Grist and Luke Zocchi,
for a bit of moral support.

-CHRIS: Looking at it again makes me sick.
-ZOC: I can see the crane up there dude,

-it’s up there already, it’s ready to go!
-Looks like it's kinda wobbling a bit.

Well, looks so sketchy!

-That is huge.
-AARON: Yeah, mate, have fun.

Hopefully, the wind dies down
but generally through the day

it gets windier so...

CHRIS: Come to think of it, I'm not sure
why I've brought them along.

Especially as the plan for today is

for Modupe to give me my first lesson
in dealing with stress.

Okay, so, here's what I need you to do.
I need you to take your shirt off.

-Woah!
-MODUPE: Yeah.

And what we’re gonna do is,
I'm gonna put that shirt on you

because that allows me to measure
your physiological responses.

Looks like a dress.
Mini skirt, what is this?

-MODUPE: No, it’s like a singlet and...
-Okay.

...these are worn by NASA astronauts,
actually.

-Are they?
-So, just gonna take off your shirt!

Guys, give me a hand.

-Okay.
-MODUPE: Okay, here we go.

AARON: He’s definitely done push-ups
before he's done this.

ZOC: He’s definitely flexing.
He’s holding his breath.

I’m not flexing at all!

It needs to be tight enough,
so that we get the signal

but that feels good?

-Just to relax posture as well.
-Look at you showing off.

And what I also need you to do
is to put this over your head...

-All right.
-...and this part

should be right around there.

And that's going to measure
your blood pressure.

MODUPE: To prepare Chris
for the crane walk,

I want to start by making him experience
a stressful situation

designed to help him get
a better understanding

of how his mind affects his body.

MODUPE; So, you see your blood pressure...

Blood pressure, huh?

...we see your breathing rate,
your heart rate here.

-Got it.
-You know, right now,

you're at 65 beats per minute.

So, this is going to be
what I consider your baseline

and then compare everything to that.

So, I've checked Chris’s heart rate
when he's relaxed,

and I'm gonna see how it changes

when he's doing something
that's stressful for him.

-That's... I can see that hand.
-Yeah?

MODUPE: So, I want him to experience

a virtual reality version
of the crane walk.

Okay, so, all I want you to do
is walk across that plank.

And off you go.

CHRIS: Woah! See you guys.

(CHUCKLES)

-It’s a long way up, huh?
-MODUPE: Yep.

The VR experience is fascinating.

Whoa.

Wow.

CHRIS: One part of my brain is very aware
that it’s not real.

The other part of it is screaming,
"This is crazy! What are we doing?

"We’re gonna die!”
I feel it in my stomach.

The same nervous energy that I’d have
if I was actually standing on a building.

MODUPE: So, his heart rate was at like 65
and it’s definitely going up.

His breathing rate is going up,
it was around 12 before.

There’s definitely some fear.

It feels super unsteady now!

This is... I can’t do it! (CHUCKLES)

MODUPE: Even though there’s
no real danger to Chris

his brain is perceiving threat,
his stress is kicking in.

It’s the classic fight-or-flight response.

(CHUCKLES)

CHRIS: When my brain senses
something stressful,

it’s like a switch is flipped.

My nerves send my whole system
into overdrive...

triggering a flood of hormones
into my bloodstream.

My breathing speeds up,
my heart starts racing, I feel wired.

In moments of danger, that energy surge
would help me fight or run away.

Then when it's over, my stress circuit
should switch off. No harm done.

But when our stress doesn't go away,

one of those hormones,
cortisol, keeps on flowing...

and our fight or flight circuit
can’t fully shut down.

Over time, we get burnt out,
which can lead to high blood pressure,

a misfiring immune system,
and elevated blood sugar.

All increasing the risk of deadly disease.

(SIGHS) So weird.

How did my heart rate increase?

So, here’s what’s really interesting
is that you... it was...

as you were going up,
it increased to give you the energy

and mobilize you to do
what you need to do.

The problem is, if you end up having
that elevated level like,

throughout the day,
that’s when things become,

um, less healthy, less functional.

Because that would mean
that your body is not shutting down

and turning off, and resting
the way it needs to.

What it made me think was, like,
"This is gonna suck when I really do it."

And that is what
we’re gonna be working on!

Yeah. Zoc. You've got to have a go!

My buddy, Zoc
really doesn’t like heights...

-Now, here we go.
-Oh, my God.

...so I figure this is a chance
to push his fight or flight to the max.

ZOC: Oh, what the... (BLEEP)

(SHUDDERS) Oh, boy.

-No. No.
-(MODUPE CHUCKLES)

-Go. Let's go. Go.
-Oh, man. I'm full shaking, dude.

-AARON: Look at his legs.
-CHRIS: Go.

-I can't do it.
-Do it.

-Do it.
-AARON: Come on, Zoc.

-CHRIS: Go, go, go.
-Come on, come on, come on.

I can't do it.

Go, go, go. Just take three,
four steps, go.

-MODUPE: Nice.
-Go, go, go.

-Come on, Zoochie.
-AARON: Come on, Zoc.

MODUPE: Keep talking to yourself,
it's helping.

I've got this, Luke. I've got this.

(BLEEP) I'm full sh... (BLEEP)

-(YELPS)
-(ALL CHUCKLE)

It's so real! That is so real.
I felt like I was falling.

-You don't understand how real that is.
-What do you mean?

(ALL LAUGHING)

-Dude, that is so...
-CHRIS: Okay, I may not be as bad as Zoc,

but to be honest,
I'm really not that keen on heights,

and the VR has made me feel

a little more intimidated
about the crane walk than I was before.

But if Modupe's training can help me
control my stress response

and lower my risk of disease,
then, hey, I'm up for it.

MODUPE: I want to show Chris
that he can reduce the risk to his health

if he dials down his reaction to stress
by taking control of his mind and body.

So, that even when he's walking
across the crane, he can do it calmly.

To prepare him for this challenge,
over the next two days,

my plan is for Chris to work with people
who deal with extreme stress

on a regular basis.

Right.

I’m going to actually introduce you
to two Special Forces officers.

-Harry and Justin.
-G'day, Chris, how are ya?

-Good, thanks.
-G'day, Chris.

Hey, Chris, welcome to
Special Forces Resilience Training, mate.

-Thank you.
-MODPUE: So, your gonna engage

in a drown-proofing exercise

which is some of what
the Special Forces do.

It's designed to overload you with stress,

but I'm going to show you some tips

-and tools to help you get through it.
-Yeah.

This activity is designed
to build mental toughness

in our men and women in Special Forces.

Throughout the activity, your feet
and hands will be bound at all times.

I think I find myself
being stressed in situations

that I haven’t been able to prepare for.

There’s all sorts of stupid stuff
going through my head at this point.

Now, I start to think,
what if I actually drown?

If while you are underwater you have any
sensations of blackout,

then just return to the surface
and we’ll rescue you from there.

If you contravene
any of the instructions we give you,

if you pass out or drown, it’s a fail.

-Okay, you ready?
-CHRIS: Yeah.

HARRY: On with the first task,
bobbing. Go!

CHRIS: The aim is to kick off
the bottom 20 times,

giving me just a split second
to take in enough air.

Into a rhythm! Breathing! Rhythm!

Of course, I know I’ve got enough oxygen,

and I know these guys
aren’t gonna let me drown.

But I can feel my heartbeat racing.

The stress rising.

Underwater summersaults,
when you're ready.

I can feel my lungs starting to burn.

Okay, that's a fail. Swim two laps.

It's brutal,

and it's getting harder
and harder.

That's two fails.

How’s he doing?

-He's a sinker.
-Yeah.

Okay, go into floating!

I can’t even get my head up
enough to catch a breath.

That’s when the panic begins.

(MUFFLED GRUNTING)

So, Chris wasn't exactly
a successful outing, apart from the...

Well, nothing, you failed everything.

How you doing?

It was hard work
and there was just so much technique

I think and... and also just...

(PANTING)

...just not getting into a situation

-where you panic, you know?
-Right.

MODUPE: Not many of us will be subjected
to drown proofing,

but we all find ourselves
out of our depth.

We experience situations
where we are not prepared

and we tell ourselves,
"I’m a loser, I can't do this."

One thing is to use positive self-talk.

This is about reframing how you think
when you think negatively.

Right.

Can I actually do this to a more
positive way of thinking of something?

How can I do this differently? So,
what will I gain out of this experience?

Positive self-talk will help Chris realize
that our fight or flight system

doesn't just respond to the outside world.

Our own thoughts and emotions
can also influence that circuit.

CHRIS: If I'm under pressure
and I believe I can't cope...

my brain hits the panic button...

telling my fight or flight circuit
to shift gear

and prepare for the very worst.

Anticipating injury, arteries
and veins tighten,

sending blood in toward my core.

So, there's less chance
I'll bleed to death.

The problem is, with less blood
now reaching my muscles and brain,

my mental and physical strength
starts to flag.

But, just by thinking more positively,

I can flip this physical response.

Opening my blood vessels back up,
so I can find the energy to power through.

I'm still wired, but my stress is
no longer working against me.

Chris, we’re gonna go back into the pool,
reassess you on floating again.

Off you go.

(GASPS)

He's going to hate this!

CHRIS: Back in the water,
I can feel the same pressure taking hold.

And then I do what Modupe told me.

I shut out all the negative thoughts,
and I just keep telling myself,

"I can do this, I have enough oxygen.
I’m not gonna drown, I'm not gonna drown."

Come on, come on, come on.

And now, I feel a sense of calm.

I focus on my rhythm and I know,
I can get the job done.

-This is better.
-Yeah.

You can get into a really nice rhythm

-with the bob.
-MODUPE: Yeah, a good rhythm.

HARRY: And I think the key here is,
he’s relaxing,

-he's thinking through it...
-Yeah.

...he's applying some of the tools
you’ve given him.

Yeah. Yep.

So, the last activity we’ll go on with
is the mask retrieval.

Come on, big dog. Find it.

I'm feeling more positive, confident,
stronger in the water.

It's like my stress is
no longer holding me back.

Yep. Come on.

-MODUPE: Yes!
-HARRY: Now, bring it over here.

Okay, turn with your back to the wall.

-Yeah, okay.
-Yep, like that. Ready? One, two, three.

MODUPE: All right.

Okay, so how did that feel?

That was... that was a bit more intense.

Yeah. You did much better
the second time in the float.

-That’s the positive self-talk.
-Yeah. Yeah.

So, going forward,
learning how to incorporate

some of these psychological tools
to your everyday life.

Even if it’s a script or, you know,
filming something.

What are some of the negative things
that come in your head?

Like if I feel like
I haven’t prepped enough

or I feel like, I don’t quite know
the script as well.

Do you ever catastrophize though?

-It used to be crazy.
-Right, right.

It used to, like, be debilitating.
And, yeah, I couldn't speak

and I would think, "If I screw this up,
I won't sell the movie properly,

-"the movie will tank."
-Right. Right.

-All of that, you know?
-You know you want it to go perfectly

but it's not going to.

Nothing’s going to go perfectly,
so you convert that to positive self-talk

by saying, "I do this all the time,
I can start again."

Yeah, right.

CHRIS: Today, I worked with the soldiers
in the pool.

A lot of pool work and it was incredibly
exhausting and taxing,

particularly on the lungs.

Yeah, it’s really interesting, kind of
exposing myself to stressful situations

and becoming comfortable
in uncomfortable environments,

and that’s what this is all about,

and hopefully adapting that
into my regular life.

So, I think it’s about perspective,

this is what I’m absorbing
through this experience.

Too often, our fight or flight
is in constant fluctuation

due to things that just
aren't important, you know.

My eyes are really sore
from all the chlorine.

But, that’s the least
of my problems, isn’t it?

I’m about to walk off
the edge of a building. (EXCLAIMS)

MODUPE: The crane challenge
is extremely intimidating for Chris.

But I want him to realize,
these techniques aren't just

going to help reduce the risk of stress
damaging his health.

They can also help us perform at our best
when we're under intense pressure.

CHRIS: After an accident, in 2013,

Faith Dickey completely changed the way
she thinks about stress.

FAITH: I was driving home to visit family
for the holidays

and my car hit a patch of black ice

and I guess in that moment I realized,

I was completely at peace
with my potential death.

After that accident, I just realized,
making stress your friend,

you learn ways to channel it.

(PANTING)

FAITH: I believe if you avoid all risk...

you never learn what you're capable of.

Loosen up.

-How does the tension look to you?
-MALE VOICE: I think it looks good.

CHRIS: Since her crash,
Faith has gone on to break

multiple world records in highlining.

A discipline that requires
absolute control over the mind and body.

It's easy for my mind to start filling
with fears or stresses.

Because it’s a natural response
to get scared

when you're super high off the ground
on a wobbly line stretched over a void.

I have an arsenal of tools
to get myself across high lines.

Breathe.

FAITH: And sometimes all I need
is that small bit of positive thinking

that I can take one step.

You've got this.

That might look like yelling
at myself. "Come on.

"Come on. Come on."

"Relax, you've got this."

And it’s so funny how self-talk
can be so rewarding.

If I’m on the middle of a highline
and a huge gust of wind comes...

Whoa! Come on.

FAITH: I just pull from my toolbelt
another technique I know to deal with it.

Some people call it segmentation.

I try not to think
about the whole challenge.

Instead, I break it down
into little chunks.

I’m able to just focus
on one step at a time.

Breathe.

One foot in front of the other.

And that one step can propel me
all the way across.

I walk through fear.

I don’t try to make it go away.

And that has been really powerful
in other realms of my life

where I go in for a job interview,
an everyday stressful situation,

I can really transfer
what I’ve learned on the highline...

And so, things that used to
stress me out a lot

no longer affect me in the same way.

CHRIS: When I think about it,

I know I don't have too much
that should stress me out.

My family are healthy and happy,
I've got a career I'm proud of.

But I can still feel that stress
eating away at me.

So, for the sake of my long-term health,
I really want to try to get on top of it.

What is something that gives me
huge anxiety and... and evokes stress

is when I'm trying to take care
of too many things.

-Yes.
-You know, when I've got...

-Yes.
-I've got too many projects I'm working on

and too many emails
and phone calls to respond to.

It's, like... just becomes
a little overwhelming.

I think the key step in that is diagnosing

why do I feel like I need to say yes
to all these things?

Yeah. I mean, when I first started acting,

you know, my parents had
very little money growing up

-and...
-Yeah. Yeah.

And talking about to my dad one day

about when he's going to be able
to pay the bank off.

-And him just saying, you know...
-Yeah.

-"Never, we'll...
-Yeah.

"we'll die having to pay it off."

And that kind of really bothering me
from a very young age.

You know.

Taking it upon myself just to say,

I don't want that that for them,
I don’t want it for me and my family.

-Yeah.
-And,

if I'm totally honest. I did acting
to get my parents out of debt,

but I still have that thing of,
like, it's all gonna go away.

-So, it's all going to run away...
-Yeah.

...if I don't say yes to these things,

but then there is just this momentum
that occurs and things...

-Yeah.
-...just kind of pile

-on top of each other, and...
-Yeah.

It just kicks you in the gut, you know?

MODUPE: Chris gets overwhelmed

when the pressures
in his life become too much.

But I have a technique I can show him
to help with those intense feelings.

So, I’m going to put him to the test
in a training exercise

where stress is at its peak.

(DISTANT SIRENS)

MODUPE: Today, what I wanted to do
is expose you to...

a different type of extreme stress.

-And...
-I'm tipping it has something

-to do with fire.
-Yes, it does.

(SIRENS WAILING)

So, yesterday,
I nearly got drowned and today,

I’m going to be burnt to a crisp.

This isn’t stress exposure,
this is medieval torture.

-There's a fire, boys. Let's go.
-(ALL CHUCKLE)

CHRIS: Since Zoc did so well
during the VR test,

I thought he could also use
some of Modupe’s tips.

So, yesterday, we did the self-talk
but there are times

when you’re just
in the middle of the action

and we feel that rush of adrenaline,
when you feel that heart rate increasing.

One of the key things is to just breathe.

This is what first responders do
and it’s called box breathing.

-Breathe, hold, exhale, hold.
-Okay.

So, imagine four sides of a box.

What you’re going to do is

inhale for four seconds,
hold it for four seconds,

exhale for four seconds,
hold it for four seconds.

So, that is the process. Four seconds
for each. Breathe, hold, exhale, hold.

Breathe, one, two, three, four.
Pause, one, two, three, four.

This is an extreme situation here,
but you can imagine how,

in any circumstance in your life
when you feel that heart rate increasing,

-you can use this technique.
-Breathe.

-MODUPE: Breathe. Breathe through it.
-ZOC: Got it.

This simple breathing technique
demonstrates that the stress signals

connecting our brain and body
aren't just one way,

the body can send signals back.

CHRIS: The more stressed I am,
the faster I breathe,

and the faster I breathe,
the more stressed I become.

It’s a vicious circle.

But if I can breathe slowly and deeply,

the nerve fibers in my chest

will detect the change in movement

and flood my brain
with signals to chill out,

short-circuiting
my fight or flight system.

Throughout my body,
everything is dialed down.

From heart rate,
to stress hormones, to anxiety.

(SIREN WAILING)

This is a simulation
of a residential fire.

Tara, Chris, you’ll be crew one.

CHRIS: To help me
through the training exercise,

Modupe has teamed me up
with Tara Lowe.

She's a firefighter
with sixteen years’ experience.

TARA: Chris and I need to locate
where the fire is.

And then just pop your neck strap
right over here

so you can pull your flashlight off.

Obviously, we need to get that fire out
as quickly as possible,

but also then to rescue any casualties
that may be in that building.

(SIREN WAILING)

TARA: And it will be overwhelming for him

because it’s that
really acute sudden stress.

You've got to bring
three pretty heavy dummies out.

I want CAN reports telling me
exactly how much air you’ve got left,

and I want you to get everybody
out of that structure

before you run out of that air.

Okay, so control your breathing.

I don't want you using
all your air supply.

Get to work!

CHRIS: With limited air
and three bodies to find

I’m going to have to breathe slowly
but still work as fast as I can.

Okay. We have crew one entering now.

TARA: Okay, forwards.

(BOTH BREATHING RAPIDLY)

TARA: Okay, see the door at the end,
make your way towards that.

-Locate the fire.
-CHRIS: I can't see the door.

TARA: Keep going forward.

CHRIS: It's completely dark,
it's very unsettling.

It’s hard, hard work
and I’m struggling to even get my breath.

(BREATHING RAPIDLY)

TARA: Stop. We're gonna take
a look inside, see what's there.

Ready? Go.

(FIRE RUMBLES)

TARA: We have a working fire.

I'm trying to remember
everything I've been taught.

CHRIS: What do I do, hit it?

TARA: Okay,
direct it straight onto the fire.

I’m tryna sort of listen.
It's loud, it's hot, it’s uncomfortable.

I'm exhausted. My lungs are burning,

trying to, you know,
pull in enough oxygen.

(BREATHING RAPIDLY)

TARA: I want you to do a search, Chris,
of the whole area.

You're looking for a casualty, okay?

Okay.

He's breathing super hard. It's fast.

Oh, my gosh, it's so much faster
than when he started.

He's puffing. (CHUCKLES)

(BREATHING RAPIDLY)

CHRIS: I've got a casualty.

Pulling the extra weight is making it
even harder to breathe.

-I see one coming out. Okay, okay.
-Yeah, we're winning.

There's one coming out.

What’s your air? One hundred.
You don't have much air,

but we haven't got an all clear
on the upstairs level yet,

but we do need to make sure
that it's all clear.

-Can you do that for me?
-CHRIS: Okay.

Yeah.

I can't see.

CHRIS: I know I’m breathing too fast,

and I'll need to slow it down
if I’m gonna search the upper floors.

MALE VOICE: (OVER RADIO)
Crew one, get a quick all clear.

CHRIS: Can't see from here.
It's just a door.

(FIRE RUMBLES)

MALE VOICE:
Crew one, how's your air?

TARA: Chris, how much air do you have?

We are at 70 bar, over.

Received, crew one, you've got 70.

I need you to withdraw from the structure.

TARA: Chris, we need to get out.
We need to get out now, withdrawing.

CHRIS: With my air running low,
the chief aborts the mission.

MALE VOICE: Let's go.
Come on, Chris, come on...

I found, in the fire, the box breathing
sort of went out the window

because the breathing technique
I was using was just getting

as much oxygen as I could, you know.

When you’re in the thick of it...

you’re kind of just

in survival mode, I guess.

I feel very flat and sort of empty
and disappointed in myself

that I've let that stress control me
in that situation.

I can't imagine if it was for real.

What that would be like.

I’ve seen many firefighters
who've perhaps divorced or separated

from their partners, and actually
when you look at it,

it’s that underlying build-up of stress
that they weren’t aware of.

-Okay...
-It plays out in that gradual breakdown

of people's lives, really,
and their physical health

and their emotional and mental health.

Okay, so I'm just going to invite everyone
to close their eyes.

MODUPE: An hour after the training,
Chris’s stress response is still high.

So, I’m going to monitor
his breathing rate

in a mindful meditation session.

Firefighters regularly use this practice

to reduce long term stress
by focusing on what they are sensing

and feeling in the moment.

FEMALE VOICE:
Be aware of all of the cells,

moving through the physical body
from head to toe.

CHRIS: Even though I'm familiar
with mindful meditation,

I still don't find it that easy
just to relax on command...

especially since my mind is racing
and turning over the events of the day.

And then, I pull myself back
into this state of focus.

And I start to feel lot more peaceful.

MODUPE: Mindful meditation is
an extremely powerful technique.

Not only does it make us feel
less stressed in the moment,

if we do it regularly,
it can alter our stress response.

CHRIS: The network in our brain
that fires off our fight or flight circuit

needs to be hypersensitive
to keep you safe.

Trouble is, all kinds of
everyday pressures can set it off.

(CAR HORNS HONKING)

CHRIS: But scientists believe
that as little as eight weeks of

regular mindful meditation
can rewire connections

in key parts of the brain...

making us less likely to overreact
to things that could stress us out.

How did my stats look?
Did they change, fluctuate?

When you came in, they were higher
and then there was a really, really

a marked decrease and change
in what I saw when your breathing rate

went to something like four.

So, even just this 15 minutes,
the difference that that makes,

what if you add to that over time
or just, it becomes a practice

that's a regular thing
that not only helps you

in being a firefighter for longer,
but living longer and healthier.

CHRIS: I can see how these techniques
will help me if I use them

when I'm stressed out in daily life.

But hacking my stress response

when I’m 900 feet up,
trying to get across a narrow crane.

I really don’t know if I’m ready for that.

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

Go, mate.

Feel like a UFC fighter. We've arrived.

The nerves are definitely up there
this morning.

It's making me feel sick for you.

If I look calm, this is some of
the best acting I’ve ever done.

-Yeah.
-You don't.

My legs are feeling like jelly...

but I'm just trying to keep
my focus forward.

Oh, yuck, dude.

Just look out there.
That’s disgusting! There's no way!

CHRIS: Hopefully, when I get up there
to do the crane walk,

I can tell myself that
this is gonna be a thrill.

This is exciting.

Instead of telling myself
how scared and terrified I am.

(CHUCKLES, GROANS) Okay.

MODUPE: How are you feeling?

Yeah, I keep having moments
where my brain goes,

"Oh, no, what the hell am I doing?"

And I gotta kinda reel it back and go,
"No, no, I can see myself

"doing it successfully."

But I do... There's that other voice
that goes, "No, no, no, no, no,

"this is not gonna work,
you're gonna fail,

"you're gonna..."
And I think it's just about

who you give more attention to.

It’s your mindset about that stress
that can dictate whether or not

the outcome is positive or not.

I didn't sleep great last night.

I feel this weird sort of,
like, vertigo feeling.

I had this image of the crane falling,
smashing through a window

and me hanging in the room below.

And the crane about to tumble
and having to get my harness off.

That scenario is kinda,
would be interesting, wouldn’t it?

MODUPE: I'm worried Chris' head
isn't in the right place.

He's got to acknowledge
those negative thoughts

and move past them.

Because the real challenge today
isn't just walking across the crane...

it's doing the walk calmly,

using the techniques he’s learned
to keep his heart rate

and breathing under control.

How are you feeling? Are you nervous?

You keep asking me that
so I’m starting to feel it a bit, yeah.

CHRIS: The moment's arrived
and I'm heading up to the rooftop.

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

And I can feel my heart rate increasing.

And I just keep reminding myself
why I'm doing this.

I don’t want stress to rule my life.

Or take a toll on my health.

(VOCALIZES)

-See you guys. It was fun. It was fun.
-Good luck out there, mate.

-It was a fun thirty years.
-You're gonna be fine.

-Giving love to you, mate.
-I love you.

MODUPE: And I’ll talk to you
from up there too,

-every now and then.
-Yeah.

So... But you’ve got this.

See you on the other side.

(EXHALES DEEPLY)

It's windy up here.

My legs are shaking.

-Yeah, you're nervous, huh?
-I'm nervous.

Step in there and just look out across.
Now, you can reach these, can't you?

(GRUNTS)

Yeah. So, my feet feel incredibly heavy.

-You’re looking good up there.
-He's got the arms out.

-He's ready to do it.
-Don’t forget to breathe!

-(CHUCKLES)
-What are you thinking?

Nothing. Just trying to enjoy the view
and be comfortable

in a very uncomfortable situation.

Chris’s metrics are already
well above his baseline.

I’m hoping he can keep his heart rate
under a hundred beats per minute.

But right now it’s at 118
and that number is rising quickly.

I’m well aware that my brain’s saying,
"What are we doing?"

It’s...

it's about... I think
about thinking less, you know?

At the moment, I try to sort of think
of all the things that could go wrong.

At the moment I, you know...

I just haven’t let that come
into my head for a few days now.

But it's... Even now, my brain is going,
"Woah, what are we doing up here?"

You know?

So, I'm standing up there,
I’m looking down.

It's a long, long way. The wind’s blowing.

I think, I’ve got my friends
here for support.

I’m doing my box breathing.

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

One step, just one step,
one step, one step.

One step, one foot,
one moment, one breath.

CHRIS: And I take one more big breath.

And I start walking.

I feel like I can’t walk properly.

MODUPE: (OVER RADIO)
You're breathing really well.

This is so much better than yesterday.

My legs have gone all funky.

-(CHUCKLES) Feel super unsteady now.
-ZOC: (OVER RADIO) Mind the step, dude.

(SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

-Oh, God.
-Yeah.

I keep trying to tell myself, “It’s okay,
we got this. It’s what we’ve trained for.

"Keep breathing. Stay calm."

It’s very windy up here now. And it's...
it starts to feel very... Woah!

AARON: Oh. Wow!

MODUPE: His heart rate
is going down a little bit.

(OVER RADIO) Nice job.

I’ve done it. This is beautiful.
Look where I am, look at the view.

Soak it in. This is what
I’ve been training for.

Then I realize I’ve gotta go
all the way back!

I want to look down
but I don’t want to look down.

But I just wanna kinda get it done.

Why did I do that? No.

And I look down and...
(IMITATES SLOW MOTION)

...everything starts to kinda...

(CHUCKLES) I feel I have vertigo
and huge rush of adrenaline.

Brief moments of,
"Uh-oh, I can't do this."

And I can feel my heart rate increasing.

You good?

I’m just trying to lower
my heart rate a bit.

-ZOC: How are the stats looking?
-His heart rate, he's at 145.

-This is double his rate at rest.
-AARON: Yeah.

CHRIS: Yeah, looking down is gross.

Chris, jump on the chopper mate.
You’re gonna make it!

CHRIS: I really wanna focus now
on the breathing techniques

and all the strategies she’s taught me
to see if I can lower my heart rate,

and so I just stand there
for a moment and look out.

I pull myself back into the focus state
and be present in the moment.

Mindful and present.

CHRIS: And I block out
any thoughts of doubt.

I just keep telling myself
there’s no possibility of me not doing it.

-And I take my first step.
-ZOC: There he goes.

How’s my heart rate? Has it lowered?

MODUPE: (OVER RADIO)
Yeah, it’s down to 103.

It had gone up to 145, so...

-CHRIS: Yeah.
-ZOC: He's got this.

CHRIS: With every step,
l seem to grow more confident.

I know the techniques are working
so I let myself just enjoy the experience.

I feel like I’m in control.

MODUPE: (OVER RADIO)
And your heart rate is down to 90, 88, 87!

It keeps on going down, so...
Look at you using those tools!

-He's giving us a bit of karate!
-Now we are getting cocky here.

Confident, isn't he?

-MODUPE: (CHUCKLES) Karate kid up in here!
-Yes.

-That's extremely intense. Wow.
-Good job, Chris. Good job.

-Well done, mate, I’m proud of you.
-MODUPE: Love it. That's great.

Was that harder than the VR?

-Insanely harder.
-It is?

-It's gnarly.
-Yeah.

Like, it's right there,
it's right at the door,

-like, the fear.
-ZOC: Yeah.

So, what level of stress was that for you?

If you had put me in that situation
with no prior conversation or training

or what have you...
I think I would have just gone,

"No. No way." You know.

So, this experience is not just about
these acutely stressful moments like this,

but it's about the long term,
the longevity,

I mean, that’s a piece of
why you wanted to do this.

Every step where you focus,
every moment that you breathe,

that is allowing you to live longer

because you’re not having
that chronic stress response.

-Yeah.
-And you’re allowing yourself

to go back to baseline naturally
and when you do that,

that means you're at less risk
of cardiovascular disease,

you're at less risk of not recovering
when you’re sick.

So, it’s not just this moment,
it’s about the long term.

Hopefully, next time the kids
are having a tantrum in a restaurant

and people are filming it,

I’m trying to smile through it,
be relaxed, huh?

-Yeah.
-It'll be real. It won't be a performance.

I think what I’ve taken away
from this experience is that...

the story you tell yourself
becomes your reality.

If I told myself prior
to walking out on the crane

that I wasn’t going to be able to do it
or what if I fall or whatever,

then I probably would have failed,
I probably wouldn’t have done it.

It really is mind over matter.

So, you don't have to be ruled
by those fearful emotions.

Do we have a harness for Zoc?

Have to get a small one.

Turn that camera off.

-Yeah.
-MALE VOICE: Cut it.

(UPBEAT MUSIC PLAYING)

(INHALES)

Yeah!

(MUSIC ENDS)