Where Fear Meets Water

What’s the thing you’re most scared to do? What would it take to get you to do it?

If you ask me what I’m most scared to do, the answer is simple and immediate: swim.

What makes it confusing is that I already know how to swim. I’ve learned the technique. My body understands the movement. And yet, fear arrives every time I step into the water

As soon as I enter the pool, my mind drifts to what lies beneath the surface. I become overly conscious, of the depth, of my legs, of the possibility that something could go wrong. Thoughts rush in uninvited: What if I lose control? What if my legs are pulled downward? What if I drown? The water may be still, but my thoughts are not …

This fear isn’t about a lack of skill. It’s about trust, trusting the water, trusting my body, trusting myself to stay afloat even when my mind wants to prepare for the worst …

So what would it take to move past this fear?

Not pressure, and not forcing myself to be brave. What helps is being gentle, entering the water slowly, staying where I feel safe, breathing calmly, and stopping whenever I need to. I remind myself that I know how to swim and that, in this moment, I am safe …

I know fear doesn’t go away all at once. Maybe the goal isn’t to get rid of the fear, but to swim with it, until the water feels less frightening and more familiar …

Best of luck to me 🏊

#roksanatales