Swimming! That's One Thing I am Good At


Swimming! Yes, this is something I love to do and I am good at! I was chatting with you last time about what you are good at. Now, just because we are good at something, doesn't necessarily mean we enjoy it or that we even want to do it all the time.

 But when it comes to me and swimming, it is ALL POSITIVE! For starters, I grew up with a pool in my backyard and have so many totally happy memories spent in that pool, alone, with my sister, with neighbourhood kids, with cousins. All happy times for me.

Then, when I was a young girl I took lots of swimming lessons, and when there were no more lessons to take, my mother signed us up for competitive swimming (I think she enjoyed just getting us out of the house!). I made another discovery! Not only did I love swimming but I was fast! It was fun to be faster than other people. It was kind of like magic. I didn't really have to try that hard, I just swam faster than the other girls my age. That only lasted awhile before my interests changed.

 However, I remember when I became a teenager, I used to have fun racing with the boys. Of course, none of them knew how fast I was and I couldn't resist seeing if I could still do it and I could! I could swim faster than any boys I ever dated or hung around with! That was a little bit of fun.
Plus I feel so good when I am swimming, especially in a pool which is where I spent most of my happy childhood swimming days. But a lake will do just fine too. I don't even need to stay in that long, but for the few moments that I am there, I am once again that happy, carefree young girl.

Would I even enjoy it if I weren't so good at it? Yes, I think I would! Do we always enjoy things we are good at? Not necessarily.

 I do have a reason for bringing this up. If you are with a good counselor/coach, they are apt to ask you what you enjoy doing. If that was me and I answered 'swimming' then the next question would be 'do you get any chances to swim now?' 

 I would sheepishly answer 'no, I guess I could but I don't'.
I have to drive 45 minutes to get to a swimming pool and for me with depression, sometimes that long drive is not worth it. But when I do go, the minute I hit the water I think 'why don't I do this more often?'

 The drive is one reason I don't swim. The other reason is
that too often I am too depressed to push myself to do even the things that I enjoy. 

 Are you like that? Does depression prevent you from doing things that you enjoy? Is there any chance you could try pushing through and see if you can enjoy it, even a little bit?

 WHAT ABOUT YOU? How are you feeling today? What are you good at? Do you still enjoy doing that? What DO you enjoy doing? Do you do it much? Would you like to? Think about it.

 Don't give up! There is hope for depression.



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