Swimming lessons are one of those things you build into your skill set, and then forget the actual instructions. I know there was kicking and bubble blowing and trying to float, but I don't actively think of those things when I am swimming now. One lesson did stick with me though. It popped back into the front of my mind yesterday while a client and I were discussing sadness.
Sadness is one of those things that you are raised not to want to have or experience. We're taught to aim to be happy, to pursue happiness, to share happiness. So when as we grow we experience sadness, we want to gloss over it, cast it aside. We're ashamed to show our sad faces. But there are times even passionately happy people feel sadness. And that's ok.
So, what does sadness have to do with swimming lessons?
The lesson that stuck with me over all these years was an exercise in keeping calm if you were becoming too tired or overwhelmed in deep water. If you're by yourself, treading water is becoming too hard, and yet you're still somewhat close to the shore, here's what you do.
You let yourself sink. Totally let go. Torpedo yourself into a straight line, point your toes down toward the bottom, raise your hands over your head and sink down to the bottom.
When your toes touch the sandy, seaweedy bottom, let yourself sink just a little further and then push off with your feet. When your head pops out of the water, take a deep breath and repeat. Bob up and down, gradually pushing yourself closer to shore, until you can touch bottom for good. Instead of panicking, you choose the thing that seems the most counter-intuitive and you calmly save yourself.
In a similar way, letting yourself hit bottom once in awhile can be just what you need to gently push through a sad time. When sadness comes around, don't panic and let it keep you down. Gently sink into it and just as gently bob yourself up from the depths toward the sunshine and fresh air. Eventually, like someone once said, there's nowhere to go but up.
