Gaining confidence

My last swimming lesson was on Friday. I went into the deep water twice and did the elementary backstroke from the deep to the shallow end twice. My teacher remained outside of the pool for my entire lesson. This is great progress.

I was again struck by how much the whole thing boils down to confidence. When I feel more confident in the pool, I am more relaxed, and a much better swimmer. If only we could just deal with it one time and gain all the confidence we need to do those things outside of our comfort zone. That's just not the way we humans are made.

So, here's what works for me. I keep reminding myself to relax. I talk to myself, I talk to those voices of doubt and fear and discouragement. I persist. I get a picture in my head of me doing laps, or having a swim with a friend this summer. This all works. I get more confident each time. And those moments of comfort and enjoyment in the water are multiplying and growing.