swimming | The Last Krystallos

I feel invigorated, full of energy, ready for anything! For the first time in over a year I’ve been swimming…doesn’t sound like much, but I used to swim every week and I loved it as much as writing.

Photo: Aberieddy By Lisa Shambrook

Then I allowed depression to pull me under and the lack of motivation kicked in. I’ve blogged about my depression before here and my love of swimming here, but didn’t really realise what an antidote to depression swimming is…
As I feel myself sinking in real life it takes effort to stay afloat…but this time I’ve had an influx of love and support from amazing friends.
Last time I slipped under I relied heavily on antidepressants and dealt with the excessive lethargy they left me with, this time I want to take a different approach.
I don’t want to sleep, I want to feel alive!
The answer is exercise…and I’m very grateful to have children who want me to live and not drown like a zombie!
So here I am, ready to dive in and power on through life no matter what whirlpool tries to drag me down into its murky depths. To start with I’ll swim; there’s nothing better than feeling the water envelope and lift me…then diving beneath and swimming…just myself and the water…

Nothing more relaxing to me than launching into a pool and surging underwater, those few mere moments of being alone and at one with the elements. Then the rhythmic movements of swimming, kicking, breathing…living and feeling the power of life within…

If money was no object I’d have a pool…it’s the one luxury I would take and enjoy.

How do you cope when life’s pressures become too much?

And if money was not an issue what would you do/have to help?

‘one of the more notable facts about our coastline is that it is sinking at great speed…true of this land for at least a thousand years. In contrast, the opposite coast in Wales is rising, which suggests that all of England is slowly tipping into the sea. Once the eastern coast sinks low enough and the western rises high enough, the entire country will slip gently under water in a flurry of bubbles and formal protests fom the House of Lords. I greatly look forward to this gentle slipping into oblivion and believe it will do our nation no end of good.’

I love this quote from Meg Rosoff’s ‘What I Was’ for two reasons…first I love the pathos and the skill of writing, and second because I often feel like that…
The idea of gently slipping into oblivion in a flurry of bubbles and not much more is so inviting!

Sometimes we need to take time out and relieve the stresses we are under. My notion of slipping underwater is not as pessimistic as it sounds…not usually anyway…I’m not talking about drowning, but I love escaping by swimming and that moment when you launch through the water and surge underwater is wonderful. Nothing else exits for that moment, just you, submerged, and I love it!

Do what you need to, but escape, even if just for a few mere moments…