In the deepest sadness, hope feels so dark. Hope does exist to enlighten a bout of depression. The hope is any river, ocean, pool or tub of tears. Total immersion in water. The water demands your full and complete attention, or else suffocation, incapacitation or hyper/hypothermia. Despite the or else, total immersion in water relaxes away depression and instills a sense of loving support to keep on living.
When entering the water, do not haste, not like you could in a depression anyway. Haste in any circumstance leads to waste. In a depressed state, waste leads to more depression. Take your time when entering the water. In your gathering of bathing equipment, in your approach to the water's edge, in your immersion, in your exit take your time. Take your time to feel your body relaxed when taking action. Feel relaxed the way your body would feel after being in the water.
The water constantly and instantly responds to you and you to it. You can have a positive relationship with water or not depending on your approach. To move in water, to swim in water, is to move the body through the water as if you were flying through air, but we are too dense for air and must swim to feel like we are flying. The body’s motion with the water compounds, by necessity to move, efficient, rhythmic, flowing motion for the body. The wisdom from past swimmers for motion is helpful to understand better techniques to move. Ultimately the individual swimming must feel the water’s response and respond accordingly - dancing.
This past summer, the author was swimming prior to Labor Day. After Labor Day, his summer lifeguard job would end and the job he had the previous Autumn wasn’t providing the hours as the year prior. During his summer swim, his thoughts one day drifted to how he will survive after Labor Day. As his thoughts drifted to a possibly bleak future, he began to sink. The water demanded his full and complete attention or else, suffocation.
New Years morning, the author was feeling incredibly sad, as is his natural occasional disposition. In order to recover, he knew he needed to swim but was hampered with the heaviness of sadness. He did not force his way to the beach, he gently drove. He did not hasten to gather his belongings for the water, he patiently aggregated them. The gulf water is on the chillier side, less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit. He allowed the water to bring him in and took his time immersing in the coldish water. Slowly he swam along the shore against a gentle current; his body warming from his motion with the ocean. And on his return was warmed, invigorated and enlightened from current sadness.