Do one thing every day that scares you.
~Eleanor Roosevelt
A lazy Sunday afternoon swim with thunder rolling in the distance is my idea of a perfect setting. The sun is still shining, yet dark luminous clouds hang over simultaneously.
I marvel at how I swam laps with such ease, yet with urgency, knowing a storm is not too far off. And now I’m reminded of last year when I gasped for breath with only 5 laps of swimming.
I never was much of a swimmer.
As a child, raised on the beach every summer in Wautoma, Wisconsin, enjoying boating, skiing, rowing and catching frogs in the pond, you would think I would be “naturally” a strong swimmer.
My sister Debbie and I lived half our childhood summers smack on the beach in our little tent. Sometimes at night we would take a little night swim, but I never strayed out too far. It was dark and scary.
When You’re Afraid
And as if living on the beach was not enough to make a swimmer out of me, my grandmother graduated with a degree in physical education and taught swimming as well as competed on swim teams. Go figure!
Ma (how we addressed my grandma) even lived in the main house near our cottage on the beach. You would think I would somehow absorb Ma’s talent and strength as a swimmer. Nope.
Why Fear?
Face the Fear
So, the question that begs to be asked is why I had such a fear of swimming.
I don’t know.
Vivid memories of being stuffed in an orange life jacket and feeling confined might be a reason.
I was not comfortable wearing the life jacket, nor was I comfortable without it.
My siblings joyfully swam out to the raft to play “King of the Raft.” The goal was to push everyone off the raft and the last person standing was king, or should I say, queen.
My memory of attempting to swim to the raft screamed with fear. I recall paddling and paddling trying to reach the raft engulfed by dark, cold water, only to approach the enormous barrels holding up the raft and peering at the emptiness underneath it.
No…I did not want to be queen of the raft. I wanted to be safe on shore, eating something sweet and gooey. I had neither energy nor desire to join my siblings.
I was a skinny, scrawny kid, always fatigued. At a young age, I had zero energy, always tired. I also preferred junk food over actual food. I was anemic and was on daily iron drops.
When You’re Overweight
Of course I didn’t stay skinny long. When I hit my teen years, I grew quite voluptuous, and then chunky, and then darn right obese. These were the starting years of my on and off dieting, bingeing, and fluctuating up and down, harvesting more fears. The fear of gaining weight.
I have countless pictures wearing an oversized t-shirt covering my shorts. I never wore a swim suit during my adolescence because I was ashamed of my body.
And heck, I can swim out to a raft with only a hint of fear, but I feel the fear and do it, anyway.
I wish I knew then what I know now as I sit at the edge of my pool taking in a lovely afternoon. Well, until the loud piercing thunder shook me out of my daze and inside the house I went. The sky was quickly darkening, and a storm was near at hand. 
Know When to Quit
Since Florida is the lightening capital of the world, I think it’s time to back myself inside and finish this blog.
Though I had fears early in life with swimming out to the raft as a minor example, I did it anyway.
And though I suffered with a food addiction, binge eating and obesity, I powered my way through and learned to tame the hunger giant within.
We all have fears, but often the fear is greater than the actual event.
Feel Your Fear
Feel your fear, and do it anyway. You’ll feel glad you did. I promise.
Do you have fears that keep you from being your best self? What if the fear wasn’t as big as you thought and you missed out on much? Share your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you, simply scroll all the way down to the comments section.
Thank you for spending time with me and my thoughts. I hope my words lit your excitement to become your best self for you and to push through your fears.
I’m excited to share my newest book with you on how to Release Your obsession with Your PHONE. God bless you and your journey through this life and all that awaits beyond.
Thank you for being a part of the reading blog forum of this blog. If you have something you’d like to say, I’d love to hear it. YOU are important and your words need to be heard. I’m here for you.
Stay tuned. You never know where my mind will wander…
Great blog Dr. Lisa! Thank you. The ‘ol false evidence appearing real” everyday phenomenon… I understand that fear for me comes in many ways, depression, anxiety, nervousness… and I can look at those emotions and ask myself what is the fear that is creating that emotion. You have opened my eyes to a new thought… what are my true fears with my relationship to food, because it certainly causes me depression, anxiety and nervousness? Thank Dr. Lisa for this awareness!
Thank you Lisa! I so understand your fears around food as I had the same one as well. Working through the fear, feeling it, and pushing past is a first shot at releasing the anxiety, depression and nervousness it can stir.
Beautiful scenery and a great story about facing your fears. You are so right. There is a saying you have nothing to fear but fear itself thankyou very much
Thank you so much Cindy, I so appreciate your input and wise words! You are so right, “You have nothing to fear but fear itself.” And most often the fear is not all that it’s cracked up to be…hence, feel the fear and do it any way. Thank you!