Hard to get to pool due to blues

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:13:07 GMT

That's cool...personally, I have a 25 yard rule. Same concept...just show up all I have to do is one length... I won't go into the three or four times I've violated this rule and either actually went to the pool, got undressed, and just went to the shower, or simply made a left turn and went directly to work.:cane::toohurt: I was going to suggest something similar to what Mary1912 said. I have a "20-minute rule" for myself. If I'm leaning toward skipping swim practice because I don't feel well, or my throat's a little sore, or I think I might be coming down with a cold, or whatever, I tell myself that I'll go but I can get out after 20 minutes if I still don't feel well. I wasn't feeling well!

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:52:31 GMT

I guess when you have blues you don't feel like doing anything, not just swimming. Then you stay home feeling worse and worse, vicious cycle. The other day I had a very bad experience and didn't feel like going swimming as usual. I almost didn't go (I think it was also a rainy day). But since I had brought all my swim gears with me, it didn't seem to be a good idea to carry them back without using them. So I finally went swimming. After swimming I felt really good, and I thought, if I hadn't gone swimming, what would I have done? Nothing anyway!

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:17:35 GMT

Hi Isobel, I have the same issue, my depression is caused by other medications I take, and if I don't swim I fall into that "rabbit hole", as I call it. What helps me is getting up in the morning and immediately changing into my suit. My bag is packed the night before, so I eat, get my kids to school and drive directly to the pool--no excuses. Once I got into a good 3 week habit, it was set. For the last 5 months I swim 3-4 times a week, depending on my schedule. The Go the Distance challenge has also helped immensely. I look forward to coming home and entering that day's distance. Any distance is good distance. I do not take anti-depressants, but am on birth control pills which help immensely. Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:59:15 GMT

Jim you are describing what we used to call Cabin Fever. en.wikipedia.org/.../Cabin_fever When I lived in Yellowknife in the NWT during full winter the sun would come up at 11am in the morning and set at 2.30pm in the afternoon

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:37:30 GMT

Like Jim, I've battled depression (on meds and doing well now). The thing that helped me the most with the lethargy is arranging to meet someone at the pool. It's an amazing motivation to know that someone else tumbled out of bed at 4:30 on a freezing Chicago morning just to meet you at the pool. Good luck.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:30:30 GMT

I agree with suggestions. Building on suggestion that Mary made about having someone stop by to accompany you to the pool. If that is not possible do you know someone who will call you each day at the appropriate time to remind(urge ) you to go to the pool.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:27:24 GMT

I have trouble getting to the pool in Canada. I have a monthly membership to all of our city pools. There are 2 within 10 minutes of my home. I manage to get there about 10 or 12 times a month. TV consumes much of my day now this is blue depression. Soon I will be in Mexico I go to the pool there at 9am til 10am then Chuckie and I walk up town and back about 2.5 miles each way. (I should tell you the pool is about 100 feet from my motor home). I hit the pool again about 4pm til 5pm. I also teach swimming in Mexico for 3 or four hours a day. When in Mexico I do not watch TV. I do not listen to the doom and gloom that is on CNN or CNBC. Politics do not enter my mind.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:12:21 GMT

I was going to suggest something similar to what Mary1912 said. I have a "20-minute rule" for myself. If I'm leaning toward skipping swim practice because I don't feel well, or my throat's a little sore, or I think I might be coming down with a cold, or whatever, I tell myself that I'll go but I can get out after 20 minutes if I still don't feel well. In all the years I've done this I've never gotten out after 20 minutes. Usually I completely forget that I wasn't feeling well!

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:52:06 GMT

My husband suffers from depression and drugs helped...for a short while. So I can understand your point about BTDT with the meds. Studies show that exercise is just as effective anyway. Anyway, if there is anyone you can recruit to come by your house and take you to the pool, maybe that would help. I think it's also good advice that was given above to just go and say "just 10 minutes" and then get out. But I bet after 10 minutes you'll be thinking..I want to stay. But even if you don't..it's still a great exercise to get out the door when you are in a funk like this. Or just get out and walk. The intertia of doing anything will help immensely. Another suggestion is to get out and serve somebody. Help at your church if you attend one, volunteer at a soup kitchen, the Red Cross, youth programs, schools, etc. It helps get your focus off of yourself and your misery. I know the challenge is gettin' out the dang door but maybe something different might be motivation enough to get going. Best wishes to you. It's a tough thing to deal with. :(

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 14:49:05 GMT

Since my return to swimming several years ago, I have built up a series of informal "buddies" that I swim with, occasionally scheduling our workouts but most often just overlapping at general times. This very informal community has helped. (Swimming at 5:15 am with the local Masters group is not in the cards, unless I completely rotate my natural rhythms.) This may seem like an obvious statement, but clinical depression is treatable. Medicine is one thing, and can help, but Cognitive Behavior Therapy or CBT is another treatment with proven results. Many patients can get by on one or the other, but the combination is often the most effective. Medicine or no, CBT provides a lasting set of tools to get perspective on depressive episodes and to self-assess. The value of exercise is indisputable, both for high-RPM anxiety folks and sluggish depressed ones. I am empathetic. Good luck getting to the pool!

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 13:21:22 GMT

If you can't force yourself to get to the pool, perhaps you could do some alternative training at home. For example, do some stomach crunches or stretching or weight work for your shoulders. These can be done at home and you can even watch TV while you do them. That way you can at least feel like you are still making some progress and not allow the inability to get to the pool make you feel worse. Good Luck. -LBJ

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

jim thornton — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:37:21 GMT

Hi, Isobel. I suspect many, many of us out here in swimming land have -- and in some cases currently are -- in your shoes, or perhaps zoomers. My own mood problems tend towards agitation and anxiety along with depression, so getting to the pool has not been a problem. I get so restless it is hard NOT to keep moving around, hoping to bludgeon my mood into exhaustion. It sounds like you might have the other morph--low energy, desire to withdraw, aversion to movement, almost a form of hibernation setting in. I guess my recommendations would be to swim with a team if you are not already doing so, as your fellow teammates can be powerfully reinforcing and helpful; tell yourself you don't have to do any more yards than your comfortable doing, or go any faster than is soothing, that you are in self-comforting mode for the time being; spend as much time as you want in the hot tub, sauna, or any other fun area of the swimming center you go to, assuming they have one; and don't miss the opporunity to go out with your teammates for a beer or whatever (though drinking heavily is a mistake in this state of mind.) Sometimes just kind of sharing your mood with teammates can be relieving. I remember when--in a fairly deep depression myself--I found out that the nicest guy on our team, and fastest swimmer by far (a former 23 time all american div. 2) had suffered from serious Seasonal Affective Disorder for decades. It was really helpful to talk to him about my own travails, and definitely did a lot to eliminate the stigma that's hard to shed. I wish you luck. Just tell yourself you're going to go and swim the warm up, say hi to some swimmers, take a shower, and go home. You might end up staying longer, but the key is to just get back into the habit. This episode will pass, they always do. And even though they seem interminable at the time, the truth is your life is almost certainly much more non-depressed than depressed. Think of it as an emotional cold--obnoxious, yes, annoying, to be sure. But eventually it goes away.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 12:29:43 GMT

Swimming cures my depression. When I feel blue, I get myself in the pool for a few hours, and by the time I'm out I feel happy again. If I miss a day I get all mopey and grumpy, which is why this tapering thing sucks. BTW, my motivation for getting to the pool when I'm depressed (besides knowing it will help, since that isn't always enough) is my girlfriend. She refuses to talk to me when I haven't been in the pool or the gym.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

smontanaro — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:48:17 GMT

It is good to know I'm not alone. My waistline is testament to the fact that you are not alone in not making it to the pool as much as you want. ;) Skip

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

jim thornton — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:41:59 GMT

Just out of curiosity, what latitude are you at? We are past the summer solstice now, and the light is dying--the further north you go, the more this effect is exaggerated. My friend with SAD lived in Minnesota, and it seemed his blues would often start around this time of the year, and improve in the spring. I wonder if George's greater enthusiasm for swimming in Mexico as opposed to Canada might have something to do with the winter light in these respective locales... They do make full spectrum light bulbs that could conceivably help. I agree with Mr. Aquageek on the usefulness of seeing a doctor, though not all doctors are created equal in this regard. When you're depressed, and least motivated to do anything, that's when you need to summon your inner reserves and make yourself do it. I really do think swimming not only restokes these inner reserves but teaches us that we have them. Think about it: how many sports are there where, even when we are in the absolute best and happiest mental state conceivable, we need to summon endurance in the face of pain? If you can race a 1650 free, a 200 fly, or even a hard 100 of any stroke, you know how to handle pain! Babbling a bit here, I know, but as much as you can, I suggest viewing this temporary episode in your life as an endurance event that you have the wherewithal to finish with miminal whimpering. Just as with swimming a hard race, concentrate on your stroke and pace and anything else that can help distract you from the pain per se--and let you reach the finish line with quickness and grace!

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

isobel — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:06:15 GMT

OK. This is the third time I've tried to thank people and each time I get bumped off somehow. Made it to the pool today. Did whole workout. Got to the pool by going waaaaaaay early and doing drills and somersaults and slow-motion flip turns and various easy swimming tasks until practice began. Thanks, thanks, thanks for all your support and strategies. But most important thing is I now have lots of encouraging posts to read to help me get to the pool. So again, thank you all. It is good to know I'm not alone.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 11:04:07 GMT

Ugh, I feel the same way as isobel. So far my swimming hasn't really be affected, but I fear it will be soon. All I really do is work (excessively,) sleep (excessively) and swim. I recognize that my sleeping is a sign of depression. I have been diagnosed with depression and have been seeing someone, although am not currently on meds. Last night was a real struggle to get to the pool. I started swimming again because I moved to a new (small) town where I don't know anyone, and lately I don't really care if I get to know anyone. I thought swimming would help me meet people, but it seems like I'm the only one ever there swimming laps and I'm just a pain in the lifeguards butt because they don't get to go home early. I guess that's if they even show up in the first place. I set goals, and I'm highly competative so I really want to acheive them. But yesterday's swim was just horrible, I couldn't get into any type of rythym and I was so slow for the first half it was embarassing. Needless to say I'm not too motivated to go back right now, and the darn county board scheduled a meeting during my swim time this evening that I have to cover. It's a convenient excuse. Maybe it is SAD, as the depression has increased 10-fold, since the snow fences went up at the beaches - that means winter is just around the corner. Any other suggestions to stay motivated? a team and swim buddies arent' really options for me. (My town has a myspace-like social networking site that I even tried posting on to see if anyone would want to swim laps with me...no takers)

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

aquageek — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:43:27 GMT

I hope you are seeing a doctor for your condition. That is my only advice.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

smontanaro — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:35:51 GMT

I think if you have some goals, even very modest ones, it might encourage you to keep swimming. For example, I haven't done any meets or postal swims this year, but I have continued to participate in Go The Distance. That's kept me going to the pool when in years past I might have stayed away for extended periods of time. Another thing that might help: a swimming buddy. Do you know someone who generally swims at approximately the same time(s) as you? Maybe you can be swim buddies, encouraging each other to get to the pool. It is harder to skip out on practice if your friend is outside in her car waiting to drive to practice. Skip

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

jim thornton — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:31:22 GMT

Isobel, I hope it helps, at least a little, to realize you are not alone. sbchick4, you might try asking the lifeguards at the pool if there are any other lap swimmers (at different times of the day) who might be interested in swimming a workout with you. who knows? you could maybe start a small masters team, and pretty soon you'd have some pretty grateful fellow swimmers to hang out with. Good luck to everyone out there with mood vicissitudes! And Isobel, let us know how goes your quest to get to the pool. Maybe post here once a week and let us know how many practices you made, duration optional!

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

norascats — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:26:54 GMT

I don't know how long you've felt this way, but if it's recent, give yourself a set time to mope, like a week or two. At the end of that time force yourself to get back up and go. We tend to push ourselves too hard and sometimes we get tired.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:58:53 GMT

i find that sometimes, having goals makes it harder because i feel so much pressure that i'd rather not go. if that happens, just stop thinking about it and just tell yourself to get to the pool--that is the only goal.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

Former Member — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:50:25 GMT

I know many people just go to the pool, no matter what, they don't give themselves a choice, but I've succumbed to bad case of blues. Swimming always has been my salvation for depression, but now I am finding it very hard to get out of the house to get to the pool. I know "inertia begets inertia" (I read that once); thus I just gotta get myself to the pool. Anyone out there have any ways they trick their minds/bodies when it feels like the world is made of cement? Drugs aren't the answer for me; been there, done them. Swimming really has been an incredible help. I have swim goals: I'm not accomplishing them due to the incredible pull of my cozy bed and evening "house" clothes. What has worked for me in the past are these: 1) Reason it out. Try to present yourself with both scenarios (going/not going) logically. Imagine out the course of the evening with the pool trip and without the pool trip. If I can identify that the ONLY thing keeping me from going is lethargic feelings, then I just make the decision to go. Obviously you have to be honest with yourself and not allow "rationalization" to creep in. Once you make this a routine, it can be powerful because it allows to start having respect for your ability to not believe your own BS. 2) Until you are strong enough to do #1, another thing that worked for me was to "warm up" before even leaving. I find that just being active prior to your decision time will make it much more likely to go to the pool. Ie: you wake up feeling lethargic, you know that when the afternoon rolls around you will probalby still feel lethargic, so at least 2 hours before your workout time, do some house chore like folding laundry, doing dishes etc. Something about just being active and doing something that you will complete will give you the resolve and energy to make the right decision regarding leaving to the pool. Anyways, not all these things work for everyone, these are just some of the things that work for me. Keep in mind that the brain loves to establish pathways and once established they are re-used more frequently (ie: routine). So if you can figure out a "trigger" that works for you and then reinforce that trigger, it will make it a lot easier for you.

RE: Hard to get to pool due to blues

aztimm — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 07:32:41 GMT

I think just getting in the habit of getting up and exercise and sticking with it is key. Like others mentioned, I get all my stuff ready the night before (down to assembling my lunch and snacks in one area of the fridge). My alarm goes off, I get up, and go. This past summer I switched things up a bit, running 2 mornings during the week. Rather than get my schedule out of whack, I simply woke up at the same time. I have to think now when I get up, do I put on my running outfit or my swimming one (it could look odd if I run in just a swimsuit). I also started to do some pre-exercises and stretching before I leave home. Just some light stretching mixed together with pushups, crunches, etc. Not that it has been cool outside yet here, but if/when it is, it helps get my body a little warmed up, and I'm more in the mood to really get in a workout, regardless of what I'll be doing. Come January, I do sometimes get similar feelings. It is a combination of lack of sunlight, after Christmas, and cold. But I try to just keep going...and always feel GREAT after I do get in a workout.