Surviving a Riptide

Stop Fighting to Survive

Being a Canadian, I didn't know much about riptides (extremely powerful surf undertow) until I met my now-husband, who is from New Zealand. Visiting NZ for the first time I thought I had all the swimming skills I needed from my Lake Huron hometown to jump in the ocean and enjoy.

Boy was I wrong. I had a lot to learn and unlearn about survival and realizing that my skill in one place isn't always transferrable to another. 

Like our present Covid-19 world, our struggles are like riptides. Rips, as they are known, are usually avoidable and even survivable if you know what to do and you notice when you are killing yourself by fighting. 

Right now, we are all in a rip. It is worse in some parts than others for sure, but the undertow looms and how we react and the choices we make will determine our state of mind.

Just Go With It 
In order to survive a Rip, you have to go against your instinct to fight. Screaming out and hoping someone is coming to save you wastes energy. There is no room for panic and no room for flailing in the hopes of beating the constant slam of waves and undertow.

Instead, you must relax as much as possible and swim OUT to sea with the current, until it spits you out the side and you can swim parallel to the undertow back to shore. Yes, it seems crazy to swim deeper while fighting for your life. But the alternative will tire you out and you will lose. 

Spring 2020. You are tiring yourself out trying to get out from under the never-ending email, zoom calls, the constant pile-up of demands on you from your peers, your children, your dog!! and your extended family and even friends.

You're fighting the riptide. You are absolutely exhausted. There is little left in you and you know you will soon go under. 

What if the way out is not fighting? Accepting what is and doing only what you can. Floating at times to gain your strength so you can get back to shore and rest and restore for tomorrow's riptide, or better yet, taking a day on land to just be? Saying no to zoom "wine chats" that will deplete you. Going to bed an hour earlier. Upping your meditation time.  There is no prescription for what will work for you - only you can figure that out through trial and error. 

This is what I do know: Fighting the riptide is not the answer. 

I challenge you this week to do something different. Is it declining a meeting to go for a lunchtime run? Is it booking a session with your on-line therapist? Is it simply asking yourself where you're flailing around instead of swimming with the current?

Make the small change that will allow you to float for a while to save yourself. 
You will be happy to be back on shore.