​Swimming to overcome depression

This story was written by a Spanish banker who lost his job and his sense of worth when his bank crashed during the Global Financial Crisis.
 
‘In the past, I had often promised myself that I would learn to swim, but every time I had abandoned the plan. Now was the moment! I started to learn to swim in a pool in Easter 2013. 

'The first few days, when I couldn’t even swim one length of the 25 metre pool, were awful. But I tried not to lose heart. When finally I was able to swim 1000m in one hour, it was incredible for me and I cried for joy.
 
‘It was the end of summer 2013 and I had never swum in the sea. One day, in September, I decided to do it. I swam 100m from the shore but I had a panic attack and had to return to the beach. But I wasn’t deterred. After that panic attack, I slowly increased my distances - first 100m, then 200m until I was able to swim 1000m in the sea. I also continued training in the pool. Finally, in summer 2014, I did my first open water crossing. When I reached the finish line I couldn’t stop crying. I was very happy, because I had done it! I had discovered a new way to live my life. Open water swimming was my life buoy!’
 
Thanks to H2Open for this story.