COACH MINDA
  • AT A GLANCE
  • SPECIALITIES
  • - Personal Challenges
  • - Work Challenges
  • - Well-Being
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CAREER HISTORY
  • ACHIEVEMENTS
  • GLOSSARY
  • AGREEMENT & QUESTIONNAIRE
  • WORKSHOP questionnaire
  • AT A GLANCE
  • SPECIALITIES
  • - Personal Challenges
  • - Work Challenges
  • - Well-Being
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CAREER HISTORY
  • ACHIEVEMENTS
  • GLOSSARY
  • AGREEMENT & QUESTIONNAIRE
  • WORKSHOP questionnaire
Call for an appointment (514) 791- 4506
Coach Minda's

BLOG

    Sign up for my blog
Notify Me
'> Picture
These blogs are a way to share my thoughts and insights with you. Feel free to comment and share.

Four degrees colder

18/8/2014

5 Comments

 
Picture
Speed and distance information is a valuable part of a training program to help you achieve peak performance. And if I were an athlete it would make sense that I like to track how far, fast and for how long I walk, bike or swim.

But I'm not. I just like keeping track.

For over 20-years, the first summer lake swim has been in June and the last in September. All these years, I have wanted to know the temperature of the water. Canadian lakes even when the sun warms the surface stay pretty cold.  You can feel this difference when diving.

So this summer, I invested big time in a five-dollar thermometer.  Now I check the lake's temperature before each swim.

Summer Lake Temp Report: 67-74 degrees
  • First June dive - 67 degrees. Too cold, but do-able
  • Most others days -  72 degrees. Just fine
  • One warm weekend -  74 degrees. A treat


After this weekend of rain and cooler temperatures, I was really curious how cold the lake might be before I dove in. It was 68 degrees. I spoke to the lake,  "not today, it's too cold for swimming." 

How did a drop of only four degrees from the summer-time norm of 72 to today's 68 influence my decision to forgo swimming?  
Four degrees - really?

A Mindful Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training program I took a few years ago coupled with my own mindful efforts, let me think about it in this way.

If we try to accept things as they are without comparing and evaluating against personal bests, standards or other benchmarks, without leaning on our tendencies to view our experiences in terms of what we like and what we dislike, we can potentially free ourselves from any set expectations and just  'dive' into the experience.

Picture


I went back down the stone stairs leading to the dock and dove in. 




I used two strategies:
  1. Mild shaming -- "if you can swim when it's 67 degrees, you can swim when it's 68 degrees."
  2. Then, with a degree of mindfulness, I said -- "it's only because you are comparing one experience to another that you are hesitating."  

Together, these two strategies worked perfectly. The water was cold and wonderful.

Warmly, but not as warm as usual,
Coach Minda

5 Comments
OOG
18/8/2014 10:01:21 am

A great song to accompany ( even encourage ) wading into unfamiliar waters . Also Many Rivers to Cross . Mild shaming : did you mean 72 degrees , instead of 67 ? Just to make sure I understood the logic . Thanks for the blog .

Reply
Minda
18/8/2014 10:05:48 am

The logic goes like this: if I could swim in 67 degree water, the temperature it was on the first dive in June, then surely I can swim when it is 68 degrees (mild shaming I called it)....Glad you like the song choice Oog

Reply
Maury
18/8/2014 12:52:39 pm

Interesting! Instead of living true to life in the present, I see that we are overly indebted to the past or to another version of what could or should be. That doesn't acknowledge how the current moment and the current 'me' is different from what has been. Next time I think of past judgements about what is right, I'll say to myself "that's water under the bridge" or "that train has already left the station"! Thanks Minda.

Reply
Minda
18/8/2014 02:30:25 pm

Thanks Maury. Here's a question for you: Given the scenario I described, how else might you explain how a slight change (of 4 degrees) would alter one's interest and willingness to do something? Do you have any alternative suggestions or explanations?

Reply
Barret
25/8/2014 01:41:34 pm

Very interesting but I do think it is hard to escape these references. For example, you have now created a new reference point called "Throw out past experiences" and next time you find yourself in a similar situation, you will probably draw upon this new reference point.
In this case, you also seemed to apply logic ..which is if it was 68 and you did it when it was 67, then it seems reasonable to do so. I a way, I see what you did was apply ruthless logic to your irrational emotions, a form of shaming feeling irrational.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Tweet
    View my profile on LinkedIn

    My family, relationships, movement, nature,  flexibility of mind, exploration of  alternative perspectives & openness are central to my life. 

    Archives

    April 2025
    February 2025
    August 2024
    December 2021
    March 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    February 2020
    May 2019
    April 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    May 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013


Private and confidential

  • ​In Person, by Phone, Skype, Zoom or WhatsApp
  • Day, evening and weekend spots
Picture

Connect with me

  • (514) 791-4506
  • [email protected]
  • www.coachminda.com
  • Coach Minda FB
  • Psychology Today
  • Ezine articles

​
  • AT A GLANCE
  • SPECIALITIES
  • - Personal Challenges
  • - Work Challenges
  • - Well-Being
  • CONTACT
  • BLOG
  • TESTIMONIALS
  • CAREER HISTORY
  • ACHIEVEMENTS
  • GLOSSARY
  • AGREEMENT & QUESTIONNAIRE
  • WORKSHOP questionnaire