Petrified. The adrenaline began to build up inside me. That fear felt like an elephant was sitting on my chest. I would focus on my breathing to calm myself down. The swim suit I was wearing was tight enough already, but it almost felt like it was getting tighter on my body, restricting me from breathing normally. Thoughts were running all through my head. What if I fail my teammates? What if I don’t do good in my race? What if fear takes the best of me?
As I stood behind the swim block, waiting impatiently for my teammate to finish her lap, my feet became extremely shaky. I felt like I was standing on the top of a basketball. I took one giant step up onto the block. While I set myself up on the block, both feet hip width apart on the back
…show more content…
All of the parents supporting our team were cheering for us. I saw my parents in the balcony, reading my body language intensely. My parents knew me well enough to know when I was nervous. It wouldn’t be shocking if everyone in the room could see the fearful look on my face. Fear is one of the strongest human emotions and a great motivator.
I tried to relax my mind, but nothing could stop my mind from wandering. Trying to distract myself from focusing on my swim was not working very well for me. The power of my fear was daunting. The fear inside me was so overwhelming that I could almost taste it on the tip of my tongue. The smell of chlorine was the odor of a skunk; it did not spell appealing. My thoughts started to ramble in my head. As I stood on the block, I put my trembling, clammy hands together to make a triangle. That was probably the only thing that I could do normally at that moment in time. I see one of my teammates only a few strokes away from the wall. That is when my heart started to go a million miles a minute. My legs started to feel like jello. The moment emerged. My teammate reached the pad in the water, and I took my first dive into the water. My hands were lined on top of one another and my feet pointed as if I were a ballerina. When I hit the water, everything suddenly became
Fear is an amazing emotion, in that it has both psychological as well as physiological effects on the human body. In instances of extreme fear, the mind is able to function in a way that is detached and connected to the event simultaneously. In “Feared Drowned,” Sharon Olds presents, in six brief stanzas, this type of instance. Her sparse use of language, rich with metaphors, similes and dark imagery, belies the horror experienced by the speaker. She closes the poem with a philosophical statement about life and the after-effects that these moments of horror can have on our lives and relationships.
Every time I step outside my house, I am constantly reminded of the beauty that is the opportunities that are laid at my feet. Recently I’ve had the privilege of seeing and participating in many different worlds such as the populous city of New York, the beautiful and lively city of Boston, I’ve shadowed doctors at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, but the world I live in has given me the best opportunity that I have taken advantage of: swimming.
I stared down at my hands, trying to control the shaking. My breathing came out slowly, if it came out at all. I felt like bursting into tears. I stared at the boards in front of me. My head was spinning, and my mind was racing. I couldn’t believe I had missed that break.
It looked like I was going to be dropped right onto the top of a jellyfish, but this was the least of my worries. The only thing I could think about was that shark I had seen just a few minutes ago. As the water was nearing, I pulled my feet to my chest and closed my eyes scared of what was going to happen. Then I was in the water thankfully it only lasted a few seconds, then I was done.
I clashed with the surface of the water and suddenly found myself thinking. I wasn’t sure what was happening. I didn’t feel like I was drowning at all. Although what I had just seen and experienced ...
I slowly lifted one leg and then the other, I was standing. The instructor gave the nod, and I was an expert already? That wasn’t so difficult; except that the next moment I was in the water. Of course, I skipped the details and shared photos of me standing on the board with my friends instead whose reaction was, ‘What is this thing called SUP?’.
I could feel my heart pounding in my chest as I watched the water anxiously. Waves rippled through its surface, lapping up against the stone walls separating the city from the water. I took a deep breath, somewhat calming my nerves. It was going to be hard not to kill anyone. But I had to do it, or else I was
I hear the crunch under my feet and the smell of the salt in the air. I hear the waves crashing and see the boat coming. With my entire Junior Lifeguard group we jogged towards the south side shore of Seal Beach. The first half of my group had already gone to do boat drops, but it was my turn now. My instructor Jeremy was with us and we were getting ready to swim out to the length of tower zero. As I waded into the water I could feel the shock of the cool, crisp wind blowing against it. Once we got out to tower zero I could see the boat nearing. We floated in the chopping water as the boat was getting ready to help us in. One at a time the lifeguards on the boat would tell us to put our back to the swim step and give them our hands, which were
I woke up that morning and was a little excited, but didn’t realize I was shaking, no trembling with fear. Fear that I wouldn’t pass the Beach Patrol test. I had been working hard for the past two months running swimming and the occasional row here and there. I packed an old worn beach towel, you know the one towel that looks like it probably should be thrown out, spare shorts, my favorite pair, ones that fit me just right, and slick dark SPF goggles in my bag, you know the expensive ones that cost like 50 dollars. I didn’t want to bring ones that would fog up or fall off my face this is the Northern Atlantic Ocean we are talking about here, not some stupid little pool we are talking about. Plus it’s June that water is going to be COLD, just
Can’t think. My body shakes and screams from the tension. Heart pounding, nerves tingling, every muscle contracted. Stop. Focus. Deep breath and close everything out. I shut my eyes and the turbulent world in which I am submerged goes black and silent. Coach says visualize the race. Visualize your ideal race. I visualize….
To be fair, the experience was super exhilarating and amazing, but I had gotten off on the wrong foot. About 30 minutes earlier, I had drowned myself in a pool of self doubt, sincerely believing there was absolutely no way I would be able to face my fear
I can remember when I joined the swim team as a freshmen in high school. I wanted to get over my fear of water and wanted to learn how to swim. Goggles in hand, swim cap tightly fitted on my head. My legs shaking. The smell of freshly applied sunscreen coming through my pores. Beads of sweat dripping from my forehead. Nervousness overpowering my body. I was scared. This was it, I’d have to swim. No more holding on walls. A big pool surrounded by walls, a diving board, and 13 feet of water. There was no way I was backing out. The question was could I do it?
I am by myself wearing my blue jeans and an old flannel shirt. It is cool outside but I decided to leave my gloves at home, feeling comfortable with my warm shirt and my sturdy boots.
Rossier, Robert N. “The Personal Limits of Fear.” Dive Training. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Mar. 2014. .
Fear and frustration filled my mind as I desperately tried to stay afloat, cold waves crashing on top of me, sluicing me further and further away from the sanctuary of land. With half of my body frozen I feebly tried to swim against the tide with little success but with every kick, I could feel a sharp piercing pain on my left leg. With the steady and agonising lapse of time synchronised with my sense of ever increasing woe, the weight of the water weighing me down felt worse than it most likely physically was. My chest caved in and my lungs felt empty. Gasping for air, I could see the beach receding in the distance. The more I fought against the waves the more I was dragged to the deep sea. I tried to yell for help but all that spewed forth