Hi, I’m Eej. I’m a writer/author, swimmer, UX designer/researcher, tea drinker, and Lake Witch.
This blog is a place for me to park my brain dumps, unedited, rapid, stream-of-consciousness notes I type out after I swim. I’ve been struggling with serious depression and PTSD for a few years, and was not making any progress or finding relief until I started swimming regularly in the cold lake near my home.
When I first starting swimming in cold water I experienced a euphoria that lasted an hour or two after I got home. After a swim was the only time I could get past the lead box around my brain and think, write, express myself. Now that my body has acclimated (and I have thermal gear), I don’t experience a euphoric feeling. Still, my time in the water is vital for my mental health. I can relax, let go of stress. My depression is better than it was when I started this blog: I couldn’t concentrate, think, solve problems, organize, and I had no motivation. I still struggle with it every day. I can make myself get to the lake because when I’m in the water I feel like myself. The strong, curious person that has been trapped under too many chronic diseases for more than half my life.
I’m trying to take advantage of the way I feel in the water, and the brief buzz I get for a short time after swimming, to find a way back to writing and to experiment with writing more openly about personal experiences, feelings, etc. I’m not keen on sharing the list of my maladies or disabilities, but I think it’s important to share my depression. I am slowly finding words to articulate what this disease is for me, how it impacts me. I hope others will read this and share their stories.
Contact me here.
Thanks for reading. If you have a lake or swimming stories to share, I am looking for guest bloggers!