<story><title>What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/opinion/sunday/swimming-happiness.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>entee</author><text>Just finished swimming a race from Alcatraz to shore, it&amp;#x27;s just the best high. I do tons of endurance sports, but swimming is the most reliable in yielding that euphoric feeling.&lt;p&gt;I think it&amp;#x27;s due to it being essentially forced mindfulness meditation. Though you could swim with music, I don&amp;#x27;t and that means it&amp;#x27;s just my thoughts for 30-60 min (watch the thoughts, can&amp;#x27;t do anything about them right now). I&amp;#x27;m forced to focus on breathing on a set schedule (analogous to vipassana techniques). I&amp;#x27;m moving my whole body in a way that requires balance, complex coordination and attention to what my body is feeling (analogous to body-scans, yoga). If you&amp;#x27;re not listening to music it&amp;#x27;s also a little like sensory deprivation, there&amp;#x27;s just neutral water rushing sound.&lt;p&gt;I know running and biking can get there for some (myself included occasionally), but on a pool swim there&amp;#x27;s nothing to worry about other than the occasional turnaround at the wall. No obstacles, no dodging others on the sidewalk, no traffic. You&amp;#x27;re in a controlled, safe environment.&lt;p&gt;That or maybe it&amp;#x27;s just the hypoxia ;)</text></comment>
<story><title>What Swimming Taught Me About Happiness</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/27/opinion/sunday/swimming-happiness.html</url></story><parent_chain></parent_chain><comment><author>danzig13</author><text>Can’t read the article, but I did want to share that the title resonates with me.&lt;p&gt;I love running and now run again, but I started learning swimming during a knee injury.&lt;p&gt;One thing it re-taught me was how rewarding it is to learn or improve a non-work related skill dramatically. I picked up juggling (poorly) and jump rope since.&lt;p&gt;Two, I knew I was getting a stroke down when I knew when to glide versus to move or exert myself. Maybe a metaphor but practically it makes 40 laps enjoyable instead of torture.&lt;p&gt;Three, having one hour of somewhat sensory deprived solitude is great therapy.</text></comment>