I was given the following challenge: Swim in the North Atlantic Ocean three times a day for 30 minutes. My brother asked me to join him while on a recent vacation to an island off the coast of Maine.

Swim #1: I walked down to the beach confidently but when I put my toe in the water, a shiver went up my spine that brought so much discomfort that my brain sent the following message to my extremities: Ouch that hurts. Run away! In order to save face, I kept walking, allowing the water to cover my feet, and then engulf my calf. The message from my brain did not change, it intensified. “Run away…” I kept walking and made it to my waist and that’s when the shockwave hit. It was a cold that was so uncomfortable there are no words. My brother was beckoning for me to join him, he had seized the pain by diving right in, no easing in for him. I swallowed hard remembering the challenge and pushed off into a breast stroke which allowed the water to come up over my neck. 1 - 2 -3 … I couldn’t talk. I just counted in my head, 10 - 11 - 12 and as I focused on the numbers and not the numbness, I relaxed. It was amazing that once I got to 60, I was acclimated or maybe I was just frozen. But in less than a minute, I did something very hard and after 60 seconds I was able to swim comfortably for what started as 15 minutes and built to 45 minutes.

Once I discovered that counting to 60 was the trick, I would jump into the water and begin to count down, 60-59-58-57…. I noticed something very significant. I never made it to 1. In fact as I progressed I was at peace by the time I got to 30. This reminded me of one of our family’s favorite movies, We Bought a Zoo, when Matt Damon’s character says: “It only takes 30 seconds of insane courage to do big things.” (This is an Andrea paraphrase).

This summer I have been working intensively with a client providing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills training. The principle is fairly simple: Thoughts influence our Feelings which manifest in our Behaviors. When we begin to recognize our thoughts, we bring awareness to the emotions connected to “what we tell ourselves” and this process allows us to have mastery over what we do with what we feel. (Again an Andrea paraphrase).

After my most recent swimming experience I believe that counting can really help us face our fears. This was a dramatic experience, but it was truly remarkable to see how short the discomfort lasted and how the reward outweighed the risk. I think all this can be summed up with a verse: “Take every thought captive.” In the Message translation it says this: “ We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of a life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.” I Corinthians 10:5-6. To me Paul is referring to the essence of mindfulness. When God asks us to do something, no matter how hard it is - count your way down until it isn’t so difficult and you feel less pain. Discipline is a muscle - and for me swimming in the ocean gave me a beautiful way to exercise being uncomfortable while I pushed through something that was hard.

The 5 R’s from The Elijah Project, can be a helpful formula to bring awareness and order to your thoughts. While picking a number and doing some good old fashioned counting is a simple tool to help you do hard things. I think you may be surprised what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it.

Follow my blog as I continue to share CBT skills and the art of counting.