Building Confidence as a Mermaid

Listen to this week's podcast episode all about building confidence as a mermaid in your mermaid tail!

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Building your confidence levels as a mermaid specifically in a mermaid tail, takes time, patience, repetition, faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust.

Surround yourself as best as you can with people that build you up. Find those people in your life that encourage you and let them in on what you are up to.

At the heart of your support system you are going to need to find it within yourself to change your inner dialogue and how you treat yourself. Speak kindly to yourself and with patience. This is uncharted territory for many and tell yourself things like, "this is so stupid," isn't going to be helpful.

Prioritize yourself. Be a little bit selfish if you need to. Remember that YOU matter, YOUR experience on this planet matters and at the end of the day the only opinion on mermaiding that matters is YOURS.

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people are staring...

Believe me when I tell you that the vast majority of people care way more about themselves and the things going on in their world than they do about you and your mermaid tail.

You would be surprised by the number of times I have had someone staring at me with a weird expression, where I assumed they were judging me, only to have them swim over and ask me about my tail and how they could get started in the sport. SERIOUSLY.

Do it in stages

You absolutely DO NOT need to hit the pool in full mermaid gear on your very first swim. Take your time and slowly build up your level of confidence. Rock a monofin to start, then maybe some leggings to get the mermaid vibes flowing.

There are no rules. Do it at your own speed, for YOU. 

be kind to yourself my fishes

Pay attention to your inner conversation. Listen to the story you are telling yourself and question all of the negative thoughts. Stop the negativity in its tracks and change your narrative! It's time to write a NEW STORY. Make it whatever you want it to be! 

Make notes

If something goes wrong during your swim and you start to feel the anxious vibes creeping in, make a note and actively work to fix the problem for next time.

Be a problem-solving mermaid! Find the solution! You can do it!

An example would be if you hit the pool and had a wardrobe malfunction, because let's be honest, who hasn't... My top came CLEAN OFF once. I was MORTIFIED. You bet your fluke I avoided the pool for a while after that. That being said, I fixed the problem and the next time I went to the pool, I brought an extra top in case my fix didn't work. Ever since then, whenever I try something new, I ALWAYS plan a backup in case things go sideways.

Expect the best, prepare for the worst.

Speak with authority

YOU ARE A MERMAID. 

You don't need to justify yourself or explain what you are doing to anyone (short of pool staff for safety reasons). Speak with authority, even if it feels weird. With practice it will feel better and people will take you more seriously.

If someone asks you what you are doing, tell them. Keep it short and sweet. Speak clearly. Practice in front of a mirror if you feel you need to. And don't you dare say anything derogatory about what you are doing.

You are a MERMAID. Say it loud and say it PROUD my fish!

Happy Swimming!
Courtney Mermaid