About 10 years ago I discovered the wonders of catnip tea by accident. I had tried a new brand of tea for my nightly cup before going to bed. I started to notice I got rather drowsy before the usual time and connected it to this tea. I read the ingredients and you got it - catnip ! Don't ask me the brand because I forgot.
The botanical name for catnip is Nepeta Cataria and it is known to be used for anti-anxiety and it's also a diaphoretic (makes you pee).
Okay, so what does this have to do with swimming ??
I always had butterflies in my stomach before my swimming lessons no matter how much progress I had made. So I tried this strategy to counteract my nervousness. At about the 6th lesson I came up with the idea of having a cup of catnip tea about an hour and half before my lesson. I put about a 1/2 teaspoon in a strainer along with another herbal tea. I also stopped drinking coffee on the mornings of my lessons or at least cut it down considerably.
You can get catnip it in the bulk food section of most health food stores or even some of the mainstream grocery stores.
Did it work ? Yes, it definitely took the edge off the nervousness and allowed me to relax more than stiffen up. I was battling with myself and trying to deprogram my fear of the deep water. I'm not specifically recommending you take catnip before swimming lessons, but thought I'd just share my own little adventure with it. The best strategy of course is to expose yourself to the water as much as possible, practice your technique and become one with the water.
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