You can’t swim far if you’re afraid to put your face in the water. Breathe on the rhythm, not the panic.

Fear makes you hold your head up, which feels safer and is the exact thing that exhausts you. Half committing to something is usually more tiring than committing, because you carry the effort and the resistance at once. Going all the way in is not bravery for its own sake, it is what lets the movement become sustainable.

Pick the part you have been keeping your head above and go fully in for one short session. Set the breathing in advance so your body has a pattern when it wants to flail. Short and complete beats long and hesitant.