"I drank to drown my sorrows, but the damned things learned how to swim"

It's like this: sometimes we think we can escape our problems by numbing ourselves with distractions or vices, but those problems have a way of sticking around, don't they? This quote nails that feeling of trying to forget pain only to have it resurface, often more resilient than before. You can't just sweep your troubles under the rug and hope they'll disappear—because they won't.

Let's take a trip back in time. This quote is often attributed to Frida Kahlo, the iconic Mexican painter known for her vivid and emotionally intense self-portraits. Kahlo dealt with immense physical pain and emotional turmoil throughout her life. She had a tragic accident that left her with lifelong injuries, and her tumultuous relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera added layers of emotional distress. It's easy to see why she might have turned to alcohol, hoping to drown out her sorrows. But as the quote suggests, her sorrows didn't just go away—they adapted, they "learned how to swim."

Now, think about a real-life example. Imagine a guy named Jake. Jake's been through a rough breakup—his first love, the whole nine yards. To cope, he hits the bar every night, telling himself it's just to take the edge off. At first, it feels like a relief. He’s laughing with friends, maybe even flirting a bit. But every morning, those feelings of loneliness and heartbreak are still there, hanging over him like a dark cloud. In fact, they feel even more intense now, compounded by the hangover and the emptiness that comes after the temporary buzz wears off.

You know what Jake could do instead? Face his feelings head-on. It sounds cliché, but dealing with pain directly is the only way to truly move past it. Talk to a friend, write in a journal, see a therapist—whatever it takes to process those emotions in a healthy way. Running from them or trying to drown them out only gives them more power over you.

Let’s get into a more relatable story. Picture you’re at a coffee shop with your friend Sarah. She's venting about her job. It's a nightmare—her boss is a tyrant, the workload's unbearable, and she's this close to breaking. She tells you she’s been coping by binge-watching TV and having a glass (or three) of wine each night. You can see it’s a temporary fix, and not a sustainable one. You tell her about the quote, how maybe her sorrows are becoming stronger swimmers because she’s not addressing the root of the problem. She nods, gets it. Maybe she decides to start looking for a new job or confront her boss, take up yoga or meditation—something that helps her manage her stress in a healthy way.

The advice here is simple but hard to follow: don't avoid your problems. Drowning them out can seem easier, but it doesn't work. Face them. Find a way to deal with them directly. It's like ripping off a Band-Aid—it hurts, but it's the only way you'll heal.

Remember, those sorrows might learn to swim, but so can you.