Swimmers spend a lot of time stressing about their flexibility. This includes mobility work prior to entering the water, weight training activities in the gym, and stretching sessions afterwards to keep limber. All of these things are important for being able to move properly within the water, but there is another aspect of flexibility that not many people think about: mental flexibility. Mental flexibility means being able to adapt to changing circumstances. If you're sitting on your bed thinking about how stiff your body is, then you aren't going to be very flexible mentally. But if you walk over and give your back a good stretch, you'll feel much better immediately. Mental flexibility is all about recognizing when you need to make a change in your environment or approach something new. It's about keeping an open mind even when things are going well enough already. Being mentally flexible helps you avoid getting stuck in a rut. If you always do the same thing every time you swim, then you will always get the same result. But if you can try out different activities sometimes, you may find that someone else's problem is actually your solution! For example, if you usually focus on your breathing when swimming, then you might want to consider trying some other exercises one day to mix it up. Maybe power walking would help you burn more calories or learning a new dance move could get your heart rate up.