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I was dead set on my dry-land life until , the diving certification body, launched a “,” designed to teach skills such as dolphin kicks, backward somersault turns and other moves inspired by the mythical creature. I was invited on a press trip to Tahiti to test out the course.

Until that point, I had never considered any kind of ocean exploration, particularly while wearing a costume that would require a bikini top. The idea seemed horrifying, but I also love challenges. Even if I hated it, I figured it would make for a funny story.

Spoiler: One does not hate the . This trip was my first time jumping off a boat into a turquoise lagoon, wearing fins and seeing a prismatic burst of marine life. Moreover, no one seemed remotely concerned by my appearance. I didn’t even waste time thinking about my thighs, which was a first. As a girl who grew up watching “The Little Mermaid” on repeat, I had found my happy place.

I left craving another dopamine hit. I issued myself a challenge: to spend as much time as possible in the ocean over the following year. Swimming, snorkelling and polar plunging were all on deck, as was getting dive-certified. I did pool training at  in Poland and in Taiwan. I tried open-water work around the in Ventura, Calif., which was full of wondrous, mermaid-evoking kelp forests — a place I had never previously bothered to explore, despite being close to where I grew up.

As my confidence grew, so did my slate of adventures. During a swing through the resorts in the Maldives, where I dove five times in as many days, I was delighted to find that every one of the dive masters were women, all as eager to get in the ocean as I was. Their underwater selfie game was unmatched.

I did my first night dive in Kona, Hawaii, where I watched mantas feed over a large light. Much to my mother’s dismay, but to my delight, I dove with 10-foot-long sharks at the Downtown Aquarium in Denver.

I also learned how to protect the underwater world with PADI’s Dive Against Debris program, which teaches people how to collect ocean plastic and other trash, while gathering debris data for the organization’s database. The experience improved my buoyancy and toughened me up in ways I didn’t expect. You haven’t lived until you’ve untangled fishing wire 20 feet underwater.

I told myself I was all about the action. It took me a while to realize that I was also playing an impressive psychological trick on myself. Regularly hanging out in my bathing suit with strangers while having thrilling adventures reinforced that my body is special because of what it can do, not because of what it looks like.

Moreover, studies have shown that people with anxiety benefit from opportunities for responsibility and mindfulness. Although you always dive with a buddy, ultimately you’re responsible for your own safety during these experiences.

Seeing beautiful things, like a school of colourful fish or a turtle gently bobbing by, serves as powerful reinforcements for your efforts. During every dive, I was retraining my brain to focus more on the world around me, and less on my perceived imperfections.

It was a profound mindset shift — one that made me feel like I could take on more than I could ever imagine, both above and under the sea. Almost like a real mermaid.