Fear in swimming is more common than is believed. Many people in the world suffer from it and despite being so strong, they also want to overcome it to fully enter this sports discipline. However, it is usually a bit more complex than it seems.
Beyond developing a fear of swimming, this type of phobia focuses on water and can be due to various aspects. Have you ever wondered why your fear of swimming or pools arose?
One of the first guidelines to overcome the fear of this sport focuses on finding what triggered it. Next, we will show you some recommendations to overcome this problem.
fear in swimming
Fear of swimming can develop at any stage of life with lifeguarding class. However, younger people are usually more affected by the issue due to the construction of experiences within which trauma can be formed due to a negative experience.
Children tend to be like a "sponge" due to the high content of experiences and learning that they absorb; for this reason, childhood is considered a sensitive stage. Despite this, in this age range, good things are not the only things that remain in the person's memory.
With regard to swimming, many can be the triggers of fear. An accident in the pool, having swallowed large amounts of water, being forced to enter the water, horseplay without wanting to participate in them, among others.
On the other hand, the greatest fear perceived in swimming is of water. As such, it does not focus on sports practice but on immersion in the water surface. The main argument is that they can drown or that they cannot swim.
On many occasions, the person usually develops something called hydrophobia, a sensation that focuses on the specific fear of water. At the moment that the individual who suffers from it is exposed to any aquatic surface, the appearance of symptoms such as intense anxiety and discomfort is not long in coming. The above makes it much more complex to overcome, but it is not something impossible to do. It requires effort and a lot of work.
Overcome fear in swimming
To overcome the fear of water and swimming in general, you must do your part, seek support, and put the following recommendations into practice.
relaxation techniques
Adopt relaxation techniques out of the water to control your state of anxiety. These can calm you down and think with a cool head before you enter the water surface. You can transfer these types of techniques to the pool, first doing it on the edge without putting pressure on yourself to enter.
Strengthen trust
The fear of water, on many occasions, is due to your lack of confidence in yourself. You must set short, medium, and long-term goals that motivate you and above all that challenge you so that you perceive your capabilities. If you find that you can accomplish certain things out of the water, you will also be able to do it in it.
Ask for accompaniment
Although you need to build your self-confidence, it is also necessary to have a person who inspires confidence in the pool environment. It can be a family member or a friend, even resorting to swimming lessons in which your instructor knows your fears and guides you patiently with American Lifeguard Training.
Avoid sudden entry into the water
The main objective is to overcome fear in swimming, not to increase it; therefore, entering the water must be progressive, with patience and calm. Also, no matter how long it takes to get it: go at your own pace to completely beat it.
Of course, it is positive that you set goals for yourself to enter, but forcing yourself or entering abruptly can only increase the fear you have.
Psychological support to overcome fear in swimming
In addition to the recommendations set forth above, psychological support must be the fundamental axis to overcome the fear of water and swimming in general.
In that order of ideas, we advise you to have a professional control that advises and guides you about your fears. Someone with whom you can express what you feel and monitor your progress or setbacks on the subject.
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