One of the most common phobias is the fear of water. If the idea of swimming scares you, then you are not alone. Millions of people suffer from the extreme fear of swimming in the water. Just entering a water pool or seeing a river kicks in the natural fear instincts of such people. Having this fear of water is completely natural, as our ancestors have walked on firm ground for millions of years.
However, staying out of water your whole life can cause you to miss many joyful experiences. Getting over the fear of swimming is not as complex as you think. Many swimming schools and instructors can help you overcome this fear and let you splash around in pools without worries.
Keep reading this article to learn how you can overcome anxiety about swimming and turn your fear into strengths.
Top 6 tips to overcome swimming anxiety
In older days, people used to visit natural pools, lakes, and rivers to learn how to swim. However, people now have access to countless swimming pools and aquatic parks. Getting rid of your fear of water has never been this easy. You can start by watching swimming videos and taking a dip in small pools.
With that said, let’s move forward to explore some tips that can help you overcome swimming anxiety.
Visit Swimming Parks
One of the easiest ways to overcome a fear of water is to visit swimming parks. These parks are designed to deliver joy and fun in the water. You can climb water slides and glide down in a floating tube.
Using safety equipment gives you assurance that you won’t drown in water. You can regularly visit water parks that are filled with people to help you cope with pressure. Many people and children love to swim with friendly fish, too. You can also grab Swimming with Dolphin Tickets to learn to swim and overcome your fears of water.
Calm Yourself using Breathing Techniques
When a person drowns or falls in a pool, water gushes through their nose and mouth. Untrained people experience extreme coughing, shortness of breath, and passing out. Even people who have learned to swim can also experience this issue. The thought of water going deep down in the lungs adds to the fear of swimming.
However, you can try some breathing techniques to help you learn to swim efficiently. The most basic and effective way is to breathe through the nose and exhale through the mouth. This ensures that water doesn’t rush back into the mouth due to forward air pressure. Before taking an actual splash, practice this technique beside the lake or near the pool wall.
Begin in shallow waters
Many people make the mistake of swimming directly in large pools or lakes. This can cause injuries or even deaths for novice swimmers. Jumping in the water is easy and fun, but getting out of deep waters is challenging.
This is why experts recommend to start swimming in shallow waters. It is easy to withdraw and can make your learning experience less stressful. To make it even easier, grab a floatation device and try to advance in pools that are a few feet deep. This way, you can easily and gradually reduce your fear of drowning in water.
Learn to float on your back
Once you begin to swim, challenge yourself to float on your back. Many people who splash on their backs tend to go down in water because they don’t know how to use their limbs to lift their bodies while facing upwards.
However, you can take expert guidance to learn how to float on your back. Knowing how to swim this way can help you stay on the surface and avoid drowning in the water. Moreover, this technique is a great way to relax as the water carries your body weight. It is almost as if you’ve made friends with the pool.
Hire a swimming coach
The best and easiest way to overcome the fear of water is to learn it from an experienced professional. Many people make the mistake of trying to learn to swim themselves. However, many give up swimming altogether because of failures.
When you hire a coach, you can learn the very basics that are required to swim in water. Moreover, you have a helping hand who can save you from drowning. As you continue to learn with a professional, your fear of water will decrease eventually.
Take a dip with aquatic mammals
Many people fear the natural waters as they have no idea what’s lurking beneath them. People get scared even at the sight of a toad or a small fish. Only the thought of getting touched by an aquatic creature in water discourages many from swimming.
However, you should shun your fear of aquamarine biodiversity. You visit theme parks that have many friendly aquatic mammals that swim and interact with you harmlessly. Park management has trained walruses, otters, hippos, and many other species. The friendliest of them all is the dolphins, who love to interact with humans. You can get swimming with dolphin tickets and overcome your fear of the beautiful aquatic creatures.
Free yourself from the fear of swimming!
Many people have different types of fears when it comes to swimming in the blues. You need to identify the root cause of that fear and work directly to minimize it. Once you’ve learned to embrace your fears, you have the freedom to swim in beautiful waters without worries.
