How To

How to Overcome Fear in Swimming?

Fears in life are situations that you must face: swimming phobia is one of them. Seek professional, family, and sports psychological support to get going.

Fear in swimming is more common than you think. Many people in the world suffer from it and despite being so strong, they also want to overcome it to fully immerse themselves in this sporting discipline. However, it is usually a bit more complex than it sounds.

Beyond developing fear in swimming and how to get trained as a lifeguard, this type of phobia focuses on water and can be due to various aspects. Have you ever wondered what caused your fear of swimming or swimming pools?

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 in swimming can develop at any stage of life. However, younger people are usually more affected by the issue due to the construction of experiences within which trauma can be formed by 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, the good things are not the only things that remain in the memory of the person.

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, rough games without wanting to participate in them, among others.

On the other hand, the greatest fear perceived in swimming is of the water. As such, it does not focus on sports but on surface immersion. 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 does not take long. This makes it much more complex to overcome it, but it is not something impossible to do. It requires effort and a lot of work.

Overcoming fear in swimming

To overcome the fear of water and swimming in general, you must do your part, seek accompaniment, and put the following recommendations into practice.

Relaxation techniques

Adopt relaxation techniques out of the water to control your anxiety state. These can calm you down and think with a cool head before entering the water surface. This type of technique can be transferred to the pool, first doing it on the edge without exerting pressure to enter.

Build 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 in order to perceive your capabilities. If you find that you can achieve certain things out of the water, you can also do it inside it.

Ask for accompaniment

Although you must strengthen your confidence, it is also necessary to have a person who inspires you with confidence in the pool environment. It can be a family member or a friend, even resorting to swimming classes in which your instructor knows your fears and guides you with patience.

Avoid abrupt 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 tranquility. Also, no matter how long it takes to get it: go at your own pace to beat it completely.

Of course, it is positive that you set goals 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 out above, psychological support should be the fundamental axis to overcome the fear of water and swimming in general. In that order of ideas, we advise you to have professional control to advise and guide you on your fears. Someone with whom you can express how you feel and monitor your progress or setbacks on the subject

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