Does swimming scare you? Then you might be among the 14 million people who are afraid of water. But if you choose not to overcome your fear and stay out of water for your entire life, you are missing out on a lot of fun experiences and a chance to learn a life skill that can help you in odd situations.
You have directed yourself to this article, and it is likely that you have the desire to overcome the fear. As you know that Roam was not built in one day, so with time and practice, you will not only overcome your fears but also master the skills.
Swimming For Physical, Mental, And Emotional Healing
There are various benefits of swimming, and they will help you heal your physical, mental, and emotional pain. Swimming helps in releasing feel-good hormones- endorphins and controls the stress hormone- Cortisol. If you are charged up and want to enroll in a swimming class, click here swimmingcoursesz.sg. This link will direct you to swimming lessons for adults.
However, if you need some more motivation and you want to conquer the fear of swimming in deep water, here are some tips that will be life-changing:
Mental Preparation
The first step of mental preparation is accepting you are afraid. To make yourself strong and face the fear, you will have to accept the fact that while you are facing the fear, you will face many instances where people will witness your demons. Don’t let that stop you.
Identifying the origin of fear will help you in your mental preparation. Think about the particular incident that has ushered a sense of fear from deep waters. Sometimes recognizing the origin of the fear will help you to deal with your issues.
Face Your Fear
Start with toddler steps, and choose a water body that you feel comfortable in. Choose a setting where the situation is controlled, like the pool in your apartment. Ensure that you feel comfortable in the temperature, depth, and flow of the water is under control. Choosing a sea or a stream to learn to swim will make you even more scared.
While you are doing it, have someone by your side who you can trust. It can be a training instructor, and if you are still scared, you might ask your best friend, siblings, or partners to be with you while you learn swimming.
While you are getting in the pool, you might feel anxious. Do not let fear control you. Instead, take deep breaths that will help you calm down. Breathe in, counting up to four, and hold your breath for two-four seconds. Gradually release your breath, counting one-two-three-four… Repeat it five to seven times so that you can calm yourself down.
Extend Your Zone
Once you are feeling fine while you are in the water, it is time that you take a step ahead. Try to take a dip in the water. Come to a place where there is waist-level water. After you feel comfortable with the position, splash some water on your face so that you become familiar with the setting.
Gradually bend over and let your lips touch the water’s surface. Later take a deep breath, hold it and dip your face in the water. Try to hold it as long as you can. If you feel uncomfortable, give up and try again when you are ready.
Extending your zone might take you a day or two or months. Thus, there is nothing to rush about. Dealing with a phobia is a tough job, do not push yourself.
Hire A Professional
The best way to overcome your aquaphobia is to enroll in swimming classes where there are programs specially curated for aquaphobia. Hire a personal trainer who will be by your side while you learn the techniques to overcome your fear. A trainer who is taking care of aquaphobia has special certification and training on how to help you.
You can also talk to a therapist about your fears and anxiety regarding water. A therapist, life coach, or anxiety specialist will help you tame your thoughts regarding the fear. They will teach you various techniques like exercise, self-management tips, and reactions.
Benefits Of Swimming
The benefits will help you even more to overcome fear and anxiety. Swimming is a full-body exercise that will help you tremendously to maintain good physical health and also help you calm your mind. Let us have a look at the benefits of swimming:
- Swimming will help you to maintain good heart health. With swimming, your heart becomes stronger. The full-body exercise pumps blood in and out, maintaining blood pressure, hypertension, and other heart-related issues.
- If you are dealing with an increase in your weight, swimming is a great way to shed that extra number on your scale.
- Swimming helps in claiming the mind and controlling anxiety. Once you can overcome your fears of deep waters and swimming, you will come back for a swimming session again and again whenever you are feeling stressed.
- Swimming improves sleep. When you swim, your whole body is working. It releases a stress hormone called cortisol, hence, helping you to sleep like a baby. Further, the tiredness you will feel after swimming will help aid your sleep.
- If the weakened muscle is your problem, swimming will help you to strengthen your muscles. It is also claimed that swimming helps to improve bone health.
Conclusion
We believe this article will help you fight your demons regarding swimming and deep water. Follow the pointer mentioned in this article one step at a time, and you will find yourself taking to the fished. Once you have overcome your fears, ensure that you make swimming a part of your lifestyle because of the benefits it provides. Take the help of a professional if the fear is deeply rooted.