Address Your Fear

Before jumping straight into the water and trying to face your fear head on, think back on why you are afraid of the water. Did you have an accident in the water before? Or maybe you are intimidated by the large pool of water? Rationalize and addressing the root of your fear will definitely help in overcoming your fear of water.

Go ahead and research on the properties of buoyancy or read up on the processing of learning how to swim. Understanding and demystifying water will help you feel prepared to step into the pool. If need be, you can practice relaxation techniques such as breathing and visualization outside the water so that you will know how to calm yourself in the water later.

Achieve Small Goals

Like anything else, it is essential to start slow and pace yourself. Start from the shallower side of the pool and take your time to get yourself orientated with your surroundings.

Once you feel relaxed and comfortable being in the water, splash some water on your face to get accustomed to the feeling of having water on it. When you feel ready, take a deep breath, and submerge your face gradually into the water. Blow bubbles to let the air out and come up when you are feeling short of breath. Don’t be worried about water entering your nose or ears. You will notice sounds becoming muffled when your ears are submerged, but water will flow out of your ears when you leave the water.

If you are afraid, take things slow! Wear your goggles and keep your eyes open when you are submerged in the water and see if that helps you. You may feel more relaxed when you can see what is in the water.

Most importantly, don’t rush yourself if you don’t feel ready. Find your trusty swimmer friend or even sign up for private swimming lessons to guide you along. You might find someone there with you will help you alleviate some of your fears. Not to mention, they will be there to look out for your safety, so that’s one thing less that you have to worry about!

Learn How To Back Float

Will you be less afraid of learning how to swim if you find out that your body floats naturally in water with minimal effort? Since we are made up of approximately 60% water, our density is similar to water. Added with our lungs filled with air, this means that we don’t have to work much to float on water!

So, once you feel comfortable in the water and are accustomed to the feeling of submerging your face in the water, why not try learning how to float? Knowing backfloat can not only help you overcome water phobia, but it can even aid you in saving your life. Of course, it is best to attempt this safely with the guidance of a friend or a swimming instructor.

There are a couple of floats that you can try out such as mushroom float and back float. Ask your private swimming coach for advice to see which one that you should attempt first. If you are still not accustomed to the feeling of submerging your face in the water, backfloat is the most ideal.

However, for those uncomfortable with leaning back and relaxing in water, trying mushroom float might be easier. Treading water at the shallow end for a start also helps if you have a fear of submerging in water.

Regardless of whichever float you try, this exercise will allow you to experience the feeling of floating in water. It may be slightly unnerving at first but getting used to the sensation of floating is actually the first step to learning swimming. So, consider the battle half won if you’ve reached this stage!

Conclusion

After addressing your fears and getting comfortable in the water, hopefully you will find yourself more confident in the pool! Remember to take things slowly and not too feel discouraged if things are not going well. Good luck in overcoming your water phobia, and why not find a swimming instructor and try tackling your fears today?

Hello everyone! My passion for sports writing stems from my day of competing for Nanyang Technological University's Archery team. I was also an avid swimmer when I was young. Other than that, I draw knowledge from my hobby in music and reading to relate to my readers. Hope you enjoy them!