Fear of Water
Water is an unusual environment for a person, so the fear of it is natural, but within reasonable limits, everyone should have it. Some people feel such a strong fear that they cannot even go into the water. But this fear is no longer normal. In this case, the help of specialists is needed. Many are ashamed that they cannot swim, as well as a feeling of fear of water, but remember, you are not alone and no one will judge you. Even adults are afraid to go deep. Once you acknowledge and accept your fear and the fact that it’s completely normal, you can take action to get rid of it.
You can overcome it not by psychological suggestions, but by completing a series of tasks step by step. They are not difficult or scary, on the contrary, everything is quite simple. Each person has his own level of trust in the water element. Perhaps someone has this fear due to certain negative circumstances. Even experienced swimmers can get scared in the water sometimes, so don’t worry too much about it, anything can be overcome. After all, a person is not born with the ability to swim, the aquatic environment is alien to him, you need to gradually learn and overcome your fears. We all feel much more confident on dry land, but the skill of swimming is very useful and may come in handy one day.
Reasons for Fear of Water
The vast majority of reasons for fear are psychological in nature. Someone was pushed into a pond by their peers in childhood, someone was taught to swim too brutally by their father. All this could cause a serious imprint in the subconscious and, as a result, in the attitude towards water.
It is important to understand that most often a person turns on the instinct of self-defense. He consciously imagines that if he stops breathing air, it will be impossible to survive.
There is also a fear of depth, lack of bottom underfoot, especially in the muddy water of natural reservoirs, with an unknown bottom topography. Fears are quite legitimate in their own way, given the undercurrents, whirlpools, rocks, waves, unknown depths and many other factors.
Recommendations for The Psychological Study of Phobia
Overcoming any fear must begin with the head. Accept your fear, share with someone and in no case feel ashamed, because this is useless. Not only children can be afraid of water, but also adults. The main thing is to start solving the problem with a specialist in time.
A couple more helpful tips:
– look for more information about water, swimming. Ask for scientific facts, find a forum where people share their ways of overcoming a phobia. You should be motivated by positive information, of course;
– learn relaxation techniques. It is important for you to get rid of the panic. Before entering the water, use a deep breathing technique or other relaxation techniques that help you pull yourself together and focus on learning;
– use visualization techniques. As soon as disturbing thoughts creep into your head, try to imagine a picture of yourself floating calmly and relaxed. It helps relieve stress;
– don’t be afraid to talk to someone about your fear. If your friend or acquaintance also knows how to swim, let him share his positive memories of swimming in the sea or just swimming in the pool, or swimming in the river, lake. Positive emotions are a great start to overcoming a phobia. Do not withdraw into yourself, communicate with people and it will be easier for you to cope with the problem, because you will not be alone.
Friends are good, but sometimes you need the help of a psychologist. A professional will help you find out the cause of your fear (most likely, the fear of water comes from childhood) and suggest solutions. Sometimes several sessions can work a miracle, you just need to trust a specialist.
Three Useful Exercises to Overcome Fears
You are on the sea, river, lake or pool. It’s time to overcome your fears. We advise you to start with the following exercises:
1. Go into the sea or river up to your waist and try not to close your eyes. Lower your head into the water, holding your breath. Pull your head out of the water and exhale. Repeat several times. You can wear goggles to keep your eyes open underwater so that you are more comfortable and able to see all the underwater beauty.
2. Having lowered your face into the water, try to lie with your whole body on the water. Many are afraid not to feel the bottom under their feet. But you should not be nervous, because at any moment you can touch the bottom with your feet, because you will be very close to the shore. Repeat this exercise and you will feel how the fear gradually disappears.
3. Try to push off with your feet from the bottom. At the same time, stretch your arms in front of you and, as it were, glide through the water. Do a few times to feel more confident. If you have the desire to overcome your fear and there is a person nearby who will help you, then you will definitely succeed!
The first steps are the most difficult, but the main thing is to start, and then everything will go as it should. Never give up and get the job done. Perseverance, courage and desire are your friends.
Everyone can overcome the fear of water, the main thing is to believe in it and work on yourself. In no case do not think that you are somehow handicapped because of a phobia of water, because this is not so. All this is overcome, just work on yourself.
- Vocational training is a great opportunity for people who are afraid of water. In addition, the fear of water is quite common, so adult swimming courses are also quite popular.
- Just look online for some swimming courses for beginners. You may be able to find such courses in your area.
- In addition, you can simply enroll in a gym that has a pool, or in a regular pool. There you can find out if there are swimming lessons for beginners.
Read articles on how to learn to swim, learn about the properties of water.
Search the Internet for articles that describe options for overcoming this phobia. The more you learn, the sooner you will realize that there is nothing to worry about in the water if you follow the safety rules.
We hope that the article was useful for you!
