By Karen Creasey
Fear is an intimidating instinct. It almost has a life of its own. It talks to us; it makes our heart beat faster and even at times it controls our choices. Fear is a vital reaction to danger. It helps us protect ourselves from legitimate threats, it keeps us safe. But sometimes, what we fear is far from life-or-death and hangs us up for no good reason. And sometimes our fears can be overcome.
Being afraid of water is a common fear I see frequently. Most people who come to the Palm Desert Aquatic Center with fear of the water are nervous to the degree of not wanting to get their face wet or not being able to stand on the bottom. They are anxious about getting a good breath of air when they want one and not being able to save themselves if they needed to.
People who don’t know how to swim are often embarrassed, even ashamed that they are afraid or nervous around the water and some are reluctant to admit it. Learning to swim is a life skill. Knowing a few basic floating, breathing, and stroke techniques gives the swimmer confidence to enjoy any and all aquatic settings.
Sign Up for Swim Classes Beginning May 10
The best way to go from a fearful non-swimmer to a confident swimmer is to take lessons. Group swim lessons are taught in a group setting of more than three people at a time with a single instructor. They are frequently skill specific or age based, beginning to advanced adults for example. Private swim lessons are taught one-on-one; one instructor to one swimmer. The skill level and the age of the participant is unimportant because the instructor teaches from the students’ abilities regardless of age. Typically people advance very quickly in a private lesson environment.
Beyond getting swim lessons, a few other techniques that assist in overcoming fear or anxiety of swimming are: Allow yourself to begin slowly. Start where it is shallow and swim only where you know you can touch. Learn to tread water. Treading water conserves energy and is a safety skill that keeps your head up when the water is deep. Learn to back float. Floating on your back keeps your face out of the water and can be relaxing. Finally, reward yourself as you take steps to overcome your fear.
For more information about learning to swim or to sign up for group or private swim lessons, contact Palm Desert Aquatic Center’s Karen Creasey, Aquatic Center Manager and Personal Trainer. For more information, and to sign up for swimming lessons, contact her at www.pdpool.com or 760.565.7467
