I'm so afraid of drowning. I always get freaked out when I go into deep water or whenever I have to swim. I've taken so many swimming lessons before but they've never really helped. I can somewhat swim but still I have this terrible fear. I think it might be related to events that happened to me during my childhood. I'm currently doing this HORRIBLE swimming unit in gym and now I dread going to school everyday! I'll always stop in the middle of the pool because I get too freaked out to keep going, and then end up half-drowning (so I think). There is no way my gym teacher would ever understand and I would never have the time/money to see a professional. Please, any help out there??
2007-03-20 15:12:07 · 8 answers · asked by TopNotch 3 in Social Science ➔ Psychology
Did you used to be a really bad swimmer? The thing about swimming is that if you aren't good at it, and aren't in shape, it can very easily lead to running out of energy in the middle of the water and panicking at the fact that you can no longer keep yourself above the water and could easily drown... The sensation of being tired definitely increases a sense of panic in and of itself, because being out of energy makes one so helpless, the way you feel when you're frozen in a dream and can't move or scream.... If this has been your experience with swimming as a child, the fear makes complete sense. Especially since it sounds like you feel like you're about to drown every time you swim... the repetition of the experience means fear is being continually conditioned into you! If you worked out alot and built your endurance and skills to the point where you could swim enormous distances and never get tired, I'm sure just the knowledge that you could not drown and the lack of any sense of fatigue might lead to an eventual improvement...
Though I kind of doubt you could do anything to make this better quickly enough to get through your gym unit, unless you were REALLY dedicated, or unless you got a doctor/psychiatrist to give you anti-anxiety pills.
Do you get as scared if you swim with a flotation device, out of curiosity?
2007-03-20 16:33:05 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was younger i almost drowned in a pool, i was with a friend, and she wanted me to try and swim in the deep end of the pool. I just about drowned. I went under, the lifeguard came and saved me. See, there weren't many people there that day. I almost drowned, but the lifeguard saved me, in gym, if you have students around you and the teacher around you as long as the lifeguard. you won't drown. As long as you stay close to your classmates. The more students or people that you stay around, the more unlikely you'll drown. No one would let you drown, if you were drowning, then a classmate could save you, if a classmate couldn't save you, like if they didn't know how, then your teacher could save you, and if he or she couldn't, then the lifeguard would save you. See there's no way you would drown with all the people there.
2007-03-21 01:43:42 · answer #2 · answered by Kayla B 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hmm I can somewhat relate, I really had a fear of swimming for a while but LOVE the hell out of dolphins (your character can like the ocean, drop a beloved piece of jewelry in the pool) something like that and just be motivated to get in the water. My story was I got over it so I could swim with the dolphins even if it was with a life vest :) Then eventually I went swimming on my own and love it.
2016-03-29 09:42:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
when I was young I almost drowned in the ocean.And for years i was scared of Ocean water.But remember..you are surrounded by classmates, teachers,lifeguard? You are not gonna drown nobody is gonna let you drown.what about a doctors excuse? Can you go see your doctor and tell him what happened and you can't handle gym.But maybe if you keep telling yourself I am not gonna drown I am not gonna drown..Chick! your in a pool surrounded by people you Will not drown
2007-03-20 15:26:10 · answer #4 · answered by little3nikki 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Face your faear by jumping into a pool of water,.,. nothing too deep though... maybe something like 4 feet and be sure to have someone else around when you do it.. just in case. One form of therapy to overcome fears is to just face them directly.
Good luck
2007-03-20 15:36:18 · answer #5 · answered by WORLD FAMOUS 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try Systematic Desensitization...
2007-03-20 15:23:38 · answer #6 · answered by OTTO 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
try to think of your past experiences. have someone tried to drown you before? or do you know someone that died because of drowning? you can't fear something if it didn't traumatize you first. think. tell yourself it's not gonna happen to you.
2007-03-20 15:44:50 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
go 2 peekvid and watch the movie the secret
2007-03-20 15:38:24 · answer #8 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋