I am 34 years old and I am really desperate to learn to swim. When I took a class last year I stopped going because the instructor wanted to move to deeper water (8 feet) and I was afraid because I can only stand up in 6 feet of water. I feel comfortable swimming with a noodle to hold my upper body up and an instruction/therapy bar to hold on while I move through the pool, but letting go has been very difficult for me because I keep thinking that I will not stay afloat. Can someone please give me some tips or something that will help me just let go. It took a lot for me to just get to the point of actually trusting the flotation devices. I am starting more lessons on 3/16 and I hired a private instructor for inbetween class times. I just really have a desire to swim for the rest of my life. Please help me out. I'm really desperate here in Virginia.
Parents
Former Member
Those are some great suggestions!
Try this also: At sometime during the day when you are relaxed imagine yourself floating or swimming without floation devices in water that is 4 feet deep. Pay close attention to how you feel. If you feel anxious, take some deep breaths, try to relax while you are doing this imagery exercise. If you don't feel anxious focus on how relaxed and confident you feel in water this deep. Do this several times a day until you no longer feel anxious about floating without support in shallow water. Then practice this relaxation in the pool while you float in shallow water. Next do the same imagery exercise (out of the pool) but put yourself into a little bit deeper water. By now you've probably learned how it feels physically to float. Pull that feeling into your imagery. Always try to make the imagery as real as possible--you might even want to imagine that someone makes a big splash and water gets in your face while you are floating. What do you do? Try to bring in every sense possible to make your imagery as real as possible. Now how are your feeling? Anxious? Work on feeling relaxed and confident while you imagine yourself floating, knowing that you know how to float or swim. Move your imagery into deeper and deeper water frequently and learn to relax and feel confident on land as you actually move into deeper water.
Those are some great suggestions!
Try this also: At sometime during the day when you are relaxed imagine yourself floating or swimming without floation devices in water that is 4 feet deep. Pay close attention to how you feel. If you feel anxious, take some deep breaths, try to relax while you are doing this imagery exercise. If you don't feel anxious focus on how relaxed and confident you feel in water this deep. Do this several times a day until you no longer feel anxious about floating without support in shallow water. Then practice this relaxation in the pool while you float in shallow water. Next do the same imagery exercise (out of the pool) but put yourself into a little bit deeper water. By now you've probably learned how it feels physically to float. Pull that feeling into your imagery. Always try to make the imagery as real as possible--you might even want to imagine that someone makes a big splash and water gets in your face while you are floating. What do you do? Try to bring in every sense possible to make your imagery as real as possible. Now how are your feeling? Anxious? Work on feeling relaxed and confident while you imagine yourself floating, knowing that you know how to float or swim. Move your imagery into deeper and deeper water frequently and learn to relax and feel confident on land as you actually move into deeper water.
